Stories and winners from the Vele d’Epoca di Imperia 2024
16 September 2024
The mainsail tracker that makes superboats fly
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/ Harken’s systems-from winches to blocks-are prevalent aboard so many performance and racing boats, but you can also install them aboard your cruising/racing boat with custom solutions for superyachts and pure racing boats.
The U.S. company also has its manufacturing facilities in Italy and concentrates its design and production in deck equipment, and supplies some of its products to America’s Cup teams.
Some teams have closer relationships with Harken, for the design and manufacture of custom deck equipment, hydraulic cylinders, and foil and sail control valves.
All the AC40s that have been used for training, and will be used for the America’s Cup Youth and Women races, also have identical Harken systems for mainsail luff and self-tacking jib.
The big work that Harken has done for this America’s Cup has been the study of the mainsail furler, a seemingly simple and traditional piece of equipment, but actually critical in the economy of the boat’s movements, especially in being able to keep it in the air on the foils consistently and efficiently.
How mainsail tracking makes the flight maintain
In order for Cup superboats to maintain flight, the mainsail traveller must survive constant adjustments.
If spectators watch carefully, they will see the mainsail carriage moving relentlessly in and out to keep the angle of incidence constant.
In fact, the mainsail and carriage are coordinated to “pump up” the boat and raise it on the foils in marginal foiling conditions.
It is likely that the teams that successfully manage this system will achieve the best results.
What work has Harken done on the trasto
A system that is continually stressed during competition racing.
Just think that the carriage can achieve a total distance of almost 2 kilometers by moving upwind and downwind during each race and always under load, with very little displacement.
Such heavy use of the mainsail traveller system, if optimized, results in reduced power requirements and response time.
If the mainsail traveller became jammed during a race, at very high speeds and with the boat in the air, the boat could (depending on the wind) find itself having to handle too much power – causing it to lose control – or too little power, not having the strength to stay up on the foils.
*Editorial in collaboration with Harken
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