How Formula 1 racing aids competitive sailing … and the iPad and “the cloud” help, too
24 July 2011 —- In one week I leave for my 5-week summer holiday, returning this year to Naxos for sailing-sun-sand. I have spent some time honing up on some of the latest technology in competitive sailing. Some of the latest, very cool high-tech comes out of Cosworth, a British company best known for its high performance technologies in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. It makes a lot of equipment for Formula 1 teams for their data-acquisition and analysis needs.
And now they have applied it to marine systems which work in much the same way as racing cars. But as a recent article in the Economist highlights, “instead of measuring cornering forces and suspension movement they look at wind speed, yaw, rudder angles and sundry other factors that effect the performance of a racing yacht or dinghy”. Very cool stuff. For the full article click here.
The iPad has a growing impact, too. Motor yachts and sailing yachts commonly fill up their shelf-space with a hefty load of machinery manufacturer’s documentation, parts catalogs, data sheets, and troubleshooting guides, “just in case”. However there is an emerging trend that is catching on in boating circles. The Apple iPad, taking up less room than one slim paperback, is able to digest every last bit of all the information contained in these technical publications as .pdf files, and it can also access “cloud-based” servers via Wi-fi or 3G networks where the mass of detail is kept in one safe place. And there are some brilliant apps for navigation.
And for a good article on the expert tacticians who are the key to yacht racing success click here.
