Foil lift / tracking

Originally posted by pondmonkey I've done it before with other boats, notably the RS100 when the stars aligned once and against all odds I nuked a 300 to the windward mark once, but I found last Sunday that upwind when the boat just 'felt right', I seemed to go through a phase of pointing lower than others, but then started tracking to windward despite the angle I was pointing. It was devastingly effectively at clawing back a 20 boat length gap after missing the start, I'd just like to know how to do that on demand, rather than rely on some celestial passing. Any ideas?

I thought that is how you are supposed to point well? That's what I've always done, drive off hard and get the boat up to speed and will keep nice and high.

I am a little bit suspiciuos of some wonderful effect where the foils all of a sudden start to generate extra lift and dramatically improve the Vmg. I suspect that when incidences occur where the boat suddenly goes into warp speed and sails up and around the competition the effect probably lies in the sail setting. Sometimes sailors can get end up " parked-up" on the race course with their sails stalled and little forward speed, and sometimes as one does this the boats close by endup in the same state as they try to copy the angles and sheeting of the first boat. If you then come along with all your sails set correctly and good flow on the foils you can sail up to and around the poor bunch and off into the distance. 

According the Cockerell bloke its to so with heeling slightly to windward while pointing about right and at a certain boat speed with a certain foil and Hull shape then the boat will track to windward. I did it once in a laser. Unfortunately I didn't realise that was what did it so didn't try again.

I believe the theory is more to do with the shape of the hull through the water but the foil is still important. When heeling to windward the centreline of the boat is the leeward edge baking contact with the water and is straight. The windward side is curved. This produces a flow similar to an aeroplane wing causing lift to the windward side. However it only seems to work with certain foil/Hull shape combinations.

Originally posted by pondmonkey ... upwind speed, in a Solo... hmm, no GPS, but guessing maybe 6 knots through the water???

Ha ha ha ha ha 6 knots upwind in a solo!!! Thats the best laugh I've had in a long time! You'll win every race at the worlds by 3 minutes!

I bet it did more than 6 knots upwind on that back of that low loader, where you should have left it...