Actually one of the more important effects of what many call wave-piercer hull design is reduced pitching by increased damping. [...]The name "wave-piercer" is therefor totally misapplied.
Catsailor member Gary ran into Gino Morelli on the beach in Long Beach, and Gino said that you often get best performance on his hulls (Nacra A2/Infusion) when you're piercing every second wave. This smooths the air flow over the sails. [At least that's what I recall.]
So, the "wave-piercer" term seems appropriate in this context.
I see several advantages to this mode of sailing:
- Less change in windspeed over the sail.
- More slowly changing windspeed over the sail.
- Possibly, reduced pitch magnitude.
[BTW, this reminds me of Bethwaite's "part power pause"
discussion, if anyone's interested in the importance
of smooth flow.]
--Glenn
