The Physics of Sailing Explained

by Bryon D. Anderson

What is the best shape for a sailboat? How does turbulence affect a sailboat's movement through the water? Why do some keels have wings? Is it true that some sailboats can sail faster upwind than downwind?

Authoritative yet accessible, The Physics of Sailing Explained is the perfect book for all those sailors who want to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of life at sea. It will enable cruisers and racers alike to better grasp how sails, keels, and hulls work together to keep boats afloat, and will sharpen their skills with a more subtle and thorough appreciation of why various boat design features are present and why certain tactics work in certain situations. Anderson outlines the science behind sailing in a way that anyone can understand and benefit from without having to trudge through a physics text or became a naval architect. Concepts are conveyed simply, concisely, and with many examples and illustrations.

With the help of this invaluable book, sailors will be better prepared to handle any situations that might arise on the water.

Genres: Physics

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and short read if you have any interest in the physics of sailing or sailing. It is a bit dated, but the explanations are clear and it even includes an explanation of the weather which is useful. My only complaint is the author uses the reducing wing/sail tip vorticity will reduce induced drag argument (see Doug McLean's Understanding Aerodynamics to see why skepticism is warranted on this), and, a bit less forgivable, the equal time argument for why an aerofoil produces lift. (That is, lift is produced because the air has to go farther along one side of a wing/aerofoil, and air packets have to start and finish at the end of the wing/airfoil at the same time. This is empirically completely wrong in addition to being unclear how it is motivated theoretically.) The equal time argument isn't crucial to any of the explanations, but is the reason I am taking off a star.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book, goes over basic physics concepts (Bernoulli's principle, law of conservation, Reynolds number, Coriolis force and these like) in the spirity of why. Why hull lenght affect speed, keel has a bulb or fin at its end, what apparent wind is and how it impacts sailing speed, why tides are, how to deliver simplistic weather forects. It's very engaging and I so much regret that my physics lessons weren't tought on examples from sailing - these aren't hard concepts to grasps (especially when you see examples of sailing yachts). I bet someone already turned it to a YT series and if not Bryon D. Anderson is sitting on a goldmine here.

[PowdyrdWyg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer how sailboats work and, to a lesser extent, why sailboats work. I say this because you will not come away from the book with any great understanding of sail shape, hull shape, hydrodynamics, etc. There were one or two spots where I felt the explanation was wrong, namely, why running is slower and the cause of weather helm.

Recommended to get your toes wet.

[Lisa]

Whew- just a bit over my head!

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Largely a success and manages to explain the basic principles at work well - though the in depth formula-based physics is not explained in a way accessible to the layman (at least not this one...).