Closing the gap
Working with the Wolfson Unit in the UK, the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation has been challenging the correla- tion between CFD and tank results in assessing the performance of the current generation of lighter offshore racer
46 SEAHORSE Wide Light Science
– a hydrodynamic study of the modern racing yacht
As part of its mission to support the science of sailing the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) commissioned a study in 2014 called the Wide Light Project, chaired by Andy Claughton of the Wolf- son Unit at the University of Southampton. The purpose of the study was to provide a greater understanding of the hydro - dynamic behaviour of modern hull designs through a series of tank tests, with CFD studies to corroborate the data generated. Historically, many similar studies had been conducted on older, heavier and more traditional designs, and therefore
new research was urgently needed for what is quickly becoming the standard in modern offshore hull design.
These so-called Wide Light boats present many of the hydrodynamic effects that are a challenge to predict: semi-planing hull forms, immersed transom effects, spray creation, keels operating close to the water surface, rudders, daggerboards and canting keels that generate vertical force… the list goes on. This complexity of interacting effects is challenging for the designer and a minefield for yacht handicappers. The Wide Light Project sought for the first time to provide computationally based data and conclusions that will support handicapping systems and box rules to give
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