Assessment of upwind dinghy sailing performance using a virtual reality dinghy sailing simulator

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1440-2440(98)80014-5Get rights and content

The ability of fourteen competitive helmsmen of different skill levels to sail a standard course towards the wind (upwind) was assessed using a virtual reality sailing simulator. The simulator consisted of a Laser dinghy deck which pivoted between two supports and was dynamically controlled by a computer driven pneumatic ram. Computer generated graphics realistically reproduced helming, sheeting, tacking and boat trim. After familiarisation with the simulator, subjects performed a standard 1km upwind test and were ranked according to their completion time. The subjects were then asked to fill out a questionnaire to obtain an estimate of how effectively the simulator reproduced the conditions of actual sailing. Mean scores showed the sailors considered overall feel and simulation of physical movement as “good” (5 on a scale of 1 to 6).

Rankings for the upwind test were compared with independent competition rankings for each subject. Overall time to complete the upwind test correlated well with a subject's external ranking (Spearman's rank order r=0.99). The results indicate that the test used can differentiate between variations in upwind sailing performance over a wide range of ability. The simulator thus provides for the first time a method of measuring and analysing a sailor's performance in a controlled laboratory setting.

References (14)

  • BertrandL

    Australian Yachting Federation elite training program - sports science quadrennial plan 1993–1996

    (1993)
  • BlackburnM

    Physiological responses to 90 minutes of simulated dinghy sailing

    Journal of Sports Sciences

    (1994)
  • BurstynP.G. et al.

    Laboratory simulation and the demands of single-handed dinghy racing

    Journal of Physiology

    (1988)
  • Gale, T.J., Walls, J.T., & Saunders, N.R. Development of a sailing dinghy simulator. Simulation, submitted...
  • GalozziC. et al.

    The energetic cost of sailing

    Medical Science Research

    (1993)
  • McArdleW.D. et al.

    Exercise physiology energy, nutrition and human performance

    (1994)
  • McLoughlinE. et al.

    The effects of dietary manipulation on physiological responses to a 30 minute sailing task

    Medical Science Research

    (1993)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (21)

  • Profiling of cybersickness and balance disturbance induced by virtual ship motion immersion combined with galvanic vestibular stimulation

    2021, Applied Ergonomics
    Citation Excerpt :

    Previous studies have demonstrated temporal changes of cybersickness in subjects receiving intermittent or continuous exposure to flight, drive and treadmill virtual environments, and have confirmed development of cybersickness habituation after repeated stimulation or even during a relatively short exposure (Braithwaite and Braithwaite, 1990; Domeyer et al., 2013; Sinitski et al., 2018). However, detailed description of habituation process of cybersickness evoked by VSM is still absent (Manzanares et al., 2015; Recio et al., 2013; Walls et al., 1998). In the present study, we tried to investigate the combined effects of sinusoidal GVS and VSM immersion on cybersickness and postural control.

  • Perceptual-cognitive expertise in sport: Some considerations when applying the expert performance approach

    2005, Human Movement Science
    Citation Excerpt :

    Data gloves and other such devices may further heighten the fidelity of the simulation. Unfortunately, few within the domains of sport and movement science have embraced the potential benefits of using virtual reality technology to simulate the performance setting in this manner (for exceptions, see Dessing, Peper, & Beek, 2004; Walls, Bertrand, Gale, & Saunders, 1998). The disadvantages associated with increased financial cost and reduced image quality when compared with video have generally outweighed the potential benefits that may be associated with three dimensional viewing environments and the ability to interact with objects and others in a virtual recreation of the performance setting (see Ward, Williams, & Hancock, in press).

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text