Rosebud
Event-Specific Configuration
The Challenge
A boat optimized for longer point-to-point racing isn't necessarily optimized for inshore windward/leeward competition.
The Approach
For Rosebud's ORC campaign at the Rolex Big Boat Series, Rhumbline evaluated alternative sail-plan and configuration strategies against the expected course types, conditions and rating implications.
The Work
ORC analysis • Sail-plan evaluation • Configuration planning • Event preparation
The Takeaway
The objective isn't simply to minimize rating or maximize sail area. It's to find the configuration that gives the boat the best opportunity to perform for the racing it will actually encounter.
Vitesse
Downwind Performance
The Challenge
Could changes to the boat's downwind configuration deliver enough performance to justify their rating and practical implications?
The Approach
Rhumbline evaluated alternative configurations by considering predicted performance, rating impact, sail geometry and the demands of the team's offshore racing program.
The Work
Rating analysis • Configuration analysis • Sail-plan evaluation • Offshore performance • Historical routing analysis
The Takeaway
Optimization is about finding the right tradeoff, not simply making one performance variable as large or as fast as possible.
Elusive
Sail Plan Optimization
The Challenge
A sail plan developed around one-design parameters doesn't necessarily represent the optimal solution for handicap racing.
The Approach
Rhumbline evaluated alternative mainsail and spinnaker configurations for Elusive, considering rating implications alongside expected conditions, course types and actual sailing performance.
The Work
Sail-plan analysis • Rating analysis • Performance modeling • Campaign planning
The Takeaway
Sail area has value only when the performance it creates is worth its cost in rating, handling and the broader sail inventory. In this case, less can indeed be more!
