Sailing Vessel Dynamics

A general study has been conducted to determine how the dynamics of sailing vessels depend on speed and sailing angle. A simplified model of the forces acting on a sailing vessel has been constructed which includes all rigid body motions and uses the results of full scale tests. Numerical solutions for the steady state conditions and perturbational motions have been calculated based on limited available data. The results for performance and attitude show good agreement with full scale sailing observations; they are close to the optimum conditions reported in practice. The normal modes of sailing vessels appear to be strongly dependent on speed and sailing angle, and they are sensitive to such general parameters as displacement, stiffness, aerodynamic characteristics and rudder effectiveness. Several regions were found where unstable solutions exist.