"Vestas are one of the worlds leading developers and manufacturers of wind turbines for whom Malcolm is a senior test engineer." (http://www.sailrocket.com/node/136)
Very cool that a senior test engineer from the worlds largest with turbine manufacturers is able to take his domain knowledge and build a craft like Sailrocket.
As a side note: I have spent time on Vestas wind turbine blades (rappelling down them using ropes to inspect the fiberglass) and they are an amazing feat of engineering. You can't really appreciate their strength to weight ratio until you have been on the tip of a 40 meter blade.
Not only did he get to use his domain knowledge, Vestas let him use their facilities and gave him all the consumables. No wonder they are the world leader.
Just curious, I frequently see turbine blades for wind installations hauled on a sort of "trailer" down the interstate. I put "trailer" in quotes because it's really two frames around the blade, one at the front and one at the rear. The strength of the trailer seems to be the blade. I'm always surprised when I see it, thinking surely that can't be safe? (But carbon fiber can be completely safe.)
Do you know about these? Would it be a good guess to say the blades are Vestas blades? Can you tell me more about their strength-to-weight?
As a sailor I cannot imagine what those speeds must feel like. I got a chance to sail a Hobie 16 on San Francisco Bay and it was pretty amazing to see how fast it could go and I doubt we even hit 20 knots. Nicely done Larsen, nicely done.
Yeah it's pretty amazing. I wonder if his comparison to the X-1 is right. That now the barrier has been broken, we'll see even faster designs relatively rapidly. The margin by which he went over it seems to suggest it might. I also liked the part about the models disagreeing because there was no actual experimental data. It's easy to forget that sometimes today when computer models seem to explain everything.
These kinds of boat, which are lifting out of water as they gain speed, are fast but can't really be used in real oceans unless the weather is nice because they can't handle big waves.
Sailrocket is no way inspired by Hydroptère, and in fact one might argue that they could not be more different:
Hydroptere works by countering the heeling moment caused by the force on it's sails and foils, with, basically, it's weight (it's weight times the distance between the center of gravity and the leeward foil) whereas Sailrocket works by having NO heeling moment and actually somewhat of a negative one, as the leeward hull can be seen lifting clear out of the water at speed.
Hydroptere lifts out of the water by using foils, which are basically wings that work in water (at the air/water interface actually, which causes a host of problems) whereas Sailrocket skims along on planing surfaces, just like a powerboat or a windsurf.
Finally, Hydroptere works on both tacks (wind coming from either side) where Sailrocket only works on one tack. Some fascinating workarounds for this issues have already been worked out by Bernard Smith by the way.
[+] [-] startupfounder|13 years ago|reply
Very cool that a senior test engineer from the worlds largest with turbine manufacturers is able to take his domain knowledge and build a craft like Sailrocket.
As a side note: I have spent time on Vestas wind turbine blades (rappelling down them using ropes to inspect the fiberglass) and they are an amazing feat of engineering. You can't really appreciate their strength to weight ratio until you have been on the tip of a 40 meter blade.
[+] [-] Jplenbrook|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sounds|13 years ago|reply
Do you know about these? Would it be a good guess to say the blades are Vestas blades? Can you tell me more about their strength-to-weight?
[+] [-] jacquesm|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ChuckMcM|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jfoucher|13 years ago|reply
These guys have been at it for so long it is hugely deserved !
listen to his voice on the record's video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnjyusAgk8I ) I think it helps get a sense of it must be like sailing at that kind of speed
[+] [-] hencq|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jaggederest|13 years ago|reply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_class_hydrofoil
[+] [-] jacquesm|13 years ago|reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ow8QbXhZJU
[+] [-] unknown|13 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] martinced|13 years ago|reply
Which TFA doesn't mention at all.
Here's a Youtube video comparing the two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=BE&v=qzkulFGa4Mc
These kinds of boat, which are lifting out of water as they gain speed, are fast but can't really be used in real oceans unless the weather is nice because they can't handle big waves.
[+] [-] jfoucher|13 years ago|reply
Hydroptere works by countering the heeling moment caused by the force on it's sails and foils, with, basically, it's weight (it's weight times the distance between the center of gravity and the leeward foil) whereas Sailrocket works by having NO heeling moment and actually somewhat of a negative one, as the leeward hull can be seen lifting clear out of the water at speed.
Hydroptere lifts out of the water by using foils, which are basically wings that work in water (at the air/water interface actually, which causes a host of problems) whereas Sailrocket skims along on planing surfaces, just like a powerboat or a windsurf.
Sailrocket, as indicated in the article, owes a lot to Bernard Smith ( seminal work : http://www.amazon.com/Sailloons-Fliptackers-High-Speed-Saili... )
Finally, Hydroptere works on both tacks (wind coming from either side) where Sailrocket only works on one tack. Some fascinating workarounds for this issues have already been worked out by Bernard Smith by the way.
[+] [-] spacemanaki|13 years ago|reply
> The basic design he kept returning to was one proposed 50 years ago by an American rocket engineer named Bernard Smith.
I know next to nothing about speed sailing, but it seems like due credit is being given.
[+] [-] Jplenbrook|13 years ago|reply
http://hydroptere.com/news/501/34/Flying-trimaran-to-tackle-...
http://www.transpacrace.com/