Month: January 2011

SPEEDREAM

35ft scale model of Speedream to be built

Vlad Murnikov’s radical foil-assisted monohull takes a step forward

Friday January 14th 2011, Author: Brian Hancock, Location: United States

As the design and engineering for SpeedDream continues to advance, a decision has been made to build a 35ft scale version of the radical new monohull. Hundreds of hours of computer engineering and analysis has already been completed for the SpeedDream design, but there is nothing like a scaled prototype version out sailing in actual conditions to test the unique ideas and technical solutions that are at the heart of this project.

“For a typical evolutionary design you start with a set of known performance parameters and work to gradually improve them,” said Vlad Murnikov, the lead designer and creative force behind SpeedDream. “But the SpeedDream concept is so radical and innovative there are no analogs to compare to and improve upon. While CFD analysis and tank testing are extremely important, they can only get us so far. It will be very useful to check both the general concept and the hull shape, appendages and rig configurations on a real scaled version of SpeedDream. Appendages like the extreme canting/telescoping keel and the lifting/stabilizing foil have to be tested and optimized in a real sailing environment and this is why we believe that building the prototype is necessary. I feel that a 35-foot version is the right size to provide a superb realistic platform to test all the critical SpeedDream components.”

To achieve previously unattained speeds and bridge the performance gap between multihulls and monohulls, SpeedDream relies upon two innovative appendages to greatly enhance the boat’s performance; a canting keel that lifts clear of the water when the boat is fully powered up, and a foil to leeward that provides not only lift, but also resists leeward force.

“The geometry of most modern canting systems allow for a maximum cant angle of up to 50 degrees,” said Murnikov. “For SpeedDream we have developed a proprietary system that allows much higher cant angles while at the same time being able to significantly reduce loads. The goal ultimately is to sail the boat with the keel completely out of water thereby removing a significant amount of drag while maximizing righting moment. In addition, the keel will be telescoping. This will allow us to fine tune the angle of heel as well as make it more practical to get the boat in and out of marinas where depth may be an issue.”

Lifting foils have been used in hydrofoil ferries and military craft for decades. Recent applications in sailing yachts include the DSS stabilising system developed by Hugh Welbourn. Curved lifting daggerboards find widespread use in offshore racing multihulls, in record setting projects like the extreme foiler L’Hydroptere, the boat that holds the outright speed record and in the latest generation IMOCA 60s.

Cam Lewis, the skipper of SpeedDream said: “I have followed developments in both monohull and multihulls for decades. This latest America’s Cup was a great example of how some new developments in foils radically changed the performance of both boats. It’s these innovative technologies like the telescoping keel and lifting foils that will set SpeedDream apart from all other monohulls and allow the boat to not only break, but smash all existing records. We will test these features, along with others in the SpeedDream-35 prototype and prove to us and the sailing community that this boat is a step ahead of anything else out there.”

TAYLOR SWIFT IS AN OPHIUCHUS

In case you were concerned that you are not who you think you are

Why did your zodiac sign change? We asked the astronomer who started it all

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The internet is burning up with the news that the zodiac has been rearranged. There’s a 13th sign, Ophiuchus, and people who think they’re Virgos are actually Leos. What happened here? We talked to the astronomer who caused the fuss.

Today, Time, MSNBC and tons of other online news outlets are buzzing about the “new” horoscope. The articles are full of vague explanations like, “The star doctors say Earth right now is in a totally different spot in relation to the sun and its equatorial alignment than it was 3,000 years ago.” Or: “Because of the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth, the alignment of the stars was pushed by about a month.”

What on Earth is going on? And why does everybody suddenly have to work with a new version of the completely meaningless zodiac?

It seems to have started with this article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last weekend, in which one astronomer made some statements about the zodiac. Parke Kunkle is on the board of directors of the Minnesota Planetarium Society and teaches astronomy at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Kunkle told the Star-Tribune the Earth’s relation to the sun had changed since the Babylonians first created the zodiac.

We got in touch with Kunkle and asked him what he actually told the Star-Tribune. He said he was asked by the Star-Tribune to give them a few bits of information about astronomy, not realizing the article would become a huge discussion of astrology and the relationship between astronomy and astrology. And the main stuff he talked to the Star-Tribune about has to do with the phenomenon of “precession.”

Says Kunkle:

If you take a toy top and spin it, it spins around an axis and that axis tends to point in different directions. It moves around. That’s what we call precession. So in Earth’s case, right now, Earth’s spin axis points towards Polaris, the North Star. But in 3000 BC, the Earth’s axis pointed towards a different star, Thuban. And that majestic motion takes about 26,000 years. so if you went from 3,000 B.C. and waited 26,000 years, you’d have the north star Thuban again.

This phenomenon was first noticed around 130 B.C. by a Greek astronomer, Hipparchus of Nicea. And as a result, if you actually look at what stars were positioned behind the sun on a particular date, that would have been very different 5,000 years ago than it would today. “We’re in a different constellation now and that is the typical sun sign,” based on the sun’s position when you were born.

And no, Parke Kunkle didn’t tell the Star-Tribune that the zodiac ought to include 13 signs instead of 12 — especially since he doesn’t believe in astrology at all. (He highly recommends Phil Plait’s page about astrology.) He did mention that astronomers tend to reckon the sun’s position with 13 constellations instead of 12, and Ophiuchus is the 13th. But in the current astrology zodiac, there are just 12. “I just mentioned that it’s there, and astronomers actually count it… So if you actually watch the stars in the background of the sun, it actually does go through the constellation of Ophiuchus.” He adds that the Babylonians probably had totally different constellations anyway.

Somehow, Kunkle’s brief comments in the Star-Tribune article got morphed into “astronomer says the zodiac has to be revamped.” As various people have pointed out, this means your entire personality is different than what you originally believed it was — you might be flighty instead of hard-working, or fishy instead of scorpionesque. Taylor Swift is an Ophiuchus!

Such is the power that astronomers wield over all our fates.

ANDREW MASON ON AMERICA’S CUP TECHNOLOGY

Here is a link to one of the more interesting articles about the future of America’s Cup. For me the America’s Cup is and has always been about cutting edge yacht design. Frankly the gossip and “politics” are never very interesting; one always hopes that it is about the sailing, however naive that may seem.

The only point I might find to disagree with is the idea that the “C” class catamarans would not be an important platform for development. I agree with his observation that the “C” class cats have been budget constrained and have not used CFD for development. The class will non-the-less be an important point of departure.

ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THE RHETORIC?

* From Robert Bausch: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3253)

What is it with this guy Tom Ehman, is he trying to jinx the America’s Cup

being in San Francisco? Now that we feel good that it is, he seems to be

trying everything he can to cast doubt on it happening, complete with sly

comments like “… if, for any reason, the deal with San Francisco falls

apart…”. Doesn’t he get it, that the Cup is going to be in the City?

OVER THE TOP HYPERBOLE?

You be the judge. I find it hard to compare Dr. Laura to Bernard Montessier, perhaps the author is just trying to create controversy.

NEARLY A MODERN DAY BERNARD MOITESSIER

Dr. Laura Schlessinger – who is based in Santa Barbra, CA – might be best

known as a nationally syndicated American talk radio host. However, she has

the sailing bug big time, and is finishing construction on a custom Tim

Kernan designed 46 footer that she plans to race in the March 2011 Newport

Beach, CA to Cabo San Lucas Race.

While having been largely committed to buoy racing, she first ventured

offshore nearly a year ago in a similar race to Cabo on her J-125 (Warrior),

winning overall in both ORR and PHRF. Here she comments on the experience:

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I did the Cabo race purely for the adventure. I had never been out on the

open ocean and simply wanted the experience. By the end of the first day and

one-half, I was cold, damp, exhausted and generally miserable. I clicked my

heels but couldn’t get back to Santa Barbara. Then, on the second and

one-half day I got with the rhythm of it and can’t tell you enough how much

I absolutely loved it: huge turtles, whales, dolphin, the horizon with no

land and no other boats – it was just amazing!

We followed the progress of all the boats on the computer and we were well

behind our competition for most of the race. Ultimately – I didn’t care that

much because we all were having such a fun time with each other and with the

elements. I would guess that if the amount of laughter aboard a boat won a

trophy – we’d get it. On the last day I woke up from my four hour down-time

to find zero wind. I did see a shark fin and wouldn’t let anyone swim! We’d

gone way out to sea and were totally becalmed. I decided I was the “wind

witch” and would bring wind any moment now. They all scoffed at me – until I

pointed to some tiny cat paws on the surface of the water growing larger in

diameter. Suddenly, we started to take off.

The best part of the entire experience was that night when we were coming

into Cabo. I was driving (that’s my job) through the moonshine on the water.

It was so beautiful I was crying. Believe it or not, I turned to my crew and

suggested we forget the finish line and just keep sailing. I meant it – as

strange as that may sound. I got voted down, so over the finish line we

came. From the day I suggested we do that Cabo race, I never considered the

possibility of winning. I just wanted the adventure. And this year, we are

doing the Cabo race to qualify for Transpac – talk about an adventure. —

http://www.nhyccaborace.com/nhyccaborace/Profiles.html

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THROW A DOG A BONE,MAYBE?

Does this sound like playing both sides? Up is the up side for Newport?

Newport may get America’s Cup pre-regatta races

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 8, 2011

By kate bramson

journal staff writer

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Ehman

PROVIDENCE –– Newport’s loss of the America’s Cup final Match races behind them, state leaders and Cup officials went back to the drawing board Friday to try to hammer out a deal to bring pre-regatta races to the City by the Sea.

“Now it’s not a done deal, but I’d say … we’re probably 75 percent of the way there,” Thomas Ehman, head of Oracle Racing external affairs, said Friday at the State House with Governor Chafee at his side.

Ehman said he’s “confident” the state can complete negotiations with America’s Cup officials in the next couple of weeks, when he hopes to reach a final agreement.

Ehman said he traveled to Rhode Island this week with “two asks” for Rhode Island: Could the state be ready to host an America’s Cup World Series event this September and could the state be the Cup’s backup plan for the final Match races in 2013 if, for any reason, the deal with San Francisco falls apart?

“We don’t think there are any problems in San Francisco,” Ehman said. “But if for any reason it falters … we need — as prudent sailors, businesspeople, event organizers — we need a backup plan and from what I’ve heard today from … the governor and on down, everyone has said, ‘Yes, we think we can figure out a way to help you if on the small chance that happens.’ ”

The state’s not counting on such a fumble, but leaders are gearing up to become the site for pre-regatta races.

“I’m an America’s Cup fan,” Chafee said. “I was on the race course in 1983 in the seventh race, I saw on that tragic downwind when Australia II finally passed Dennis Conner’s Liberty and the Cup left Newport. I think our chances of getting it back are slim — Tom’s been very honest — in 2013. But there are other opportunities, and that’s what we’ve been talking about.”

State leaders said the World Series races would be an economic boon to all of Rhode Island. House Speaker Gordon D. Fox said it’s appropriate to try to upgrade Fort Adams State Park as the venue because the money would be spent to improve a state asset.

No one could say how much it would cost to bring the September regatta here — partly because discussions with Ehman before Friday had centered on costs for hosting the final Match races.

“We don’t know it,” said Richard A. Licht, director of administration. “We don’t know the specifics of what they need yet.”

America’s Cup officials are dreaming of a different kind of race to bring sailing to the masses, envisioning pre-regatta races as a way to build enthusiasm and momentum for the final Match, Ehman said.

They’ll call an annual series of four to six regattas, which will begin this summer in Europe and lead up to the final Match race, the America’s Cup World Series. At the end of each series, they’ll name a world champion, hoping to maintain momentum for the sport in between final Cup years.

Newport would be the first American location for the World Series, Ehman said.

“And the idea is that as soon as the 2013 America’s Cup is over, [they’ll go] right back on the racing circuit, back to Newport,” he said.

Also at the State House Friday, state Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed said state leaders hope the “glorious” facilities at Fort Adams will lure even more races to Newport.

“We want people spending money here,” the governor chimed in.

Ehman said the nine-day World Series regatta in Newport is tentatively set for Sept. 17 to 25.

America’s Cup organizers are negotiating for live television coverage — “not just on minor networks” — for that final Sunday of the Newport regatta, he said. Then Ehman, who calls himself a “proud former resident of Newport,” hearkened back to the days of America’s Cup glory in the city, recalling the first live telecast of an America’s Cup race was in Newport on Sept. 25 of the final year Newport hosted the race.

“When it went live on TV in 1983, that’s when the Cup really became a worldwide phenomenon, and that’s what we aim to do here with these America’s Cup World Series events, starting with Rhode Island,” Ehman said.

After the media fanfare subsided at the State House, he added: “It’s important to have a connection to the history and tradition of the Cup. … If we can make this happen, this is a cool thing for all concerned.”

kbramson@projo.com

WANDERING POLE

This dramatic movement of the North Pole is a significant event for almost everyone, never mind it’s impact on charts we sailors use.

Richard A. Lovett in San Francisco

for National Geographic News

December 24, 2009

Earth’s north magnetic pole is racing toward Russia at almost 40 miles (64 kilometers) a year due to magnetic changes in the planet’s core, new research says.

The core is too deep for scientists to directly detect its magnetic field. But researchers can infer the field’s movements by tracking how Earth’s magnetic field has been changing at the surface and in space.

Now, newly analyzed data suggest that there’s a region of rapidly changing magnetism on the core’s surface, possibly being created by a mysterious “plume” of magnetism arising from deeper in the core.

And it’s this region that could be pulling the magnetic pole away from its long-time location in northern Canada, said Arnaud Chulliat, a geophysicist at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in France.

Finding North

Magnetic north, which is the place where compass needles actually point, is near but not exactly in the same place as the geographic North Pole. Right now, magnetic north is close to Canada’s Ellesmere Island.

Navigators have used magnetic north for centuries to orient themselves when they’re far from recognizable landmarks.

Although global positioning systems have largely replaced such traditional techniques, many people still find compasses useful for getting around underwater and underground where GPS satellites can’t communicate.

The magnetic north pole had moved little from the time scientists first located it in 1831. Then in 1904, the pole began shifting northeastward at a steady pace of about 9 miles (15 kilometers) a year.

In 1989 it sped up again, and in 2007 scientists confirmed that the pole is now galloping toward Siberia at 34 to 37 miles (55 to 60 kilometers) a year.

A rapidly shifting magnetic pole means that magnetic-field maps need to be updated more often to allow compass users to make the crucial adjustment from magnetic north to true North.

Wandering Pole

Geologists think Earth has a magnetic field because the core is made up of a solid iron center surrounded by rapidly spinning liquid metal. This creates a “dynamo” that drives our magnetic field.

(Get more facts about Earth’s insides.)

Scientists had long suspected that, since the molten core is constantly moving, changes in its magnetism might be affecting the surface location of magnetic north.

Although the new research seems to back up this idea, Chulliat is not ready to say whether magnetic north will eventually cross into Russia.

“It’s too difficult to forecast,” Chulliat said.

Also, nobody knows when another change in the core might pop up elsewhere, sending magnetic north wandering in a new direction.

Chulliat presented his work this week at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.


JANUARY 15TH WITH JOE COOPER

“Cooper’s Winter Day of Sailing”

A day of thinking, watching and talking about sailing in the midst of winter

10:00: West Marine, Middletown: SEMINAR

379 West Main Road, Middletown, RI: No Charge

Sailing consultant Joe Cooper will present a seminar on preparing yourself

and your boat for your next longer passage. All of us are always dreaming of

taking our boats (and ourselves) on something a bit longer than we have done

before, be it out to Block Island, over to Nantucket, or up to Maine. For

many folks on the East Coast, a trip to Bermuda is the highlight of many

years of sailing locally. In this seminar, Cooper will address how to think

about pushing yourselves to go further.

Refreshments will be available.

12:30-14:00, The Daily Shake, Middletown: LUNCH

883 West Main Road, Middletown, RI (about a mile north of West Marine)

Treat yourself to a healthy lunch that every sailor should know about;

priced $6-$12 for high energy herbal tea, a nutritious meal replacement

shake, protein bar, and more.

15:00-17:00, Seamen’s Church Institute, Newport: O.S.T.A.R. 2009-The MOVIE

At the Seamen’s Church Institute (Newport’s best kept secret) located on

Market Square (between Bowens Wharf and the Newport Harbor Hotel and

Marina), in downtown Newport. Tickets: $20.00 per person with the proceeds

going to the Seamen’s Church Institute and the Short Handed Sailing

Association. Copies of the video will be available for purchase following

the screening.

The Original Single-Handed Transatlantic Race is the original solo ocean

race. Here Cooper introduces this 50-minute movie that was produced by Marco

Nannini, a competitor from the 2009 race, and his brother, a movie man. It

is NOT fire-breathing walls of water with pulsing rock-and-roll music a la

the VOR movies; rather, it is a measured & reflective look at the normal

folks who spend their own time and money putting together their dream of a

solo passage along the historic route in relatively normal boats, much like

the ones we own.

Refreshments will be available after the movie

Please register your interest with me, Joe Cooper at cooper-ndn@cox.net so I

can start a head count.

Thanks!

Cheers,

Coop

Joe Cooper

401 965 6006

Joe “Coop” Cooper

Newport Dream Nutrition

At the Daily Shake

883 West Main road

Middletown RI 02842

Tel: 401 965 6006

cooper-ndn@cox.net

www.shopherbalife.com/joecooper