Sailboat Races — Watch Dogs 2 eGuide

When you’ve accrued enough cash for the essentials (both RC devices, suppressed weaponry, and some choice clothing), feel free to join the elite sailing enthusiasts of Marin by visiting the Sailboat Shop at the Yacht Club of Legacy Bay. Once you’ve bought yourself a boat, you can attempt sailing competitions around the San Francisco Bay.

Your Smartphone reveals some interesting information about each of the six races to attempt[md]including the medal received if you’ve finished the race already, the length of the course, the difficulty, and the rewards given. Race often, and gain more Followers (by being first) and cash (by attempting “Hard” races) as much as possible.

Sailing… Takes Me Away…

You’re thinking about unfurling your sail, but need a crash-course in not crashing on the six racing courses? Read on:

No Need for a Better Boat: You may wish to attempt all six sailing races a little later into your adventure, as the costs involved include the purchase of a boat ($21,600-$120,000). However, as all you’re paying for is the paint job of the vessel, there’s no need to buy anything other than the cheapest model.

Buoys in the ‘Hood: Maneuvering your vessel requires the locating of circle buoys dotted along the course, on the way to the finish line. Heading straight for these buoys is rarely the best option; sailboat racing is all about wind direction, and not the shortest point between buoy markers.

Furling and Unfurling: You need to glide through the water at speed, rather than stopping and bobbing up and down embarrassingly. For this to occur, you must study the minimap showing the wind direction, and spend as much of the race as possible with the wind arrows showing as strong a wind (colored green) as possible hitting against your sails. At any point you can stop the wind passing through your sails by furling them. This stops your boat, and is used for sharp turns. But for the vast majority of the time, unfurl your sails.

Close to the Buoys: The trick to winning every race is to try and make your turn as close to each buoy as possible. Your competitors have larger turns, as they tend to avoid collisions with each other. Use this to your advantage by maintaining a good speed right up until you’ve almost struck a buoy. Then make as sharp a turn around the buoy without hitting anything.

Few Turns Equals a Quick Run: Spend most of the race with the wind thrusting your sailboat forward. But when facing the wind (i.e., slowing down), the best strategy to win is to reach the next buoy with as few turns as possible. With too many turns, your boat starts to slow down on more occasions. It requires fewer turns to reach each buoy, and is the preferred way to sail. If you want to win, of course.