Modelling multiple yacht sailing interactions between upwind sailing yachts

Spenkuch, Thomas, Turnock, Stephen R., Scarponi, Matteo and Shenoi, R. Ajit (2011) Modelling multiple yacht sailing interactions between upwind sailing yachts. Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 16 (2), 115-128. (doi:10.1007/s00773-010-0115-9).

Abstract

An approach for enhancing the realism of yacht fleet race simulations based on a lifting line method is developed. The wake of an upwind sailing yacht is represented as a single heeled horseshoe vortex and image system. At each time step, changes in vortex strength are convected into the wake as a pair of vortex line elements. These subsequently move in accordance with the local wind, the self-induced velocity and the velocity induced by the presence of the wakes of other yachts. In addition, the lifting line model has a model for the viscous wake due to the drag associated with the yacht and its sails superimposed on it. A synthesis of sail yacht wake representations based on detailed 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics calculations with wind tunnel test results is used to capture the initial strength of the combined main-jib vortex system and its vertical height. The implementation of the lifting line algorithm within Robo-Race, a real-time yacht race strategy analysis tool, is described. Two upwind race interaction case studies are presented, and these show that the newly implemented wake model makes an important contribution to enhancing the realism of the sailing simulation.

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Contributors

Author: Stephen R. Turnock

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