Czesław Marchaj

Czesław Antony Marchaj (born in Słomniki, Poland, on July 9, 1918), often known in the West as C.A. Marchaj or Tony Marchaj, is a Polish yachtsman and professor whose published scientific studies of the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of sailing boats has been hugely influential on yacht, sail and rig designers. Author of a classic work "Sailing Theory and Practice" and approximately 60 other publications on sailing. A member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (RINA), awarded the Silver Medal of The International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

Early life and education

His original youth interest and professional career choice was aviation, with emphasis on gliding. After studying at the State Academy of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Warsaw, he joined the Warsaw University of Technology. Led wind tunnel testing of combat airplanes. During the German and Soviet occupation of Poland during World War II soldier of the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa). Also, during the war years, Czesław Marchaj studied philosophy (clandestinely, as higher education was suppressed by occupation authorities) under Władysław Tatarkiewicz.

In the postwar years his interest had turned towards sailing. This resulted (in 1949) in a sentence in a politically motivated process to a prison term under false charges of espionage and "trying to escape to the West" and subsequent long term harassment.

Career

In 1953, drawing on his professional background in aerodynamics, Czeslaw Marchaj designed modifications (within class rules) to his Finn class racing boat and subsequently sailed it to a surprising win in a multiday Warsaw-Gdańsk river regatta. Asked by the Warsaw sailing clubs community about his race performance, he prepared and presented a series of lectures on sail aerodynamics during 1953/54 winter off-season. These lectures had been edited into the first version of the book "Sailing Theory and Practice". This work had been well received and published in Poland and abroad.

On the strength of "Sailing Theory...", in 1969, Czesław Marchaj was granted a two-year scholarship by the University of Southampton. In 1970 he decided to live in United Kingdom (which was considered defection by Polish authorities and resulted in a long term separation from his family which was barred from leaving Poland to join him). In the years 1969-1990 Czesław Marchaj continued research at University of Southampton and was a visiting lecturer at multiple top ranking academic institutions. At University of Southampton he pioneered wind tunnel testing of (scaled) sailing ships His work included books "Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing" (1979), "Seaworthiness: The Forgotten Factor" (1986) and "Sail Performance: Techniques to Maximize Sail Power" (1996). In 1977, after many boats were sunk with a loss of life in the Admirals Cup regatta, Czesław Marchaj was commissioned to investigate the problem of dynamic instability of yachts in foul weather. He was also involved in the America Cup competition bid preparations for the British team.

Later life

In the nineties Czesław Marchaj moved to a rural retreat in France.

His books contain a rigorious theoretical and experimental approach to issues in design and operation of sailing vessels, resulting in detailed analysis, confirmation or debunking of many previously assumed facts in sailing practice.