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large ocean yacht racing boats can go much faster than the wind: https://www.kqed.org/science/8503/how-do-these-boats-sail-faster-than-the-wind https://www.kqed

large ocean yacht racing boats can go much faster than the wind: https://www.kqed.org/science/8503/how-do-these-boats-sail-faster-than-the-wind https://www.kqed.org/science/8503/how-do-these-boats-sail-fa... Also this: "According to the World Ice Racing Circuit, ice boats can sail four to five times wind speed. In March 2009 a land sailboat reached 126 miles per hour on a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert" from: https://www.straightdope.com/21344013/how-can-racing-yachts-sail-faster-than-the-wind https://www.straightdope.com/21344013/how-can-racing-yachts-... I think I read somewhere that an ice sailboat did 143 mph.

paconbork 5y ago
The difference here is that the vehicle in the article is traveling parallel with the wind
- theli0nheart 5y ago
  I thought the video below provided a good explanation for why this works. The physics are similar to those of a single sailboat going faster than the wind. Imagine two sailboats on a cylindrical ocean on diagonal tacks, on opposite poles, and rotating around the core with rods connecting them to the core. Now you have a propeller. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQwgBAaBag&t=404s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQwgBAaBag&t=404s