Sailing forward: A review of contrasts and synergies between racing and robotic sailing

Sailing has profoundly influenced human history; however, in the modern era, wind-driven navigation has bifurcated into two primary domains: competitive racing and autonomous robotic sailing. While both are governed by the same underlying physical principles, their divergent operational objectives have resulted in isolated research communities and distinct design philosophies. This disciplinary divide has impeded cross-pollination, leaving a significant void in systematic comparative analyses between the two fields. To bridge this gap, this paper leverages cross-domain expertise to provide a comprehensive, perspective-driven synthesis that explicitly compares racing and robotic sailing. We trace their historical divergence and contrast their platforms, objectives, and core technical emphases. The analysis adopts a hierarchical structure across four technical dimensions: component performance evaluation provides the foundation for overall performance modeling, which in turn supports motion control strategies and informs high-level decision-making, such as reactive navigation and weather-aware routing. By applying a structured five-metric framework, we evaluate the transferability of specific methodologies across these themes and identify the principal technical obstacles. Our findings reveal critical synergies, fundamental divergences, and shared challenges, ultimately highlighting strategic opportunities for mutual advancement within the broader wind-propulsion community. • First cross-domain review of racing vs robotic sailing across technical dimensions. • Four-domain state-of-the-art method compendium with comparative usage analysis. • Explains drivers of divergence and maps technical transferability and barriers. • Identifies shared challenges and proposes a collaboration-oriented research agenda.