Dice Sailing Race Game: Rules, Course and Odds
Dice sailing turns a sheet of paper into a regatta. Two to six boats race around two buoys and back to the finish, and every turn the dice decide the wind. Sailing into the wind is slow, a reach across it is quicker, and running downwind is fastest, so the lead can change on every leg. You need two dice, a pencil and a counter for each boat, and a race takes about ten minutes. Below are the rules and the exact odds.
What you need
- Two six-sided dice, or a dice roller set to two dice.
- A course drawn on paper: a start line, 4 squares up to buoy 1, 6 squares across to buoy 2, and 8 squares down to the finish line.
- One counter per boat, such as coins, buttons or small paper boats.
- A random name picker to set a fair start order.
Who starts?
Put every sailor’s name into the random name picker and draw them one by one. The first name sails first, the second name next, and so on. In this game the order does not decide the winner, because boats that finish in the same round have a roll-off, but it keeps the turns fair and quick.
How to play
- All boats start behind the start line. In each round, every sailor rolls once in the start order.
- Roll both dice, add them up and check the wind chart below. Then change the move for the leg your boat is on: 1 square less on the upwind leg, 1 square more on the downwind leg.
- Rounding a buoy: a boat must stop at each buoy. Squares left over after reaching a buoy are lost, and the boat starts the next leg on its next turn.
- Finish: the first boat to cross the finish line wins. Extra squares past the line do not matter.
- Roll-off: if two or more boats finish in the same round, each rolls the dice once and the highest total wins. Roll again on a tie.
Real yacht races are also sailed around buoys, often with an upwind leg first, and boats really are slowest into the wind: a sailboat cannot point straight at the wind, so it zigzags, which sailors call tacking. Wind shifts, tactics and the right of way rules are left out, so this is a simple home version, not an official game.
The wind chart and the chance of each roll
In the table, “Roll” is the total of the two dice, “Wind” is how many squares a boat moves before the leg changes it, and “Chance” is the exact probability out of the 36 ways two dice can land.
| Roll | Wind | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 3 | Calm: 0 squares | 3 in 36 |
| 4, 5 or 6 | Light wind: 1 square | 12 in 36 |
| 7, 8 or 9 | Steady breeze: 2 squares | 15 in 36 |
| 10 or 11 | Strong wind: 3 squares | 5 in 36 |
| 12 | Gust: 4 squares | 1 in 36 |
A steady breeze is the most common wind, because the middle totals come up most often, as explained in our guide to dice probability. A calm comes 1 time in 12, and the big gust only 1 time in 36.
How fast is each leg?
The next table shows each leg of the course, how the wind chart changes there, and the average number of squares a boat moves per roll on that leg, worked out exactly from the 36 rolls.
| Leg | How the wind chart changes | Average per roll |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upwind, 4 squares | Move 1 square less (light wind gets nowhere) | 0.78 squares |
| 2. Reach, 6 squares | Move as the chart says | 1.69 squares |
| 3. Downwind, 8 squares | Move 1 square more, except in a calm | 2.61 squares |
On the upwind leg a boat stays put on 15 rolls in 36, so it takes about 5.5 turns on average to reach buoy 1, even though it is only 4 squares away. The reach takes about 3.9 turns and the downwind run about 3.5. That is why the upwind leg decides most races: a boat that rounds buoy 1 first is hard to catch, but a few calms can still let the others back in.
How long is a race?
In the last table, “Race length” is the number of turns one boat needs to cross the finish line, and “Chance” is the exact probability rounded to whole percent.
| Race length | Chance |
|---|---|
| 10 turns or fewer | about 18% |
| 12 turns or fewer | about 49% |
| 15 turns or fewer | about 85% |
| 20 turns or fewer | about 99% |
A boat needs about 12.9 turns on average, and 12 turns is the most common race length. The fastest possible race is 6 turns, with two big rolls on every leg, but that happens far less than 1 time in 100. With two boats, a roll-off is needed in about 11% of races, and with six boats in about 27%. These numbers are worked out exactly from the rules, not simulated.
Tips
- Draw the buoys as small circles and the wind as an arrow, so everyone sees which leg is upwind.
- Keep a tally of each sailor’s rolls on the upwind leg to see how often the calms strike.
- For a longer regatta, sail three races and give 1 point for a win, 2 for second and so on. The lowest total wins, as in real sailing series.
- Let younger players move their boat while older players call out the leg and the move.
Classroom ideas
- Addition and subtraction: pupils add the dice, then add or take away 1 for the leg.
- Probability: why is the steady breeze the most common wind? Count the ways to roll 7, 8 or 9.
- Averages: roll 20 times on the upwind leg and compare the class average with 0.78 squares.
- Geography and science: talk about why a sailboat cannot sail straight into the wind.
Variations
- Tacking: on the upwind leg, a double lets a boat tack and move 2 extra squares.
- Long course: sail the course twice, up and down, for a longer race.
- Wind shift: after every round, roll one die. On a 6, the upwind and downwind legs swap for that round.
- Teams: two sailors share a boat and take turns rolling.
If you like races on the water, try a dice rowing race next, or dive into a dice swimming race.
FAQ
How do you play a sailing race with dice?
Roll two dice each turn and move by the wind chart: 0 squares on a 2 or 3, 1 on 4 to 6, 2 on 7 to 9, 3 on 10 or 11 and 4 on a 12. Move 1 less on the upwind leg and 1 more on the downwind leg.
How many boats can race?
Two to six boats work well. With more boats, roll-offs at the finish become more common.
Why is the upwind leg so slow?
Taking away 1 square means a calm or a light wind moves the boat nowhere, which happens on 15 rolls in 36. Real sailboats are also slowest into the wind.
How long does a race take?
About 12.9 turns per boat on average, which is around ten minutes for four players.
Does the start order matter?
No. Boats that finish in the same round have a roll-off, so every boat has the same chance to win.
What happens at a buoy?
A boat must stop at the buoy, and any squares left over are lost. It starts the next leg on its next turn.