Ahoy!

Welcome to the twenty sixth post in the series “VR Sailors - MarineVerse Community” – introducing sailors racing in MarineVerse Sailing Club.

Bill Starr helming First 40.7 More Cowbell off Portsmouth, NH USA

Today, we are chatting with Bill Starr (Sealander) from Dover, NH USA.

In virtual reality, you can meet Bill in MarineVerse Sailing Club as Sealander (sail number 24060). Bill races in Yacht Pro with a current DRP rating of 1398, and recently placed 7th in the Yacht Pro Daily Race in Enoshima on February 4, 2026.

We have asked Bill a couple of questions..

What is your sailing experience?

I’m a very experienced sailor. Last year I bought a Beneteau First 40.7 named “More Cowbell,” based in Kittery, Maine. I have done many hundreds of inshore races as a trimmer in Sydney, Marina del Rey, Bermuda, and Marblehead.

I’ve sailed more than 10,000 miles offshore, including two Sydney Hobarts aboard a Volvo 60, a Newport Bermuda Race, four Marblehead to Halifax Races, and two Newport Ensenada Races. Plus a perpetual trophy win in the Santa Barbara King Harbor Race.

More Cowbell coming 4th in Tuesday night racing in very light wind – and maybe a few too many aboard.

What is your favourite sailing memory?

My favourite sailing memory was during the 2007 Sydney Hobart – ripping along, surfing waves and hitting 31.9 knots! It was epic!

Tell us something about your experience with MarineVerse Sailing Club? Any good memories or highlights?

One of the challenges of being a new driver of a yacht in a competitive fleet is getting the time to practice starts. My family bought me MarineVerse for my birthday and I’ve absolutely loved having the opportunity to try many things I never have the opportunity to do in fleet racing!

To put it in context, we had 12 total fleet starts last year and it took me a long time to get up into the front row! Now with a winter of virtual sailing, I’ll be more aggressive earlier in the season.

Finn and Bill Starr celebrate after More Cowbell took 1st place in the John Paul Jones Regatta from Portsmouth, NH to Rockport, MA. Our first race with the new boat was a bullet!

Who and why should try MarineVerse Sailing Club?

There is a huge opportunity for anyone new to accelerate their learning. I’m a qualified ASA sailing instructor and anyone who has the basics from virtual sailing will be miles ahead when they get on the boat in the wet! The ability to review your racing lines is a great way to improve. Watching how the best position themselves is a great way to learn how to sail fast and win! Believe me, this will translate on the water!

Any tips for those new to sailing that want to race in MarineVerse?

Watch the best sailors and learn from how they position themselves. Use the replay feature to review your racing lines and identify where you can improve. Virtual sailing is like Gran Turismo for boats – it builds real skills that transfer to the water!

Anything else you’d like to share?

I will be launching the Sealander Sailing Academy this summer to help support 14 to 24 year olds getting into big boat sailing! One of our initiatives will be Friday Night Twilights, where each boat in our fleet must have two sailors under 20.

Too many racing fleets have aging crews – “Jim has done main on boat X for 12 years” – but where are the opportunities for new sailors? With virtual sailing, we have the opportunity to improve the skill levels of skippers and future crews! Our own Gran Turismo event may be on the horizon at a regatta near you!

MarineVerse Sailing Quest

MarineVerse Sailing Club is all about the community. If you would like to try sailing, join us. You can meet VR sailors at our Discord chat server, and you can download MarineVerse Sailing Club on Steam or via the Meta Quest store.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post in the “VR Sailors - MarineVerse Community” series – stay tuned for more soon!