Video about Buhl's wind tunnel tests
"On the technical side, the world's best are getting closer and closer together," says Philipp Buhl from Sonthofen, Germany's medal hope in the Laser. "The advantages that you can gain in terms of material are getting smaller and smaller." This makes it all the more important to utilise every opportunity offered by modern technology in particular, but not to get lost in the process.
One such opportunity is offered by car manufacturer Audi, sponsor of Sailing Team Germany. The top teams had the chance to test their boats in the wind tunnel. The goals are very different. In two-man classes such as the 49er, for example, it makes sense to test the most favourable position in the harness so that the helmsman is hidden behind the foresailor in the best possible way, thereby reducing wind resistance, which is particularly important at high boat speeds.
Other athletes, such as Philipp Buhl, focus more on sail adjustment. A tiny detail reveals how meticulously progress is being made. "I have a specific problem at eight knots of wind speed," says Buhl. "When I tighten the sheet, there is a steep diagonal crease from the clew that runs to where the mast is attached." This is typical for the Laser. The open question is: "Should I use the luff adjuster to pull out this crease or leave it?" With a crease, the sail is more bulbous, generates more pressure, but sails less height; without a crease, the sail is pulled flat and pressure is lost. "You see both settings at the top of the world," says Buhl.
However, he did not want to go to Rio with a question mark, but wanted certainty on this point. Audi provided him with six technicians and engineers, the boat was rigged in the wind tunnel and the various configurations were tested. "We have established that there are measurable differences, but we still need to fully analyse the data," says Buhl.
The fact that the wind tunnel is only 2.80 metres high makes things more difficult. Although the laser can be fully rigged in the hall, the airflow only hits the lower sail area. Paralympic competitor Heiko Kröger, for example, had it better: his 2.4 mR was fully streamed in the wind tunnel.
However, Buhl also gained immediate, clear insights. "It was impressive to see how the wake vortices develop at the end of the main boom, but also how quickly they migrate downwind." This was further underpinned by practical experience. "For me, this means that I can continue sailing in the wake of an opponent with confidence, as I have now seen for the first time using the smoke lance that the disturbed winds actually go to leeward and that there should not be any disturbed winds directly behind an opponent."
You can read about the other modern technical aids used by German Olympic sailors in the big Olympic special in YACHT 15/2016, on newsstands from 6 July.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
