On the road to establishing ventilation probability for Moth sailing dinghies

Ventilated cavity formation mechanisms are investigated for a surface piercing T-foil. Theoretical and experimental data were reviewed, identifying the most probable development process of cavity inception. A numerical analysis was then conducted for a surface-piercing International Moth T-foil over a range of realistic operating conditions using a commercial RANS code. This enabled an identification of the particular sailing conditions of increased ventilation probability. The analysis results are presented as a series of polar plots indicating the ventilation inception potential of a T-foil at a given wind speed over a full spectrum of true wind angles.