SYRF’s Wide Light Project Report Published

Newport, RI (December 15, 2015) – The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) has completed the publication of reports on its landmark study of the hydrodynamics of offshore high performance boats. Dubbed the Wide Light Project as a description of the type of hull form studied, the final report was written by project leader Andy Claughton of Land Rover BAR and is available now on the SYRF website.

The project report and the data generated by this study are available in the SYRF Technical Resources Library, a unique online repository of research papers, articles and technical data related to the study of performance sailing.

The Wide Light study’s purpose was to provide insight into the accuracy of existing modeling methods in predicting the performance of typical Wide-Light designs. It is intended for this information to better inform and equip handicapping systems and box rules to address these designs.

Started in April 2014 and completed in November 2015, this study engaged five different stakeholders who carried out blind Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses on an identical test matrix using different computational codes and approaches. The same test matrix was run as a tank test for both canoe body only and appended configurations as a control for the hull geometry. The CFD results were compared with the tank test control results to determine CFD model accuracy.

This project helped illustrate the accuracy of commercial CFD codes in predicting the forces on a Wide-Light sailing yacht. In addition, this project provides a comprehensive set of data against which researchers may develop and validate their own numerical tools.

A shorter more general summary of the project was written by SYRF Technical Director Jim Teeters along with Dobbs Davis, and is appearing soon in the next February 2016 issue of Seahorse magazine. A research paper will also be presented at the next Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposium, being held in Annapolis, Maryland USA over March 18-19, 2016.

“This was an important study for those interested in not only the design of boats of this type, but also as a data source for handicappers interested in the behavior of these boats that act in both displacement and planing modes,” said Myles Cornwell, Executive Director of SYRF. “The 3D model has been made available and SYRF encourages CFD practitioners and students to use the results for their own validation of modern hull shapes.”

For more information on the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation, visit the SYRF website at www.sailyachtresearch.org.

(Above photo shows graphical output of a FINE/Marine CFD run of the model used in the SYRF Wide Light Project.)

Source: SYRF