by Kimball Livingston
Part Two
So the boys at Oracle Racing built themselves the fastest AC72 in the galaxy, and they learned how to sail it, just in time. Otherwise we wouldn’t be speculating about another Cup-n-SF vs. San Diego, Long Beach, Newport, Hawaii.
Hawaii? Read the complete article on blueplanettimes.com
Ahoy There Sail/Wing/Foil Gents and Lassies, Maybe Hawai’i!? Where would be the best venue? Possibly Maui Nui (Maui County): circumnavigate, tactical match around The People’s Island of Lanai- wing-marks, Up-channel towards Kaho’olawe and Maui, Downwind tacking across Auau channel (Moloka’i -n- Lanai; long reaching legs back to Manele ahupua’a (Black-n-White harbour & bay)- Possibly hosted by a joint Hui of Golden Gate Yacht Club!!!, Royal Lanai Yacht Club!, Lahaina Yacht Club!! and (?) Molokai Yacht Club. San Diego not good (Foiling thru Kelp beds would be very dangerous) Long Beach would be good; and returning to San Francisco, (these new dialed-in speeds, most probable 50 to 55 knots)- the race track would have to be extended; plus the Politics are quite harsh to deal with- NewPort Rhode Island would receive the very best support, and potential host community-at-large backing, public viewing would not be as “up-close-and-personal” as SF; How about looking into some international locations with warm water, fair consitent winds and local culture support, advocacy, and participation… “The Next Step”!?! Keep Pulling the Apparent with very best VMG for Safer, and Faster/Smarter Fun mesmerizing-experiences; Share the Aloha with the Joy Under Sail. aloha nui
For swing wings you get variability to control lift to reduce pitch poleing or nose dives. All foils should be used above the water line in forward sweep to smooth out wave tops providing lift while reducing heavy sea or wave drag increases. The the ideal boat should have a more consistant lengthwise displacement distribution whether slender hull or slender SES. think area rule in supersonic aircraft and bow wave loss of displacement support or peak limiting wake speed.
For an ideal swing wing contour look at the boeing 787 Dreamliner wing thinned down at a 5° to 7 incidence angle. Keep the foil out of the water if you realy want to go fast. Even the semituar tiped rudder and center board need to be minimalized protruding from a contacting hull keel surface to eliminate center of pressure travel and unwanted frontal drag. For resistance to hard object impacts swing into a flap sealed pocket along with angling the foil to provide lift and angeling the leading edge to improve flow attachment over the wind ward side.
Minimum air chamber support of a major, mono, not multi hull, of minimum frontal area is the lowest drag hull in the longest possible length. Less air drag with major mass in the upper hull off set to balance out the supporting lower hull provides the most sail carrying capacity at the least in air frontal area with the lowest hull drag per ton. Think 50% or more of iceboat lift to drag performance. now sutitute a 12:1 to 30: aspect ratio wing sail of maximum controlable height and you are set to often break 100 knots or MPH. Wat is the top possible speed fopr such a skinny live aboard cabin boat? Possibly using a extremelly complicated elevating off set mechanism allow ther three point atrticulated SES hull to coast effortlessly over fairly steep waves without diving through most crests. The off set upper tubular cabin hull and high aspect ratio wing mast ballast needs to be 75% or more of the total boat weight in air above the water line at 1/15th the drag of in water frontal areas. not the common 30% to 60% hanging down in the water on keels.
I have been tewlling people who should know better as they all read the same comparisons and studies I have access to but they draw classic conclusions that to be a boat it has to be styles in some way like boats of the past. Are we going to always live in the past?