Quick update, 4 races in Sopot today at the formula Europeans.
Really tough day, light winds 12 knots max in the gusts, plus really sloppy ocean swell. I'm suffering from what I hope is not as pig related virus, torn calf muscle, and a board which is now full of water.
Sean had a mixed day, nothing spectacular.
We will get the report up on Storm Riders soon, but internet access is a bit limited.
Chris
What is the ideal weight of a sailor who competes in Formula ? would someone of my weight 104kg have any hope against the lighter guys in marginal conditions?
as i understand it..
vmg has allways been applicable to sailing and the term well used.
your vmg will be calculated based on a known point you are travelling to ie a waypoint on the gps...
if you are heading directly towards your waypoint/target then your vmg will equal your speed.
in other words if your waypoint is directly to windward of you and you and you are sailing at 45 deg to that point(tacking) then your speed towards that point is your vmg (a value lower than your actual speed)...if you are sailing on a square reach at 90deg to the waypoint then your vmg would be 0 as you are not heading towards it. if you are sailing down wind away from your waypoint then your vmg would be a negative.
maybe another way to understand it is...say 2 guys decide to do a downwinder to a assumed point- one guy decideds to sail directly downwind straight to that point,the other guy sets of on a broad reach at high speed...the first guy is travelling at a low speed but is travelling the shortest distance...his vmg is his actual speed.
the other guy is travelling a shed load quicker but is sailing 3 times the distance.
if they both arrived at that mark at the same time then effectively they both had the same..velocity made good...
as i said this is as i understand it.
Thanks for the explanations of VMG. I ask partly because I just bought an Aerotech VMG sail. Now that I know what it means, I'm convinced I will enjoy it more.
