Photo gallery [stand inside] wing skate sail
Fast, simple, light, compact and inexpensive! Also: Maybe you can beat the current, 2010, sail speed record of 126.2 mph, 203 km/h, in a wing?
The [stand inside] wing skate sail is, with a top speed of around 75 mph, 120 km/h, arguably the world's fastest skate sail. That is for a course racing sail. A small wing sail can sail twice as fast - and beat the current record of 126.2 mph, 203 km/h, 2009?
A reefable design - top sections can be removed.
See below for more.
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This is wing sailing in its most refined form. It consists only of the bare minimum for sailing - a sail.
Contrary to the land sail speed record holder Greenbird (2009) and, other ice/land/snow sailing concepts, America's Cup 2010 boats etc, this design: - Has no aerodynamic drag from hulls/planks/stays/sailor/cockpit/wheels/runners etc. The only aerodynamic drag is from the wing which is unavoidable.
The Greenbird wing alone has the ability to sail some 60 times faster than the wind. That means it has e.g. 10 pounds of drag when creating 600 pounds of force. But when all the other drags are added it can sail only some four times faster than the wind. The other drags amount to some 140 pounds! With a [stand inside] wing only you get rid of most of these - except wheel or runner drag.
- Also when it comes to the drag of the sailing surface it is minimum when sailed on ice. Wheels, hydrofoils, hulls etc. create much larger drag.
- A wing skate sailor normally supports his weight on one skate only. To sail a desired course and steer the sailor trims the wing backwards/forward until in equilibrium. This eliminates the drag of an unbalanced craft. The Greenbird yacht e.g. most probably creates drag because the sail force tries to make the yacht 'bear away'/'head up wind' which has to be resisted with steering which causes drag.
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Can't be enlarged
A wing sailor sailing at top speed in a strong wind. He leans to
windward to balance the force of the wind. Speed is some 120 km/h, 75 mph. |
Break the speed record with a wing skate sail anyone?
The current World Sail Speed Record is 126.2 mph, 203 km/h. Set by the absolutely fantastic Greenbird land yacht, 2009. To beat that with a stand inside wing sail it's a matter of getting the sail area down to around 10 sq feet, 1 sq m, or less than a quarter of the couse racing sails. It's very little, so it's not straight forward - requires some creativity. Then ad some refinements and speed enhancing features. I have tried some five on course racing sails.
Course racing sails has an area of around 55 sq feet, 5 sq m, because it it suitable for the average wind speed of some 6 knots, 3 m/s, they experience.
I have some ideas on how it can be done. Coaching also available. Contact: andersansar@gmail.com
Don't be intimidated by the big expensive designs
Some wannabes record breakers get intimidated by large expensive contraptions.
No need! See e.g. the [water] kite-board, cost some 2000 US$, holding the record (2010) against the giant Hydroptere, one cost estimate 5 million US$. A nice saving of 4 998 000 US$! Hydroptere's speed/stability is probably restricted by cavitating hydrofoils. The kite-board doesn't have these problems as it always has air only on its upper side.
The water sail board, windsurfer, cost some 2000 US$, beating the large Yellow Pages 2004, cost estimate 1 million US$.
Left: Thinking very complicated, expensive and quite big! The kite board is simple, cheap and fastest, on water, 2011. Image non Ansar copyright |
Think small and simple - no need for a sponsor!
I believe many designers think too grand, because they have a feeling it must be big, complicated and built from expensive materials to go fast. Costs are beyond their means and they have to try hard to find a sponsor - and few are lucky. Richard Jenkins, Greenbird, the outright record holder 2011: "Ecotricity, who were the only sponsor, of the thousands I must have spoken to over the years, who believed in the project and the dream." Think small and make it on a budget! Material for a wing starts from somewhere around US$ 500. You can put it together in your drawing room. Richard built his craft in Hong Kong, he needs a trailer to move it around... Photo credit: Peter Lyons
A man thinking "Big is Fast" is Daniel T. Campo Sr. with his XXL ice/land yacht Miss Wisconsin. Nice guy. I met him on Ivanpah Dry Lake when he was there at the America's Cup for Land Yachts - without his yacht.
Dimensions Length: 42 ft. Width: 28ft. Sail area, wing mast plus sail: 176 sq ft. No verified claims of high speed yet as far as I know. For sale! Asking price is $25,000 Image non Ansar copyright |
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Stand inside wings on water Stand inside wing sails can most probably also sail fast on water, e.g. on a surf board, - but there are some safety issues for the sailor to solve. If he crashes, and especially if he gets unconscious, there is a drowning risk. Some creative thinking needed here! A breathing apparatus securely fastened to the sailors mouth and nose? Plus a rescue crew.
A large Only-Wing sailing craft One can envision a large wing, say 30 ft, 10 m, tall. Base 25 ft, 8 m. Ballasted at some half hight. Wheels, runners, at front and back. Some wheeled side supports for parking and take off. Can take some time to learn to control. Compared to something like Greenbird you will save maybe 50 % on hull, plank, cockpit, wheel fairings, very strong stiff construction in hull and lower wing to support wing's side force.
A wing with an unusual plan form, a short bottom cord. The three top sections can be removed one by one for sailing in increasing wind. Sailor/design/builder: Calle Svedberg, Stockholm, Sweden.
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The 100 mph, 160 km/h, high speed stand inside wing skate sail?
Normal course racing wings have twice
the sail area of this sail and starts to severely over power you at around 75 mph, 120 km/h,
in a wind of 16 knots, 8 m/s.
We have measured 59 mph, 95 km/h, in a 13 knots, 6.5 m/s, breeze but we sail in twice as strong winds.
A wind surfer on ice needs about twice the wind speed, 27 knots, 13 m/s, to reach 60 mph, 96 km/h. Mainly because his body creates a very large aerodynamic drag.
With this wing overpowering should come around 110 mph, 170 km/h (square root of 2 =
1.44 times higher speed). Not twice as high because wind forces increase with
the square of the speed.
Wing still in testing phase.
I have a quite different concept of skate sailing that should be capable of some 150 mph, 240 km/h.
Information for sale - available for bachelors only. :)
Sailor/design/builder: Anders Ansar.
Short video at
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An Ice Wing cockpit is cramped. Generally a thinner wing is faster. Sailor/design/builder: Anders Ansar.
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Wing skate sail winning One of a Kind Race
Before the start of a One Of A Kind race in Stockholm in moderate winds. Each sailor being national top class in his class. They finished in this order: The wing skate sail. The DN iceboat, some 300 yards/m thereafter. The traditional skate sail, some 900 yards/m after the wing sail. Course length in the order of 2000 yards/meters.
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Extremely tall sailing skates, 1 feet, 30 cm, high
The height can be changed by replacing the read tubes with others of another length. Light wind and good ice: With high skates you can carry a tall sail with large area = a fast sail. Strong wind: Low skates, makes your less likely to fall, and a lower small sail. Didn't work well. Runner direction control bad due to a too flexible construction. One time skates went outwards onto inside of wing resulting in a quick stop - fall forward and a damaged wing. Design/builder/sailor: Anders Ansar. |
The Ice Wing cockpit is cramped
Generally a thinner wing is faster.
Sailor/design/builder is Anders Ansar. | |
An all hard,metal, surface speed wing skate sail - a try to catch up with the state of the art airplane wing design. Most wing sails have rear of wing made of sail cloth.
Stabilizer needed because in short cord designs sailor can't get to the wing 1/4 cord position , where the wing balances.
Never worked well.
Design/builder/sailor: Calle Svedberg Stockholm, Sweden.
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 A wing with unusually large transparent front. White top can be removed for sailing in strong winds. Sailor/design/builder: Anders Ansar, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Hi!
Extremely tall sailing skates, 1 feet, 30 cm, high.
The height can be changed by replacing the read tubes with others of another length.
Light wind and good ice: With high skates you can carry a tall sail with large area = a fast sail. Strong wind: Low skates, makes your less likely to fall, and a lower smaller sail.
Didn't work well. Skate direction control bad due to a too flexible construction. One time skates went outwards onto inside of wing resulting in a quick stop - fall forward and a damaged wing.
Design/builder/sailor Anders Ansar.
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This is, in short, how you get into a wing - Raise the forward end.
- Get under the wing.
- Lower the wing around you body.
This particular wing lasted only one strong wind session. Sailor: It was a pity that we didn't get the time to know each other.
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Sailing video. The 75 mph, 120 km/h, skate sail - World's fastest?
Very light wind 4 knots, 2 m/s, note flag movements. Still speed is 25 mph, 40 km/t.
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One youtube the video comes with this text:
Arguably the world's fastest skate sail with a top speed around 75 mpg,
120 km/h. More, incl. building plans and an article: https://sites.google.com/site/icewinghomepage/
This is a course racing sail for moderate winds. A dedicated speed sail
can reach some 100 mph, 160 km/h.
Ice skate sailing is a dangerous sport: thin ice, drowning, collisions,
crashing into land, get smashed onto the ice by a misbehaving
prototype: "It was sad that we never got to know each other" said one
sailor after the wing got smashed into pieces on the first sail - bu no
fatalities in Sweden so far.
I call my sails Ice Wing.
Developed for ice sailing but can also be used on land and snow. It
beat DN and large E-skeeter iceboats at a race in the US.
Contrary to other ice, land and snow sailing concepts this design has
no extra aerodynamic drag from planks/hulls/sailor etc.
It sails up to 6 times faster than the wind in light winds. |
This wing crashed when the sailor hit double ice. The window is broken. |
"Ice yacht sailing on Lake Stora Värtan." Oil painting circa 1900 by Robert Thegerström. In the foreground left is a parallell trapez skate sail. Stora Värtan is a lake in Stockholm, Sweden. Non Ansar copyright.
The difference between skate sailing and ice/land yachting
Skate sailing is sailing with ice or roller skates on your feet and being propelled by a sail. Ice or land yachting on the other hand is e.g. sitting in a hull or similar which is equipped with runners (skates) or wheels and a sail.
Eco-friendly! These contraptions are about as small as things can get for high performance ice, land and water? sailing. A reason for this is that you use what you are born with instead having it made in workshop or factory. Legs for support and suspension. Feet for steering. Your body as a mast supporting the sail. Your mass as ballast. Your arms and hands for sheeting the wing. Your brain with its sensors, sight, balance, (sideways) acceleration to keep the balance as you sail leaning into the wind.
Their weights are in the 45 lb, 20 kg, range. An ice or land yacht weighs some ten times more and requires correspondingly bigger resources.
You can use pictures and text from this page as long as the text on the picture has readable size or an adjacent link is provided to this page or the main page
Articles available for editors.
Contact: andersansar@gmail.com
© Copyright Anders Ansar 2009-2012. All rights reserved.
Modified Feb 2012.
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