Sail Theory & Practice

[GordMay]

I’ve just discovered Arvel Gentry’s website.
Goto: http://www.arvelgentry.com/index.html

This may be the very best single compendium of sail handling and theoretical articles I’ve seen to date.

If you are interested in sailing aerodynamics and how your sails work, you have come to the right place. All of his sailing technical papers and magazine articles are archived on the Technical Papers and Magazine Articles pages.

Original versions of all of Arvel Gentry’s “SAIL Magazine” articles are included below, as well as other articles that appeared in Yachting, Sea and Pacific Motor Boat, and in Sailing World.
Goto: http://www.arvelgentry.com/magaz.htm

Including:

“How Sails Really Work” - by Arvel Gentry
The airflow diagrams in sailing books are wrong!
Goto: http://www.arvelgentry.com/magaz/How...eally_Work.pdf

And other SAIL Magazine Articles:
How_Sails_Really_Work, April 1973
Boundary Layer Flow and the Headsail, May 1973
How a Sail Gives Lift, June 1973
Another Look at Slot Effect, July 1973
More on the Slot Effect, August 1973
Why the Safe Leeward Works, September 1973
The Double Head Rig, October 1973
Checking Trim on the Wind, November 1973
Achieving Proper Balance, December 1973
Sailing to Windward, January 1974
Are You at Optimum Trim?, March 1974

And from Sailing World Magazine:
What Goes Around Comes Around, April 1991
Fluid Dynamics -- How Modern Science and Sailing Discovered Each Other, May 1995

And from Yachting Magazine:
Designer's Forum, Design of the Courageous Mast, February 1975
Sea and Pacific Motor Boat Magazine
Rigging and Handling the Spinnaker, April 1970
Downwind Tacking, February 1970

Sailing Technical Papers:
http://www.arvelgentry.com/techs.htm
Including
The Aerodynamics of Sail Interaction (383KB)
A Review of Modern Sail Theory (453KB)
The Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics to Sails (568KB)
Studies of Mast Section Aerodynamics (248KB)
Sailboat Performance Testing Techniques (0.98MB)

Hope you find this as interesting as I have,
Gord May

[sjs]

Well, as usual, it goes without saying ( but then why am I saying it?) that you are a source of a wealth of information and I, for one, appreciate the hell out of it.

[oldseaboy]

HI GordMay,
I too have had the occasional read of the Arvil Gentry articles on tuft placement. Today I went in for another look and every link now goes to a web site that registers domain names. I have been too lazy to save the articles myself, and I'm hoping you have.
If so, would you please send them to me, or, if you have a link to where I can still see them I'd be grateful.
thanks
Dave

[skipmac]

I did some searching on my own and found an article that said Gentry's articles were reprinted in The Best of Sail Trim. Dug out my old copy and see several articles by him in the book. Couldn't find anything on the net so this may be your best option. Found used copies on Amazon for under $5.00

[roverhi]

I tried your Arvil Gentry links and came up with expired website notice. Some domain name vulture has picked it up and is hawking cruises on it.

[Geoff54]

I have PDFs of most of his stuff. PM me with an email address if you want anything - I'm traveling a lot so I may be slow to respond.

Everything I have is 45+MB so let me know if you have attachment size limitations or if you just want something specific.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Geoff54

I have PDFs of most of his stuff. PM me with an email address if you want anything - I'm traveling a lot so I may be slow to respond.

Everything I have is 45+MB so let me know if you have attachment size limitations or if you just want something specific.

If you upload it to Drop box you can then make the URL public if you wish.

[chebba]

"If you upload it to Drop box you can then make the URL public if you wish."
Great idea!! thanks.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dave.

Arvel Gentry Articles
➥ Index of /Publications/Arvel Gentry Articles

WB Sails has a number of excellent Articles about Aerodynamics:
➥ WB-Sails - Aerodynamics

More tech articles listed here
➥ Sailboat Technology

[chris07732]

Thanks Gord.

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by roverhi

I tried your Arvil Gentry links and came up with expired website notice. Some domain name vulture has picked it up and is hawking cruises on it.

I had the same problem...

[Geoff54]

Maybe I can help further.

Originally Posted by avb3

If you upload it to Drop box you can then make the URL public if you wish.

I don't want to do this. I have my reasons but I'm not interested in debating them here so I'll say no more.... BUT......

I had a thought which panned out. Wayback Machine has archived the original site - some of the links no longer work but the basics are all there.

ArvelGentry.com

As the web is transient, I suggest you save anything you want to keep

[oldseaboy]

Thanks Geoff54, I was particularly interested in a commentary on Arvil Gentry's articles which appeared in "Sail" magazine (I think) specifically about the location and reading of telltales (tufts) .
As I said earlier, I'm basically lazy and don't remember who wrote it but I think it was the one quoted by GordMay "how sails really work". oldseaboy@gmail.com
thanks for taking an interest

[GordMay]

"How Sails Really Work" is included in the articles to which I previously linked
Here ➥ Index of /Publications/Arvel Gentry Articles

How Sails Really Work ➥ http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Publicati...eally_Work.pdf

[oldseaboy]

Thanks again, I've been away.
When I open the file "how sails really work" on your list my computer tells me the file is damaged and cannot be repaired. The other files open fine.
Any chance you could try again?
Dave