Development of a Motion System for an Advanced Sailing Simulator

To train competitive sailing in a virtual setting, motion of the boat as well as haptic feedback of the sail lines is essential. When discussing virtual environments (VEs) the concept of presence is often used. In this study we develop a sailing simulator motion system to research what factors contribute to the participants’ sensation of...

Rowing faster by surface treatment

The largest part of hydrodynamic drag during rowing, sailing or canoeing is the turbulent skin friction (80-90%). Higher velocities can be achieved by reducing the friction drag as a result of surface treatment. This research focuses on the development, characterization, and testing of drag-reducing surfaces, like nano- and micro-structured...

Improving comfort while hiking in a sailing boat

The paper presents the changes in perceived comfort while hiking in a sailing boat (in this case the Laser, a single-handed Olympic dinghy) due to a new design of hiking pads. The project used a ‘research by design method’. The aim was to improve sailing comfort which leads to lower fatigue and therefor improved performance. While hiking, a...

Laddermill sail: A new concept in sailing

A new innovative approach to sailing has been proposed by TU Delft. It allows sailing in any desired direction, including straight into the wind. The concept consists of generating energy with a sky sail and then using it in an electric motor of the ship. The paper describes a mathematical model of laddermill sail.

Stability of a sailing yacht floating upside-down

A preliminary investigation into the effect of a coach house on the self-righting of a modern racing yacht

Tests on sailboat planing hull models