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The apparent wind on the sail creates a total aerodynamic force, which may be resolved into drag—the force component in the direction of the apparent wind—and lift—the force component normal (90°) to the apparent wind. Depending on the alignment of the sail with the apparent wind, lift or drag may be the predominant propulsive component.
A ship in a force 12 ("hurricane-force") storm at sea, the highest rated on the Beaufort scale. The Beaufort scale (/ ˈ b oʊ f ər t / BOH-fərt) is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
For thousands of years ship designers and builders of sailing vessels used rules of thumb based on the midship-section area to size the sails for a given vessel. The hull form and sail plan for the clipper ships, for example, evolved from experience, not from theory. It was not until the advent of steam power and the construction of large iron ...
When the wind blows from the side, the Magnus effect creates a forward thrust. The most common form of rotor sail is the Flettner rotor. [4] [failed verification] The wind does not power the rotor, which is rotated by its own power source. Due to the arrangement of forces, a rotor ship is able to sail closer to the wind than a conventional ...
A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may be made from a combination of woven materials—including canvas or polyester cloth, laminated membranes or ...
Propulsion by sail generally consists of a sail hoisted on an erect mast, supported by stays, and controlled by lines made of rope. Sails were the dominant form of commercial propulsion until the late nineteenth century, and continued to be used well into the twentieth century on routes where wind was assured and coal was not available, such as ...
High-performance sailing is achieved with low forward surface resistance—encountered by catamarans, sailing hydrofoils, iceboats or land sailing craft—as the sailing craft obtains motive power with its sails or aerofoils at speeds that are often faster than the wind on both upwind and downwind points of sail. Faster-than-the-wind sailing ...
BMW Oracle Racing USA 17 from the 2010 America's Cup, with a rigid mainsail wingsail, and a conventional jib at the fore Forces on a wing (green = lift, red = drag).. A wingsail, twin-skin sail [1] or double skin sail [2] is a variable-camber aerodynamic structure that is fitted to a marine vessel in place of conventional sails.