High-Speed Sailing

I've been watching the progress of Groupama 3 and their attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. They have been doing an excellent job sailing under some of the most challenging conditions. At this time they are predicted to finish some time Sat. 20 March. They should break Orange II's around the world record by a day or two in the next couple of days, if all goes well; we'll see shortly.

What really becomes clear in following this race is how dependent success is on the weather. You can have the fastest craft but without wind, you're not moving. The ideal craft for a circumnavigation of the globe will be one that is very efficient in light winds, and tough enough to sail fast in rough, windy conditions. It looks like Groupama 3 got that combination right. The rest of the equation is weather and of course "luck". A good weather router is essential to finding the best route to sail under constantly changing conditions and of course, you need to be lucky enough to not hit some trash, a rouge wave, etc.

The wind variability got me looking at that universal sailing problem. We can see that the wind can be likened to the fuel that propels the craft, and our sail/keel combination as the engine that converts the wind's energy into our craft's motion. Without any fuel (wind) no sailboat moves, but once there is wind, the most efficient craft moves the fastest. Note that the most efficient craft is not necessarily the one with the biggest "motor" but rather the one with the best power to drag ratio. High-speed sailing is really an exercise in efficiency (and stability as I've been pointing out earlier). Modern materials and fluid dynamics have led to the recent large increases in sailing speed, by enabling us to make more efficient craft.

Bob