The Netherlands Ship Model Basin (NSMB), now called the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), was given the order to carry out the evaluation of different designs, by means of model tests, by a letter signed by Warren Jones, dated 17th March 1981, see the attached document.

On 26th March 1981 we organized a meeting with Professor J. Gerritsma and staff of the Delft University of Technology to discuss the best towing arrangement for large models (on a scale of 1 to 3). For the envisioned project we wanted to look into possibly better towing techniques than what had been used up to then. The minutes of this meeting are in Dutch see the attached document, and describe the 2 methods that were discussed.

The first of these is similar to that adopted in the towing tank in Delft and in many other tanks. The second, allowing for a towing method from the approximate position of the centre of the aerodynamic force in the sails by use of a tow-mast, was also discussed. In the minutes of the meeting this is described as the Canadian method because this method had been developed by the National Research Council of Canada.

It was the latter method that was adopted and further refined by instrumentation specialists at MARIN. The towing apparatus was ready when the first tests started on 1st May 1981. Ben Lexcen wasn't at MARIN until 28th April 1981.

This method was used for all subsequent sailing yacht model tests, up to 1989 when Peter van Oossanen left MARIN. Ben Lexcen was not in the least asociated with the design or development of this towing technique as has been reported in various media recently.

The head of the MARIN instrumentation department Mr. C. Gommers and Peter van Oossanen presented a paper on this towing method at the American Towing Tank Conference in Hoboken, New Jersey, 2-4 August 1983, see the attached document.

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