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Facing ugly weather conditions, Kraken, winner of the BToB transatlantic, impresses the official race organisation. Here is the exclusive interview !

- Who is Kraken?
My name is Alberto, I’m 46 years old and I live in Barcelona.

- How long have you been playing LiveSkipper?
I started playing LiveSkipper in November 2007, coinciding with the first BWR.

- How did the Transat B to B go for you? What strategy did you use?
The initial idea was to sail in a great circle but in the end we couldn’t because of the anti-cyclone in the north, so we had to sail in a direction north of the Bermudas trying to keep ourselves from going neither too far north, where the winds were too strong, nor too far south, where the winds were too calm, waiting for the squall that was coming from Newfoundland to reach us. From this point on, it was a case of trying to stay on this Latitude with courses nearing 90, in order to not have too much wind that would prevent the boat from reaching its maximum speed, and to sail as far as the north of Flower Island and the Azores, where it was possible to start heading towards the Bay of Biscay, always trying to keep away from areas with too much wind, which would have slowed the boat down. I would like to congratulate Mediterrados, which reached the finishing line only 28 seconds after us, and I offer my respect and admiration for the real skippers who have had to put up with very tough sailing conditions.

- What advice would you give the beginners in LiveSkipper?
They need to keep an eye on the weather forecast for the next few hours and try to be aware of all the the changes in the wind. Interpreting weather forecasts correctly and being present during regattas are usually very helpful things to do when you want to finish in a good position.

You can also read the article dedicated to him on the official transat BtoB website !

- Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I was born in Barcelona many years ago. I am a mechanical engineer and I have always been curious about planes, cars, boats…
I have sailed only once. It was in a meeting between Skippers in Palamos. A great experience.

- What brought you to LiveSkipper?
During the first BWR I met one of the greatest sailor on LiveSkipper: Lediosa. He is the one who “tricked” me into playing.
Then I met Jordi Lee, Mediterrados, Kraken, Markitus, Flamisell… I learned a lot of them all, especially Lediosa, Mediterrados and Kraken.
LS is much more than a game. I will go on as long as I keep learning.

- You are an experienced skipper in the game, what advice would you give to a new player entering LiveSkipper?
New Skippers should have fun and should not worry so much about numbers. I think there is always a better wind elsewhere.
If you make a decision and want to try to fix it fast, you always make two more mistakes. You have to be patient.
Luck is very important. You win when you make less mistakes than your rivals. Wind updates sometimes favor and sometimes do not, and you cannot do anything about it.
The hardest thing is to know you’re in the wrong place, and that many ships will pass you just before reaching the finish line.

- What was your secret for winning this race? Did you use the Waypoints a lot? Have you carefully studied the weather?
I have spent a lot of time, day and night. I have no job at the moment, that is why I could spend so much time on it. We sailed on a new boat so it was necessary to understand the polars. More wind does not always mean more speed. I don’t use Waypoints, I always use the auto-heading feature. It has been very important in this race as there have been days without any need for changes.
The wind is the engine of the boat and to get ahead it has to be analyzed. To see the wind I use Zygrib and LiveSkipper. I planned my route on the long term every 6 hours and on the short term every 3 hours, checking the heading at night.

- While sailing on the Perth 2011 regatta, when did you know the first place was secured?
We sailed (Mediterrados, Cagouille 17 and I) bound East near Australia and had a certain advantage. When turning to the North, I was nervous but sure at 95%.
Cagouille 17 was approaching but I knew the advantage should be enough. Mediterrados was more to the West and he had worse wind and heading. At the last tack, I had better wind and heading. At the finish line, I missed the gate but managed to turn back and cross it in time.

- It was a race with a lot of challengers. Is this a special victory for you?
All wins are important. When the race is connected with the real thing, it’is much more so because you know it is very difficult to stand before so many experienced skippers who will give their best.
Also, if I sail in first position I get very nervous and make many mistakes. In LiveSkipper, skippers compete with each others but also against themselves. When you make a mistake or you are tired you have to keep going. The support and encouragement from other skippers on the forums was very important. If you are ahead and miss a gate, you receive messages from some skippers trying to warn you and that makes it a very special competition.

You can also read the article dedicated to him on the official Perth website !

Last qualifying regatta before the Vendée Globe, theTransat B to B is a high level single-handed race reserved for 60 feet IMOCA. Crossing the Atlantic from West to East, starting from St-Barthélémy to Lorient, the Transat B to B is the last dry run to compare with the other skippers and to check out the latest adjustments before the big round the world race.

Transat B to B and IMOCA are associated with LiveSkipper to let you live this adventure alongside the real skippers in a unique virtual race. Aboard your own virtual IMOCA, come and defy thousands of players and find where you stand compared with the upcoming legends who will line up for the Vendée Globe in less than a year. Your boat awaits.

LiveSkipper is a massively multi-player online sailing game. Sail around the world and take part in permanently renewed races and challenges. Join our broad community, LiveSkipper is completely free !

More than 25 international and national broadcasters have signed up to take television coverage of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships next month.