MAINSAIL_ISSUE 9 FULL

Feature: Navigating the Future
PHOTOVOLTAIC SAILS ARE JUST AROUND THE
CORNER, AND THE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN TESTED
ON CONRAD COLEMAN’S VENDÉE GLOBE YACHT
FORESIGHT NATURAL ENERGY.
OneSails says its 4T Forte sail can be easily recycled because it has eliminated
Mylar film and glue. “The skin is vacuum cured in a heat-activated process
that fuses the components together. Every element in the structure contributes
to shape-holding,” says co-founder Peter Kay. North Sails is looking at a
technology to yield pure polyester from used Dacron sails to make new sails.
“Tests are under way,” says materials technology expert Bill Pearson. “The aim
is to return them to a polymer state at the same grade.”
She's electric
In the next ten years, electric propulsion will skyrocket. Although Li-ion cells
are 2.5 times more efficient than they were in 1995, available lithium-ion
designs are still only one-tenth as energy dense as fossil fuels, but new tech
is always emerging, such as lithium-air – theoretically 40 times better than
lithium-ion cells. Expect to see more yachts with a hybrid system blending
electric and diesel propulsion, like Black Pearl, which produces enough
electricity from her regenerating propeller to cover her entire hotel load under
sail.
Plain and simple sailing
Across the spectrum, manufacturers of everything from winches to electronics
are embracing simpler sailing. “And that means less deck gear,” says Thys
Nikkels at Dykstra. Matt Wiss, Harken’s director of global grand prix and
custom yacht sales, agrees: “There’s an overall trend for minimalism, driven
by an obsession with ease of use and eliminating weight. Look at the number
of winches and tracks in the deck layout of an 80ft IOR boat from 25 years
ago.” Alan Davis of B&G adds: “People often think ‘ease of use’ is ‘dumbed
down’, but that isn’t correct: the combination of a simplified user interface
with powerful back-end systems will provide the best of all worlds.” For
instance, always-on web connections on boats mean that weather data will
simply appear on your multifunction display. Systems will update themselves,
and remote servicing will become the norm. “B&G does this already on highend
racing yachts, such as the Volvo Ocean Race yachts,” he adds. MS
Creditline: Boat international/SY
Also new for North Sails this season was a moulded sail product called 3Di RAW 880, developed specifically for the TP52 fleet
North Sails is looking to encapsulate sensors in its moulded carbon 3Di sails to provide the helmsman and trimmers with more data about performance
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