Vestas Sailrocket 2

davidd

davidd

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
An interesting look into speed racing with sails. Larson is living in the UK, but they race in Namibia in Walvis Bay which is the salt flats of speed sailing. Larson bases his design on an old design of an American rocket engineer Bernard Smith. Most sail boats are planted in the water and reach up to grab the air. Smith designed a plane to reach down and grab the water. Larson has had some breakthroughs in designing keels that avoid cavitation. When the boat is in the water it is slow. as it speeds up the keels actually shed drag and speeds up considerably. Something we would all like to do with air!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pipGWQmerEQ

David
 
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bmetcalf

bmetcalf

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I saw something about this boat recently, very impressive speeds. Can it tack both ways? Something stuck in my mind that it can't. Probably wrong, though.
 
davidd

davidd

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VOC Member
Bruce,

I do not know. Pat thought that it could. I suspect it can but it may do better to the left than the right. Like a sidecar!

David
 
K

Kansas Bad Man

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
davidd said:
Yes, that was impressive also. I think the reason the sailing speed was so impressive is that 50 knots or thereabouts has been a barrier for decades. Larson figured out how to prevent cavitation of the keel at those speeds, which makes his work a real advance.

David
Click to expand...

I have used superchargers, nitro and just every thing I could think of to go fast with my Vincent, HMMMM!
 
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