This course was set by Jin and Marikka last night, and is being shown for the first time today. In other words, no one has run this course before.
The Dolphin will run this course to provide a reference for the participants.
Since the Dolphin will be timed, it will be a model run in a sense, and its time will be the standard or target time.
The audience stared at the screen with bated breath.
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At the same time as the announcement was made, the Dolphin started furiously.
A voice shouted, "Oh!
The Dolphin is now speeding down the first straight line with a white wake behind it. The first straight line is about 5 kilometers long. Naturally, this is a test of the ship's capabilities.
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The speed of a boat race in Japan is said to be 80 to 90 kilometers per hour, which is about the same as the speed of the Dolphin.
But the Dolphin is not at full power yet.
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The noise turns into cheers.
Boat racing boats are small, so going 100 kilometers per hour is considered dangerous, but the Dolphin is 9 meters long and has a trimaran, so it's a little more stable.
Hydroplaning was not possible with the Cygnus, which is driven by a water wheel.
Incidentally, hydroplaning is a phenomenon in which a car floats on a wet road surface at high speed because the tire grooves are not able to expel water.
The Dolphin is running at a very high speed while touching the sea surface at three points.
It is mirrored by an airship floating in the sky above.
This airship, built by Marikka, boasts a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour. It can easily keep up with the speed of the Dolphin.
Within three minutes, the first corner arrives. From a straight line, the Dolphin suddenly turns right at a right angle. The radius of the corner is 20R (20 meters), which is quite tight.
The Dolphin slows down before the corner because it cannot make the turn while maintaining its maximum speed.
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This is a comparison with a boat race. In a boat race, the Dolphin makes a turn at almost the maximum speed.
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"You've slowed down a lot!"
Jin, who was watching the screen, muttered.
"Father, I think you must be afraid of human body if you are not used to it, don't you?
Reiko's comment was unusually sharp.
"That's true. And Edith is a fifteen year old girl."
Jin agreed that even if she was an active ...... tomboy, she would still be afraid of scary things.
"And the boat is set up mildly."
"That's right."
* * *
The Dolphin opened its side thrusters to full throttle.
The floating hull is now at an angle to the direction of travel. Naturally, the propulsor force is also at an angle, creating what is called <>, a force that points inward at the corners.
According to the laws of dynamics, the Dolphin changes course in the direction of the combined inertial force and centripetal force.
<>! >>
The crowd cheered loudly.
After the right-angled curve, the high-speed course made a large arc. The radius of the arc changes slightly, so you can imagine that if you are too preoccupied with the speed, you will end up going off the course.
The Dolphin can make this turn at top speed, but it may be a little difficult if the ship is not stable.
The circular motion at 120 km/h will create a large centrifugal force, which will cause the ship to lose its attitude.
Since the centrifugal force is applied to the ship's center of gravity, if the center of gravity is above the water surface, the ship will lean outward.
Since a ship sailing at high speed is floating, its center of gravity is definitely above the water.
Jin took this into consideration and, through several trials and errors, determined the position and angle of the side thrusters.
Of course, since the test cruise was conducted by Reiko, the experiment was conducted at the maximum speed without any hesitation.
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After turning the 500R, the course is a straight line back to the island.
And waiting for us before the island is a hairpin curve. The radius is 30 meters.
"Oh!"
The crowd cheers.
Edith had slowed down a bit, but she made the turn much faster than in the first corner.
"I guess I'm getting used to it.
Jin mutters to himself.
After taking the straight line again, the course entered the technical area.
The course is a series of 10R zigzag curves.
The direction changes rapidly from right to left. Those who are not accustomed to this course may get intoxicated, but Edith is not worried about that, since it is the Golems who are actually competing in the race.
Then, after passing through an area that combines short straights and right-angle curves, it becomes a straight line again toward the island .......
The goal is reached as soon as you make a 180-degree turn near the shore.
Each lap is approximately 36 kilometers. At an average speed of 100 km/h, it takes less than 22 minutes.
<>
"Not bad, I guess."
Jin seems to be satisfied.
When Reiko tested the course last night after setting it up, she got 19 minutes flat. She averaged about 113 km/h.
That's a good enough time for Edith, who is a human being.
In the race, she is supposed to run two laps around this course.
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An announcement is made and the 10 boats are lined up at their starting positions.
"Good luck, everyone!"
As for Jin, he could not favor anyone.
However, he is a little concerned about the youngest one, Rubina.
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In front of the 10 boats, red ropes are lowered from the airships. They will be pulled up at the start of the race.
"How do you see this race, Mr. Jin?
Trihardt, sitting beside me, asked.
"Well, ....... Everyone seems to have come up with their own ideas, so it will be hard to predict, but I'll be keeping an eye on ......7 and 10."
As for Jin, he said he would be interested in seeing how well the new attempts were brought up to a practical level.