There are two forces acting on the boat. One is propulsion, caused by the wind acting on the sail. Another is hydrodynamic resistance, the force of water on the hull, which makes it difficult for the vessel to move. It’s not so much the speed of the wind that makes the boat move, but the force it exerts on the sail, called thrust. The larger the candle, the greater this force. If the sail is too small, the boat will not move at all. The best situation for the sailor is when the wind blows laterally, constantly. In this case, the sail is placed at about 45 degrees to the wind. Its force, in part, overcomes hydrodynamic resistance on the hull and, in part, propels the boat forward. “In this case, the propulsion will be constant, since the angle of incidence of the wind does not change in relation to the movement of the boat”, says naval engineer Paulo Carvalheiro, from the Technological Research Institute (IPT), in São Paulo.
With constant propulsion, the acceleration of the boat will also be constant and it will gain more and more speed, overcoming the wind.
– What is the difference between the yachting classes?
– How does the vertical ship work?
When the wind is in the same direction as the boat, the sail is positioned at 90 degrees to it
When the wind is sideways, the sail should be set at 45 degrees. This is the ideal situation to pick up speed.
When the wind blows from the front, but diagonally, the sail is placed almost at zero degrees in relation to the direction of the boat. Even so, he will go forward