US Sailing's Velocity Prediction Program

by Jake Fish on 12 Mar 2009 Sailors Peter Rebovich from the United States and David Ellis from Australia have something in common in addition to their recent offshore racing successes. They both utilized US SAILING’s offshore polar programs to guide their boats to victory, and admit that these programs are one of the best kept secrets in sailing navigation technology.

Ellis and his crew on Surprise won the first round of the 2009 Audi IRC Australian Championship in January on his Borresen-BB10. Although this was the first time Surprise competed at the championship, they won an impressive 5-out-of-6 races in the regatta fleet of 15, finishing 12 points ahead of second and third place competitors.

Ellis, club captain of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, thanked US SAILING following his crew’s first place finish, crediting the Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) with contributing to their win. The VPP provides custom performance predictions for individual yachts calculating the speed potential of a boat by measuring all influential factors in racing including weather, wind speed, elements of the boat, equipment, and crew. He adopted the theory that 'what isn’t measured can’t be improved' and believes that the information provided by the VPP assisted him and his crew on making more accurate decisions on the race course.

'Everyone on the boat can see the data so we can all monitor how we are doing,' mentioned Ellis. 'It really opened my eyes as to what is available in terms of measuring wind conditions and boat performance.' He added, 'I can’t stress how important preparation is to achieving the best result. Good sails, good crew work, and good decisions are a vital part of the overall successful competitive racing package. US SAILING’s VPP provided all of the information we needed to make good decisions.' Ellis emphasized his theory on the economics of boat preparation for racing purposes by adding, 'I think that the important point is that you should buy the boat that you can afford to optimize, not the bigger boat that your ego says that you must have.'

Peter Rebovich and his crew on the Cal 40, Sinn Fein of Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, N.J., had a similar positive experience using US SAILING’s offshore polar programs. In June of 2008, Rebovich became just the second skipper in Newport to Bermuda Race history to win back-to-back St. David’s Lighthouse Trophies, the race’s top award; it was also Sinn Fein’s fourth consecutive Class 1 victory in the race. After the win, Rebovich expressed his satisfaction with US SAILING’s offshore polar programs, especially the Race Optimization Package. This new service, which supplements the VPP, makes it easier for owners and designers of offshore race boats to find the optimal configuration for any particular race. It allows an owner to run 'virtual' races with a fleet consisting of the owner’s boat, experimental variations of it, as well as competitors’ boats.

'US SAILING has greatly helped us enhance our boat’s performance,' explained Rebovich. 'You win races with proper preparation and there is no better way to prepare your course than by using US SAILING’s customized polar programs. I believe more boats will start using these programs to give them the best possible competitive edge.'

For more information on these programs, please contact Jim Teeters, US SAILING's Associate Offshore Director, phone at 401-683-0800 x662.