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12/01/2025 3:47 pm  #1


Target TWA, Target BPS, VMG and Polar Targets

I'm doing some analysis of a race we did in October and have some questions about the target and polar metrics output to the Expedition log file.  The first leg of our race was downwind and we were sailing to optimize VMG.  When Analyzing the log files, I noticed the following, which I'm hoping someone can explain to me:

1. VMG was always output to the log files as a negative number whereas VMC was output as positive.  Why would VMG be negative. We were definitely heading toward the mark and had the next mark selected in the routing window, so this can't mean we were heading in the wrong direction.

2. Target TWA was always output to the log as a positive number no matter which tack we were on.  This may be a function of the polar file in that there is only one polar for both tacks. Could I fix this by having a PolP and a PolS where the TWAs in PolP are negative? When comparing the the actual TWA, should I just take the absolute value of the actual TWA to compare how far off of the target TWA we were?

3. When sailing VMC, I understand we should be using the Polar BSP, Polar TWS, etc. I hadn't selected to output these to the log file (which was unfortunate) but I have now set them to output in the log settings.  There doesn't seem to be a value to output for polar TWA, though.  Have a missed a setting?

 

12/01/2025 5:40 pm  #2


Re: Target TWA, Target BPS, VMG and Polar Targets

In this case, VMG is negative as you are downwind - VMG has nothing to do with the mark.

Target TWA is positive in Exp. We could have a different polars for starboard and port, but generally we just use symmetrical polars.

Polar TWA and TWS don't mean anything - they would be the current sailing TWA & TWS. 

 

12/01/2025 5:52 pm  #3


Re: Target TWA, Target BPS, VMG and Polar Targets

Thanks Nick, that makes sense.  What about Pol BSP? Is that the boat speed that the polars say you should be doing at the current TWA and TWS?

     Thread Starter
 

12/01/2025 6:30 pm  #4


Re: Target TWA, Target BPS, VMG and Polar Targets

Yes, that is correct. Similarly, Polar bsp % is the ratio of your actual bsp to that.

 

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