Wind info at America's Cup

[dgadee]

How do they know what the wind force is on the different parts of the course?

What sensor technology is used?

 

[DJE]

Lidar

 

[Mark L]

What sensor technology is used?

To expand on the previous answer, I think that they use a serries of doppler lidars on the shoreline with sufficient horizontal separation that they can measure different components of the wind to get accurate wind vectors across the racecourse regardless of wind direction.

 

[franksingleton]

Google “tecnology weather americas cup” for U Tube videos.

 

[Sandy]

As you know I have zero interest in racing, but it was interesting to hear on BBC R4 Today Programme at 0830 that sea state is the only way that the UK boat is winning races!

Should the UK win perhaps we should hold the next event on the Fair Isles.

 

[franksingleton]

As you know I have zero interest in racing, but it was interesting to hear on BBC R4 Today Programme at 0830 that sea state is the only way that the UK boat is winning races!

Should the UK win perhaps we should hold the next event on the Fair Isles.

We spent many happy but largely unsuccessful years racing dinghies and brought up 3 kids who were immeasurably better. However, I rate the America’s Cup almost as low as F1. If the report is correct, a slight increase in turbulence of the sea turned the tables round. Is that what match racing is really about?

 

[flaming]

We spent many happy but largely unsuccessful years racing dinghies and brought up 3 kids who were immeasurably better. However, I rate the America’s Cup almost as low as F1. If the report is correct, a slight increase in turbulence of the sea turned the tables round. Is that what match racing is really about?

It's a factor, but a massive simplification. Look up "Mozzy Sails" on youtube if you want the best analysis. The America's cup is really a design competition with a spot of yachting to judge who had the best designers.

Barcelona was predicted to be quite lumpy, so dealing with that ought to have been part of the design brief.

 

[franksingleton]

I am fully aware that, like F1, there just may be some lessons to be learned that could impact on yacht design generally. However, the idea that the designers factor in specific conditions that might not be generally applicable, makes me despair. They cancel racing at about 20 kts. That is about when some sailors start enjoying themselves.

At least F1 designers have to cope with different tracks and weather conditions. To benefit yacht design, it would be more meaningful to have a series of races in different places under different conditions.

 

[flaming]

I am fully aware that, like F1, there just may be some lessons to be learned that could impact on yacht design generally. However, the idea that the designers factor in specific conditions that might not be generally applicable, makes me despair. They cancel racing at about 20 kts. That is about when some sailors start enjoying themselves.

At least F1 designers have to cope with different tracks and weather conditions. To benefit yacht design, it would be more meaningful to have a series of races in different places under different conditions.

Huh? Waves are generally quite generally applicable I'd have thought...

Unlike in Aukland, where the racing was in protected water without any significant sea state.

There's no pretense that this has anything to do with general yacht racing though.

 

[Laser310]

I watched the LVC series, and I have to say that I did not see a huge correlation between the lidar wind speed as indicated by the shading, and the boat speed or angle. Sometimes, the boat in the supposedly stronger winds did better than the other boat, and sometimes it didn't. I also noted instances where the opinion of the crew as to where the better pressure was differed from the lidar data, and I trust the crew.

There is a similar technology, using HF radar, that remotely measures surface currents in real time.