Polar Diagram” Don, what is a “polar diagram”?
Hi Pops, Well, I’ll give it a try. Different boats, of course, have different performance characteristics. These characteristics depend such variables as hull design, keel design, rigging, sails, etc. What is not so well appreciated is that different boats perform quite differently on different points of sail. Sure, we all know that some boats point better than others, but what about other points of sail? Further, the performance differs depending on wind strength, and wave action, and other factors. For example, a light displacement hull may have problems cutting through chop that would not seriously delay a heavier boat. Many years ago (perhaps 20-25 years) some folks realized that a mathematical simulator could be designed to predict boat performance on different points of sail and different wind velocity, based on the characteristics of the boat. These folks designed a mathematical simulator called the Velocity Prediction Program (VPP). The VPP has as input a wide variety of yacht
