After almost 3 years of development Stentec Software announces the release of its new sailing simulation program Sail Simulator 5. The official release is planned on Tuesday October 29, well before the winter sales.

Sail Simulator 5 offers armchair sailors the possibility to practice sailing during the long winter season. In the new version you share a virtual sailing area with other online sailors and participate in the races that are organized if you want.

These open sceneries are expected to grow into meeting places for online sailors. The most popular sessions can be found at the top of the session list. Monthly hundred thousands of gamers take part in virtual races organized through the Internet. Sail Simulator 5 offers these regatta sailors a new 3D platform in unequalled realism.

With tiller or wheel under control you steer your ship faster through the waves than your opponent. Like in real boats, you can trim the sails for the best performance. For novices and hands free navigation rudder, sails and crew can be controlled automatically. Your plotter and board instruments can be coupled to an external navigation program on the same PC or to your navigation laptop.

The standard fleet consists of the following boat types: Stentec Laser, 470, Valk, 40’ keel yacht, VOR 70. You can set sails in one of the four high detailed and realistically modeled sailing areas: Scheveningen near The Hague (Worlds 470 in 2010), Cabrera, Koh Hong and Treasure Island. Add-on sets with new cool boats and sceneries will be released in 2010.

Sail Simulator 5 challenges all sailors, from beginner to professional, in the age of about 8 years or more. Available on CD or as affordable download it supports English, German, French, Italian, Dutch. Visit www.stentec.com for more information.

The Dutch company Stentec Software is a leading developer of navigation and sailing simulation software in Europe. Popular trade marks are Sail Simulator, Motorboat Simulator and WinGPS for laptop navigation . Stentec is looking for international dealers and distributors.