AIT Around In Ten

Finding ways "around" the AIT rules might not be difficult but question is if those "rule benders" are practical and benefitial.....

A 100 ft deep hull might provide you with more than ample space and provisions for a couple of years and it might be the "safest" 10 footer around but how on earth would you be able to break Testa's record of 500 days to sail around the world......
You could add a hollow tower of 200 ft tall to hoist a massive amount of sail cloth.........
Lenght should be still within the AIT rules though ..

 

But if it doesn't ‘‘FLIP’’ would it be directional stable . . ? ?

 

Obviously it would be measured in "sailing condition". That is, with the greater hull length horizontal.

Such rule beating attempts are so obvious that they are simply silly.

The original Around-In-Ten rules do not mention perpendiculars, but do make clear that rudders and bowsprits and even swim platforms (above the waterline) are not counted, as they add little or no buoyancy and are easily removed, leaving the hull envelope intact.

Even extending the keel past the hull envelope, as Sven somewhat tried to do, does not pass this test, IMHO, as the keel, even if it's a bolt on fin, is considered part of the hull envelope.

 

Hats off to this fellow, Ant Stewart, doing it the way he did in a 19 foot boat, sleeping in the cockpit. It wasn't non-stop, and it was interrupted by major repairs, but it was epic for sure. Also it was around east to west, which is remarkable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QkZN35RZfU

 

Thanks Jamie

I found Dudley Dix has an article on his website and a blogpost about the boat and Ant Stewart's remarkable achievement with it . .

 

I am now curious about the interaction of a wind turbine and a sail. I you have a 4 foot diameter wind turbine for electric power generation, some of which might be used for propulsion through the propeller, how it might contribute to the total heeling force and thrust force on the vessel in combination with the heeling force and thrust force from the sailing rig. For such a small boat, with a small sail plan not so far way, and when you consider also the motion of the boat, this is not a trivial problem, but a very interesting one. In stronger wind regimes it would make sense to have a smaller set of turbine blades, and a lower hub height. We also have to consider how it may interact and interfere with the self-steering wind vane, and how it effects the balance of the boat in terms of the right amount of weather helm. Also, whether it might make a difference which direction the wind turbine is spinning, relative to which tack you are on. It might be useful to think of a TEN with a wind turbine as a two masted hybrid yawl, ketch, or schooner. Not sure the best location of the wind turbine is always on the transom. It might be better placed on the bow in some situations, such as in situations where you might want to leave it up and operating and take the rig down.

Also, I think it would be most ideal if the wind turbine was customized, and the pitch of the blades adjustable and controllable by the helmsman, or perhaps integrated with the autopilot control system programmable by the helmsman. The blade could be controlled to feather more in gusts, depending on the amount of heel. You could also have a different set of blades for starboard tack and for port tack if it makes a difference which direction the blades rotate, and the direction of rotation is also controllable through pitch control. In terms of power production a 4 foot diameter wind turbine generates an average of 30 kw hours per month in strong wind regimes, but this would be considerably higher and steadier in very strong and sustained wind regimes such as might be encountered in the southern ocean or north atlantic, where it would make sense to switch to smaller blades in strong winds, and derig completely in storms. The interaction still comes into play however, as you are reducing sail and rigging on the sailing rig at the same time. Fascinating stuff.

 

every time you transform the energy in other energy you lost energy; It means that the resistance of the turbine connected to the electrical system and then to the propeller , will never be as efficient as that produced by a sail of same resistance

 

I agree with that. There could be times you want to store up energy when there is wind once hull speed has been nearly met, and then use some of that energy when there is less wind, but in general you are absolutely right. Better to generate power from solar, and some even manually if you need to do some activity to stay in shape, at the cost of eating more food. Also I don't generally like the idea of using electricity to heat food, but renewable energy might make sense to reduce fuel and food weight, but less energy conversion is always better. When solar energy is not available for electricity and heating food, then a little wind energy could be used, but not at the expense of speed.

 

http://www.western-marine.com/lvm/aquagen.htm

 

another sistem to charge the battery is this

http://www.western-marine.com/lvm/aquagen.htm

 

Jamie - all valid points and each and every one has crossed my mind countless times.
Once again these are issues that we will be able to address once we have a working "ten" on the water.
And that is the interesting thing about this project - there are more questions than answers.

I wholeheartedly agree with you, but what I want to experience in a real life situation is the degree of interference that these problems cause. What I am hoping for is that some of these problems you can live with and obviously those that are unbearable you change.

I am just sad that Sven stopped because that would have given us another set of data for the "ten" and we need as much real life data as we can get.

 

Manie. That's a great approach. These Tens really make you think don't they.

 

From the thread Manie's TEN: post #189

Yes there's an old set of AIT rules to make the competion fair, max 10' hull length is the main rule.

I think (not sure though) the rest of these old rules, or a link to them, can be found somewhere on this thread, but of course everyone is free to compete to himself under his own rules.

 

Just for fun, if you could go around, with stops or by fishing and manna from heaven, with a total weight of 1000 pounds, if we split that into two 500 pound hulls you might be able to get some marginal planning and surfing performance. At 220 pounds I have been able to get up on a plane in an 8 foot 80 pound Optimist, with its 35 square foot sprit rig. You would have to find a way to weather severe storms and re-right after inevitable capsizes. On idea might be to have the boat capable of sailing right side up or upside down. You would just need to invert your centreboard, rudder, and rig. Could be fun, like shunting a proa only different.

 

The old AIT rules could be revised if there is a wish or need for it, but this needs a kind of AIT competition organization/authority, which as far as I know doesn't exist at the moment.