MacGregorSailors.com

OK, Let me give this a crack.

My first guess is, Duh! The guy with the wind!

My second thought is: This is one of those silly puzzle traps So, the no wind wins!

Then I thought about it a few minutes (and a few more guys posted but I didn't look at them yet) and here is my thoughts:

In normal sailing 5mph apparent wind on 45* from the actual heading and a starboard tack -
The board acts with a port acting component countering the leeward effect of the wind and a backward acting component but less the forward component is maore than the backward component.

In the case of 5mph current and a 5mph tailwind, the tailwind is reduced by the forward motion of the boat due to the current. And I'll say that it probably doesn't help much in sailing, at ;east not compared to the next scenario.

In the case of 5mph current and an apparent headwind due to the motion of the boat by the current,

Assuming the same 45* from the actual heading and a starboard tack -
The board acts with a port acting component countering the leeward effect of the wind and a FORWARD acting component. So with the apparent wind of 5mph, this sailor can sail much better than the sailor with the tailwind!?!!

How's that for stupid logic? MAN, my brain hurts. Did I make the right ASSumptions??

ChrispP

I agree that the guy in still wind (ground reference) will get a downstream component of force from the apparent wind that the guy in the 5 mph downwind scenario cant see.

But the price for this component is he has to sail a longer course, and from my calcs above, he cant beat the other guy unless he sails at perfect effficiency.

Its a cute puzzle on apparent wind though.

Let just add small mod to the process. Let each guy drop floating buoy at their start. The buoy wont be affected by the wind and will mark the progress of that guy relative to the water only.
What we will see?
Guy with 5 kt wind and 5 kt water current will be floating at his buoy (he has no wind at all).
The guy with apparent headwind (no true wind, 5 kt current), as all agreed, can tack, and as such will move ahead of the buoy he drop.
Since both buoys move at the same speed, the guy who tack will win.

Given the boats were identical, the faster boat would be that which the skipper is wearing the blue T shirt.

Duh.

What's the number for 911?

Yuri

Since both boats move at the same speed, the guy who can tack will win applies only if they sail the same course...

I still dont think the guy who tacks sails the same course, s/he has to travel farther...so higher speed doesnt mean s/he will win...

Again, if you could hold the boat at 45 to the apparent wind, and drift down river on the 5 mph current, then you could sail the same course at higher speed, and win. I dont think this is possible though.

THe blue Shirt factor might be the dominant factor..

This is a little known scientific fact that when two identical ailboats race, the one in which the captain lined his shorts with aluminum foil wins exactly 50.3% of the time (margin of error 13.94859350951532 percentage points + / -).
It's certainly worth a try.
For clarification, north of the equator, and west of the east pole, putting the shiny side in works best.
Obviously, therefore putting the shiny side out, works best in the other hemisphere.
However, this is not always the case during a leap year, for some, as yet unexplainable, reason.
So, more research needs to be done, obviously.
Please post your results here.

Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL wrote:Obviously, therefore putting the shiny side out, works best in the other hemisphere.
However, this is not always the case during a leap year, for some, as yet unexplainable, reason.
So, more research needs to be done, obviously.
Please post your results here.

The work done by Mikloski & Fetterov (Magnetics & Fallopian Research Institute Journal, Vol 5 Issue 2, pp 213-342) indicate that by adding Feburary 29th to the calendar year, the magnetic flux lines are stretched by about 25 milligauss. The effect of this stretching is to cause the East-West magnetic terminus points to flip. Changing from shiney to dull side out, counteracts this gaussian strain. Strangely though, they found that if they placed the leap year extra day as August 32nd, the East-West terminuses did not flip. Further research is needed.

OK! Sailing is not a science - it is fun!!

Sailing would be a lot more fun with out all those damn ropes and cables.

I have been ther and done that in a canoe.
The boat will not move at the speed of the river.
To go down stream you thow a bucket out the front or a droges. You may also partialy flood the boat to put it in the water.The river will pull you downstream even against a head wind.
I went fron Harrison to Whonnock agaista head wind in an 18 foot canoe
( about 20 miles) a few years ago.

I'm thinking in this case that we don't know something unknown we don't know hasn't happened. I'm thinking along these lines:

Donald Rumsfeld wrote: Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."

I don't know. I'm just know there are unknown unknowns that I don't know I don't know.

Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL wrote:Sailing would be a lot more fun with out all those damn ropes and cables.

Here, Here!!!

The puzzle is not the the puzzle itself but the puzzler. Why did richard set such a teaser and then remain almost silent????
The true puzzle lies in the puzzler himself.

Just one more angle, is not the question more important than the answer? For once I think it is..........................A Beer to the one that works out why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Philips who was kind enough to share this puzzle with me is not just a "bug guy". He consults with the Smithsonian about arctic Butterflies, and is especially knowledgable about the Alaskan State Bird,(The giant mosquito). I always figured that was his calling? It turns out that it's really advanced mathematics and astrophysics, and yes I'm pretty sure he hangs with Stephen Hawkings, and those sorts He also told me that he has argued this puzzle for hours with knowledgable scholars, and sailors, so I don't feel we need to be too petulant over missing the answer at the outset .

Im still not buying that you can assume a tack position to the apparent wind and sail the same course. Buggy Professor.