Sailing by machine learning

[Davidasailor26]

Alex Thompson described some pretty cool technology in his latest video returning from his Vendee Globe campaign -

I had wondered before if machine learning could be applied to all the data from racing sailboats to predict max speeds and help trimming and tuning. Very interesting to hear him talk about that happening. But then his mention of maybe being able to bring that technology onto the boats and making real-time adjustments based on it got me thinking in a different direction. How long until the sailor becomes just a passenger, autonomously chauffeured around by his self-routing, optimally trimmed yacht? I’m very much on the non-Luddite side of the spectrum, but I don’t know if I care for that idea for the sport.

On the other hand I’m sure it’s very far from being that autonomous - we have weather routing programs now and still see large deviations in courses based on human interpretation; we have computer aided modeling and simulation but still see all kinds of different designs for the “fastest” yachts.

How do others feel about the possibility of having more real-time optimization than just pre-computed polars and tuning parameters?

 

[markwbird]

Already happening with power winches, etc tied into computer with wind vane, knotmeter. Boat can learn optimal trim.

 

[jon hansen]

we all are doing the machines. GPS, radios, auto pilots, diesels, compass, lightbulbs, propane, tablets, batteries, toilets, ........

 

[jssailem]

I feel more akin with the Neo-Luddism side of sailing. It was machinery that ship wrecked the great cutters who plied the seas trading goods with the Far East.

Aboard the Americas Cup boats, over the past 10 years, the crew that have become the most important are the grinders. They provide power to trim the sails, trim the wings, etc.

Before long all the machines will need humans for is to serve as batteries. Think The Matrix.

 

[dlochner]

Sailing has always been about data management and interpretation. What's changed is the precision of some data and the volume of data that can be collected.

Instead feeling the wind on the back of your neck, or estimating speed and leeway by looking at your wake, the gps and tracking software does that for you.

Top racers have always varied the tuning on their rig to suit the conditions and they record different rig tensions, conditions, and how they sailed. Over time they did the same things as the fancy more precise tension gauges do on the current crop of elite race boats.

The data is the same, it is just recorded and managed differently. While the skippers job is still managing data, the skipper has to verify and confirm the recommendations from the instruments and anticipate changes and respond to them.

 

[jssailem]

At the point sensory perception becomes sensory overload the brain shuts down and the machine takes over.

A loss of fun occurs. It becomes work. Yuck.

 

[PaulK]

Part of the joy of sailing is that you - YOU - get to pick how much technology you want. Do you just want to feel the wind on your cheek (or wetted finger) and trim accordingly? Or do you want to watch the sails until they start to luff, and ease off your heading until they're full? Maybe you want telltales on the jib luff. And on the main leech, to better indicate airflow. Perhaps you tie some wool to the shrouds because your beard keeps your cheeks from sensing the wind precisely. Or some cassette tape (if you can find it!). More of that at the masthead, or perhaps a Windex instead? That can be hard to see if you're sailing at night, so perhaps an electronic wind indicator with a backlit dial would be handy. It's also nice to know where you are and how fast you're going. Listening to the bow wave's chortle is good, along with taking bearings on various points, but when current gets involved it helps to know speed over ground, to make sure you're moving in the right direction. So a log and speedometer might be useful. Even then, knowing where you are is as important as going fast, so you can make sure you're going in the right direction. Bearings work, but at sea, maybe you need a sextant and tables. (Not everyone can circumnavigate with no instruments like Marvin Creamer Marvin Creamer, a Mariner Who Sailed Like the Ancients, Dies at 104 ). A GPS might be handy, since there's probably one in your phone already. You can find depth with a boathook, a sounding lead, or a depth sounder.
You can go for the max in technology and integrate your vessel's polars into your desired course with wind and sea conditions and compute the optimal heading that your autopilot will steer. Or not. Your pick.