120kts (138mph) in 22kts of wind - new land speed record

[jlavery]

222.4KM/H: WIND POWERED WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD BROKEN.

They've done it, with more to come in better winds they reckon.

 

[davidej]

Amazing!

 

[jamie N]

Imagine how quick they'll go when the tide's in!!

 

[Birdseye]

how does it work? So much focus on people in the video that you cant really seen the engineering

 

[Norman_E]

Now let us see how fast they can go downwind! The record must have been set upwind to generate a high apparent wind.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Now let us see how fast they can go downwind! The record must have been set upwind to generate a high apparent wind.

no such thing as downwind at those speeds. The only difference is the groundspeed compared to airspeed.

 

[BoatBouy]

Now let us see how fast they can go downwind! The record must have been set upwind to generate a high apparent wind.

It has already been proved that a land vehicle can "sail" dead down wind faster than the wind.

 

[Blueboatman]

It’s sailing but not as we know it Jim

That is really remarkably fast, I am guessing thy don’t bother with a windex

 

[Norman_E]

It has already been proved that a land vehicle can "sail" dead down wind faster than the wind.

That thing has a propeller connected to the wheels by a chain, so it is easy to see how it can go downwind. The Emirates one works on an entirely different (and probably much more efficient) principle. I can't see how it could go downwind at speed.

 

[BoatBouy]

That thing has a propeller connected to the wheels by a chain, so it is easy to see how it can go downwind. The Emirates one works on an entirely different (and probably much more efficient) principle. I can't see how it could go downwind at speed.

It couldn't go directly down wind but could make good downwind faster than the wind by tacking. If the true wind is at 30 deg off from dead behind at 20mph and the craft is moving at 100mph over the ground the apparent wind will be only 7 degrees off the front at 83 mph. With these sort of crafts their speed is so great that, like racing multihulls, if one goes by the apparent wind they appear to be sailing "upwind" regardless of the actual point of sail.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Have a google for a polar diagram of a fast sail boat. MOD 70 tri, perhaps, or AC 75. Both of those can manage twice wind speed while sailing downwind, though not dead downwind. We have what is now a reasonable cruising tri, not a grand prix racer, but can exceed wind speed, in normal sailing winds, from 80 true to 135 true. Apparent wind for us never goes greater than 90 degrees if you want to get a shift on. So just like boatbouy says, your progress is entirely apoarent wind driven. You have to design the thing to sail at 7 degrees apparent. We're about 25 apparent up until that 80 degree point, which is what limits our upwind speed. Even then, the main is sheeted to the centreline with minimal twist, the jib cars are 60cm off the centreline, roughly. That land yacht has a solid wingsail, no fabric sail could achieve those numbers.