Novel Rigid-Wing Bi-Directional Sailboat Design and Method of Sailing

This paper proposes a novel design of rigid-wing bi-directional sailboat and its method of sailing. The proposed design features a bi-directional hull, a rudder on both ends of the vessel and a freely rotating rigid wing sail whose angle of attack is controlled by a tail rudder. The proposed method of sailing involves reversing the vessel’s travel direction at every turn and is ideal for micro-scale autonomous robotic platforms as it overcomes the difficulty in turning the boat through the eye of the wind during an upwind sail. A simulation model using aerodynamic and hydrodynamic forces is developed to test the effectiveness of the proposed design and method of sailing and compared to the traditional method of sailing in station-keeping and sailing upwind scenarios. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with a prototype model equipped with a rigid wing sail.