"sail: lab" - A novel Package for Sailing Simulation, Scientific Visualization and E-Learning

sail:lab”, as an interdisciplinary project of mathematicians and sport scientists, uses the physical description of sailing to develop an E-Learning component, which can be integrated in Blended Learning scenarios in both departments. By calculating the forces and moments due to wind and current which act on sail, hull, rudder, and fin, the movement of a jolly-boat is visualized. A real time computation and a graphical user interface, which accomplishes the association of sailing instruments, enable an intuitive use, especially for sailing experienced users. So, “sail:lab” provides a theory practise transfer, offering the possibility of a deeper understanding of sailing physics for sport students. In the opposite this simulation process is a good example for practise – theory transfer in mathematics.