n.

45 - Spring 2015 - Euro 8,00 - US $ 16,50 - £ 7,30

international
DOUBLE ISSUE

WITH:
Design

TECHNICAL
DSS A MOBILE FOIL
THAT COUNTERACTS HEEL
ART
VAN GOGH

ROYAL HUISMAN WISP

ADMIRAL MAXIMA 47 ENTOURAGE
DL YACHTS DREAMLINE 26 M
FERRETTI CUSTOM LINE NAVETTA 28
PRINCESS 40 M SOLARIS

3
 FROM RACING TO
technical
CRUISING YACHTS:
A MOBILE FOIL THAT
by Andrea Mancini
COUNTERACTS HEEL

The Dynamic Stability System is simply an im- Fig.1 Keeping the boat
upright, the purpose
mersed horizontal foil that protrudes from the
of a canting keel, bal-
side of the hull, to leeward, that contains heel last, and also the DSS,
caused by wind pressure. Even if born to in- means being able to ex-
ploit wind speed to the
crease the performance of racing boats, it’s a full and be faster. As
very simple device to use that can be applied to everyone knows, when
a sailboat heels effec-
all manner of sailboats, large or small that they
tive sail area is reduced
might be. with the result that
part of the propulsive
force (FLAT) unloads The well-known British racing yacht designer Hugh Welboum, who has designed boats for
downward, becoming a the America’s Cup as well, started developing the idea 10 years ago, refining it over time
vertical force (FZ) that
through research and testing using radio controlled models in open waters as well as in tank
pushes the boat down
into the water. This in-
tests, and with the aid of algorithms. But the idea only really took off in 2004 when prototype
creases leeway and DSS started being fitted to small racers, thanks also to Gordon Kay, a top class skipper and
reduces speed as the project manager who be-
shape of the hull makes came Welbourn’s sales part-
a heeled boat less ef-
A modern sailing superyacht certainly needs to be beau- ner. They started by putting
ficient. The result is
tiful, comfortable and functional, exclusive, easy to handle greatly reduced perfor-
a foil just on one side of a
- features which are a must when one’s spending a few mance. small 23 footer, so that they
million dollars or euro for a sailboat. But, when you spend could study the effect of the
that kind of money, you’re also entitled to expect some foil on the starboard tack and
great performance that however does not impair any of compare it to performance
the features listed above. That means working on hull de- without on the port tack, so
sign, the sails, but not only! A device has come onto the being able to immediately
market in recent years, that is both simple and clever, as assess whether the theory
it makes it possible to improve a sailboat’s performance stood up. Since then, a lot has
without the complications of those delicate and problem- been done, including patent-
atic systems that are canting keels, and ballast, which have ing the DSS so as to protect
been till today the only alternative available to those want- the idea, then setting up a
ing to improve stability, and hence performance. This new company, called Infiniti Yacht,
system is the DSS, acronym for Dynamic Stability System, a in 2010, for the purpose of
system that’s revealing itself to be a true revolution for the building high performance
world of sailing. What exactly is a DSS? It’s quite simply an yachts equipped with DSS.
immersed side foil that protrudes from the hull on the lee- This because a number of
ward side and generates lift capable of righting the boat in big yards, such as Wally and
a way that is directly proportional to its speed. The system Nautor, had shown interest
improves performance in terms of speed but not only. Said but without anything con-
like that it all sounds very simple but, obviously, one thing’s crete coming of it, accord-
the theory and another is the practice… ing to Stefano Gerardi, a
pro’ sailor and one of Infiniti
Yacht’s partners.
And so, after having tried out a number of prototypes on existing boats, today Infiniti Yachts
offers a range of Hugh Welbourn designed sailboats that are specifically built to best exploit
the DSS system. The Infiniti range are all top performance yachts recognisable for their min-
imalist and super modern design, the first of which, the Infiniti 36GT “Foiled!”, is getting itself
noted on race courses the world over thanks to the amazing speeds it’s capable of, which
74 allow it to compete with yachts that are designed to be top class racers. And this without 75 any

technical
Fig. 2 The mechanism that
makes the DSS move in
and out of its box, set
horizontally under the
floorboards. Also on large
yachts, the foil is moved
with a system of blocks
and tackle similar to those
used to adjust the seat on
racing canoes.
76
From racing to cruising yachts:
A mobile foil that counteracts heel
of the complications typical of canting keels and ballasts, all systems that ensure performance
by simply keeping a boat more upright (figure 1).
But DSS is not just for small boats. As said, it can be fitted to boats that are considerably larger Dynamic Stability System and Wild Oats
than a 36 footer with surprising results, as shown with Wild Oats IX, the 100 footer that was XI: a sure success!
fitted with DSS in 2013 so that it could carry on winning, indeed dominating, having in the last
10 years notched up 9 wins at the Sydney to Hobart Race, the 600 mile blue-water race that Wild Oats IX is a 100 footer that has become a legend: In
has been enthralling Australian and other international sailors for 70 years. December 28th 2014, for the ninth time in the last ten
years, it took line honours at Sydney to Hobar t Race, the
How the Dynamic Stability System works 600 mile offshore race that has for 70 years enthralled
We will now try and understand what a DSS foil is and how it works. As Stefano Gerardi, Australian sailors and not only.
someone who really does understand sailboats, points out, “the DSS system really is a simple And this also thanks to the addition of a DSS (acronym
solution because, without too many complications, it makes it possible to exploit a force that for Dynamic Stability System) fitted to Wild Oats XI for
nature gives us for free”. The DSS foil is placed in a horizontal box set transversely under the the last two editions. The carbon fibre DSS foil on Wild
floor boards. In light air the foil is obviously left in but as the boat speeds up it’s pushed out Oats XI is 55 centimetres wide and when fully extended
on the leeward side. Also on big boats the mechanism used to slide the foil in and out on protrudes 2.75 metres to leeward (figure box 1a).
runners uses blocks and tackle, like with an oarsman’s seat on a canoe (figure 2). Should it But a DSS is only the last ‘weapon’ to have been fitted to
happen to collide with anything floating in the water, the foil simply bends towards the stern; Wild Oats XI, a pure racing machine that has already been
should the load become too great it will break before damaging the hull. As said, as wind in- fitted with every possible underwater addition that can Above, Wild Oats XI’s hull with all its high-tech go-faster
creases and the boat starts to heel, the foil, which is opportunely angled, is slid out of the hull improve performance, as can be seen in in the illustration kit. Starting forward, it has a retractable bow canard,
to leeward and generates lift, exactly like the wing of a plane. In addition to the lift, there is also (figure box 1b). And what of its impressive set of figures: a vertically positioned foil that helps performance to
windward in light airs. At the centre it has two dag-
the leverage effect caused by the fact that the fin protrudes quite a distance out of the hull 30 metres long but only 5 wide, it draws an incredible 6
ger boards and, just aft of that, a canting keel with
and thus also acts as a lever, adding its own righting motion (lift + leverage) and so increasing metres or nearly. And, of course, it’s super light, displacing a a bulb with winglets. The DSS retractable foil is also
the righting effect, as shown in (figure 3). Furthermore, as everyone knows, lift is a function of mere32 tons, of which almost half is ballast, set against 900 visible amidships. The single rudder, a sharp blade,
speed (hence the use of the term dynamic in the name), thus, as wind speed increases and m2 of sail area, which almost doubles with the spinnaker. completes the yacht’s underwater trappings.
the boat accelerates so does the lift, making the boat stay upright, and so exploiting to the full
the thrust provided by the wind. In practice, the DSS does the
same job that a crew on a small dinghy does when they shift
Fig. 3 On the right, to windward, using their weight to hold the boat upright and drag (figures 5 and 6). In other words, a boat equipped with DSS will remain substantially
How the DSS works: thus use the wind to best effect (figure 4). On the other hand, upright and raise itself slightly out of the water thereby improving performance thanks to
Figure A, on the left, a sailboat without DSS will heel more and more as the wind a reduction in overall drag, a reduction that is far greater than the drag caused by the foil
shows how the foil increases, as the righting effect is only provided by the boat’s itself.
has no effect when
fully retracted and
intrinsic stability, in other words basically the weight of the keel The graph shows the performance of the 100 footer Infiniti 100 with and without DSS. It
the boat is station- and the shape of the hull.The result will be that as wind increas- shows how off the wind the system can improve speed as much as 30 to 40% whilst when
ary or moving slowly. es and the boat heels, there will be a reduction in the amount going to windward the system is less effective. When sailing downwind in light air, the foil
Figure B, in the mid- of sail that works effectively until such point as the boat finds has no effect and is thus kept stowed. Looking instead at performance to windward, when
dle, shows how the its equilibrium between the righting effect of its keel and hull boat speed (and hence lift) is less, the drag it produces can make the DSS less effective, but
foil continues to
have no effect also
shape and the force of the wind. there is significant improvement in VMG (Velocity Made Good is the actual speed at which
when the boat be- But the DSS foil doesn’t just right the boat, as speed increases you get closer to where you want to go when a direct course is impossible, as is usually the
gins to heel under the increased lift will be so strong as to raise the boat out of case when going to windward) , of up to 10 and even 15%. This because the boat points
sail. As for any oth- the water enough to reduce wetted area slightly and so reduce up better and, above all, shows greater stability in the presence of waves, which means less
er sailboat, stability
is in this case funda- FIG. 4 above, the DSS
mentally given by the has the same effect as
keel and hull shape. the crew of a dinghy when
Figure C, on the they lean out to windward
right, shows the foil to counteract the heel-
at work on the lee- ing thrust of the wind, so
ward side. In these keeping the boat upright
conditions the foil and better exploiting the
generates lift that wind.
produces a righting
motion (lift x lever-
age) that adds to
the righting motion.
Fig. 5 and 6 - The Infiniti 36GT under sail with its Dynamic Stability System extended
to leeward (Figure 7 on left). Looking at the boat from the windward side (Figure 8
on right) you can clearly see how much the hull has risen out of the water thanks to
the lifting effect of the foil. 77
 From racing to cruising yachts:
technical A mobile foil that counteracts heel
slowing down and more constant speed. The reason for this is that such a large and extend- stability, with improved performance as the wind gets stronger (better VMG). Off the wind,
ed foil dampens all vertical motion and also reduces pitching and yawing. This improves the in moderate winds, stability in significantly improved and there will be less heel and resist-
stability of air flow over the sails and the appendices that increase the boat’s efficiency, but ance. With the wind astern one instead has greater stability and greater safety, so jibing will
not only. The damping effect makes the boat easier to steer and, ob- be easier and safer.
viously, makes for a far more comfortable ride, giving the impression - with stronger winds, 20 knots
of being on a far larger and more stable yacht. And this is the sort and over, when going to wind-
of added bonus that the cruising yachtsmen could well appreciate, ward the benefits remain the
as it’s comfort more than speed that they seek. Indeed, as Stefano same, whereas off the wind speed
Gerardi points out, “the DSS system is so simple that, unlike similar will greatly increase thanks to the
systems based on canting keels and movable ballast, it can be used foil’s increased dynamic effect.
by one and all. And it is in any case something you can choose Stability will also improve down-
to use or not as it works in synergy with the traditional keel that wind. Furthermore, jibing will be
is still there to do its much safer as the foil can be first
job. And if by mistake moved to the other side so im-
Fig. A - The DSS has been developed you push the foil out proving stability on the side we
and refined through lengthy R&D
the wrong side, to want to jibe towards.
and experiments on models, both
with computer modelling and tank windward, no harm What are the disadvantages?
tests. done, as it simply has If you use the foil when speed’s
no effect at all”. too low, say 6 knots, you could
In a nutshell this is an end up with more drag than lift.
ideal system with which also to improve the performance of cruis- But this is in effect simply a case
ing yachts in complete safety and great simplicity, given also that of using the system wrongly.
the system has no impact to speak off on the inside of a yacht, the Is it possible to quantify these
whole thing being under the floor boards, where it does not occupy benefits and draw a comparison
usable space. But does the gain in performance justify retrofitting a with other boats?
DSS to an existing yacht? Construction problems aside, which need Although it is possible to quan-
to be looked at case for case, from a hydrodynamic point of view tify the increase in stability and
the DSS system improves performance on any boat, also existing the reduction in resistance, you
ones. But for sure, a purpose designed hull, as is the case with the Infiniti range, will mean can’t draw any kind of compar-
that you’re exploiting the system’s potential to the full. ison with a given yacht because
So what can the future of this system be? Potentially it’s an idea that could be revolutionary with DSS the entire boat will be
in the traditionally minded world of sailing, where it’s not always the case that good ideas different. For example, the Infin-
make headway, at least not right away, and where the big players who cannot come up ity 36 is something like a 1000
with such an explosive innovation of their own will tend, as they’re already starting to do, kg lighter than similar racers and
to defend their own market. So as to learn something more and have the latest update on behaves completely differently. It’s
the development and application of the DSS system, we decided to quiz Gordon Kay, the difficult to quantify improved per-
man who has developed the DSS and one of the partners of Infiniti Yacht. formance when the differences
Are the benefits of the DSS the same whatever the wind speed and a boat’s heading? No. are so great.
the benefits vary with wind speed and direction. The simplest way of explaining such dif- The DSS stops a boat from heel-
ferences is as follows: ing much like a canting keel or
- in light air a DSS equipped boat will perform better all-round, as it’ll be lighter than a ballast. What are the advantages
similar boat. And so less weight means less resistance to forward motion. and disadvantages compared to
- when sailing to windward in moderate winds the benefits are: less pitch, less heel, greater these systems?

Fig. C on the left, The Infiniti

36GT “Foiled!”, the first ever pur-
pose built yacht for the Dynamic
Stability System that is currently
Fig. B - A model fit-
drawing lots of attention on the
ted with DSS under-
race circuits for its impressive
going tank tests at the
performance, that allows it to
Wolfson Unit MTIA at
compete on an even field with far
the University of Sou-
racier yachts.
thampton
Fig. D, The Infinity 60, a yacht
specifically designed for the DSS.
Construction may well start with-
78 in the year.

technical
The graph shows what
speeds the Infiniti 100
can reach with a 16 knot
wind at various headings
with and without using the
DSS. If off the wind the
DSS can improve perfor-
mance as much as 30,
40%. To windward the
DSS is less advantageous
due to the lower speeds at
which the boat progress-
es, hence reducing lift and
with greater drag. How-
ever, the angle at which a
boat can sail to windward
is improved and stability
on waves is also better,
which means less slowing
effect produced by waves
and thus more constant
speed. All this greatly
improves VMG (Velocity
Made Good, the speed at
which you head for a place
you can’t go to on a direct
course, as is mostly the
case when going to wind-
ward).
Fig. E Close to starting
construction, the Infiniti
100S, is a 30 metre
yacht designed specif-
ically for the Dynam-
ic Stability System,
showing how this
technology can be
used on big boats.
80
From racing to cruising yachts:
A mobile foil that counteracts heel
When it functions optimally the DSS has a greater righting effect than a canting keel. And
also, unlike a canting keel, should there be problems, like a malfunction of the system, there
are absolutely no negative consequences, like for example the boat capsizing. Furthermore
there is less risk than with a canting keel should you manoeuvre incorrectly, like an acciden-
tal jibe when the keel is on the wrong side. And what’s more, the DSS doesn’t need the
heavy and complex mechanisms needed to move a keel under load. Should the DSS give
problems one simply carries on sailing, even in regattas, whereas with a canting keel failure
this would be impossible, you’d just have to stop; the DSS reduces hydrodynamic resistance
whilst a canting keel does not; the whole of a DSS’s mechanism occupies a very small vol-
ume under the floorboards in the middle of the boat, whilst the one for a canting keel takes
up a lot more room; the DSS improves comfort, whilst a canting keel will not reduce pitch;
the DSS is easy to use, whilst a canting keel is far more difficult and dangerous (a boat can
suddenly heel to windward and disorient the crew). In other words, unlike a
canting keel, the DSS is for one and all. And the same can be said for water
ballast that adds weight, takes up space inside and makes accidental tacks and
jibes even more dangerous, when all the water is on the wrong side of the
boat.
Boats fitted with DSS have already raced, with what result?
Victory in its class at the Bol d’Or, the prestigious regatta on Lake Léman, for
“Quant ‘28”; “Brace! Brace!! Brace!!!”, a 25 foot custom, has won in Australia
and Hong Kong; an Infiniti 36, “Foiled!”, came third in the Palermo to Monte
Carlo and second at the Grimaldi trophy with the ORC rating system. It’s
here important to point out that the rating of our Infiniti 36 is very high due
to certain of the boat’s characteristics, that have nothing to do with the pres-
ence of the DSS. And of course there are Wild Oats IX’s wins at the Sydney
to Hobart Race.
At least in theory it’s possible to retrofit a DSS on an existing yacht, but
would you recommend it on your best friend’s boat?
It depends on the boat. We’ve had some positive results with existing boats but there’s no
doubt that we’ve had the best results with purpose designed new boats.
To date the biggest purpose built boat for the DSS is the Infinity 36. What does the future
hold in store? What boats with DSS are there in the pipeline?
As one can imagine the projects that turn into something concrete are for the moment
linked to the world of racing. It is no chance that there’s a new Infinity 46R being built in
Istanbul, whilst we’re hoping to start building the new Infinity 60 for the IMOCA inside this
year. Indeed, last October the IMOCA 60 class assembly decided to include the possibility
of the DSS in their regulations. It’s thus reasonable to assume that in future all IMOCA 60
class boats will have DSS. But there are also less extreme projects, like the Infinity 100S, a
100 footer that already came close to being built last year, and also a new 110 footer that
we’re currently working on.
For further information: - www.infinitiyachts.com - www.dynamicstabilitysystems.com