Ann Arbor Times

A recent study conducted by mathematicians from the University of Michigan and New York University sheds light on the complexities of tacking, a challenging yet essential sailing maneuver used to navigate against the wind. The research, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, delves into how sails behave during various tacking motions and with different sail types.

Silas Alben, a professor at the University of Michigan and co-author of the paper, emphasized the significance of understanding fluid-structure interactions during these unsteady maneuvers. "There has been a lot of work on optimizing the shapes of the sails and hulls of sailboats, but much remains to be understood about fluid-structure interactions during unsteady maneuvers," he said. "The tacking maneuver is one important example where simplified modeling can help us understand the basic physics."

Christiana Mavroyiakoumou, an instructor at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and lead author of the paper published in Physical Review Fluids, explained that tacking is more than just a simple turn. "Tacking is more than just a turn," she stated. "It is a high-stakes maneuver where sail performance can make or break a race or a sailing journey in general." She added that this research provides sailors and engineers with new insights into mastering wind dynamics.

The study's findings not only aim to improve sail designs but also enhance the efficiency and reliability of autonomous sailboats crucial for oceanographic research. Researchers investigated how sails interact with wind during tacking by employing mathematical modeling and numerical simulations. Their analysis focused on scenarios where successful tacking involves flipping the sail to its mirror-image shape while unsuccessful attempts result in sails being stuck close to their initial form.

Overall, this research offers valuable information for competitive sailing as well as potential applications for automated sailing vehicles navigating varying wind conditions.