v-44 Albatross has ‘three axis control’ similar to a conventional fixed wing aircraft. At high speed, the boat is effectively flown at very low altitude using active control in all three axis.
The three axis are:
| 1. |
yaw from foot rudder pedals controlling the rudder;
|
| 2. |
roll from control stick left / right movement, similar to ailerons on conventional aircraft. The aerodynamic design enables roll control without lift cross coupling;
|
| 3. |
height above surface from control stick fore / aft movement controlling overall lift / power of wing-sails.
|
There is no other sailing boat which has this degree of active control. The benefit of this approach is to give prolonged periods of the hulls remaining completely free from the surface of water, minimising a major drag component.
The boat can sail on both port and starboard tack; the wing-sails and keels roll through 90 degrees as the v-44 turns through the wind.
The maximum speed of the boat is the cavitation speed of the keel. This is maximized by using a cambered keel section and transposing between two keels as the boat tacks.
The skipper is able to actively maintain a boat speed just under the cavitation speed of the keel across a range of sailing conditions.
The target lift / drag ratio of the boat is 2.3:1, meaning that it can sail at speeds 2.3 times faster than the wind speed.
Specifications
| Velocity not to exceed: |
70 knots (80.5 mph, 129.6 km/h) |
| Target lift / drag ratio: |
2.3:1 ( design wind speed 30 kts ) |
| Length overall: |
44.4 feet (13.54 metres) |
| Sail area: |
24 m2 (48 m2 for both wing-sails) |
| Weight empty: |
590 kg |
| Weight all up: |
670 kg |
|
|
