The Science Behind Sailing

Book excerpt: *This is THE book on the aero- and hydromechanics of sailing.*Contains full and scientifically justified descriptions of the dependence of the performance of sailing yachts on their configuration and the underlying physical mechanisms.*Bridges the gap between the few existing books on the aero- and hydrodynamics of sailing and the more popular books that deal with the "what and how" but not with the "why" of sailing yacht configurations and boat trim.*New edition that also covers the recently evolved technology of foiling.REVIEWS (OF THE 1ST EDITION):From the December 2015 issue of the Dutch sailing magazine "Zeilen" (translated):"Decades of research and development in fluid dynamics, but also his experience as a cruising yachtsman, have put author Joop Slooff in the position to write a new standard work on the behavior of keel yachts in wind and water. In his preface the author states that it is his ambition to bridge the gap between the few existing scientific books on the aero- and hydrodynamics of sailing and the more popular books that describe the 'what' and 'how' but not so much the 'why' of boat trim. For this purpose the author treats the basic principles of the forces acting on a sailing yacht, but he describes also how these principles translate to the boat and its sails.... In the world of sailing Slooff is known for his involvement in the development of the winged keel of the America's Cup winning yacht Australia II. His book is an excellent work for the dedicated yachtsman who is interested in the 'why' and the scientific background of the behavior of his or her boat in wind and water".Comment (Dec. 2015) by Edward Canepa, assistant professor in Fluid Machinery at the University of Genova (Italy):"For some years I'm teaching a course on "Sailing Yacht Design" in the master class of yacht design. Actually, I've found your book the best one about physics of a sailing yacht I've ever read". Comment (Dec. 2015) by Frank Woodward, former computational fluid dynamicist at the Boeing Company and Analytical Methods Inc., and a cruising yachtsman (retired):"...very impressed, no wonder it took so long. It is 'everything I ever wanted to know about sailing but was afraid to ask' !"