
Issue #: 186
Published: November / December 2022
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You may remember it as a twin-rig catamaran with chined hulls a bit like seaplane floats. Although the boat didn’t last long in the face of the diktats of ocean racing rules, its designer Yves Parlier nevertheless managed to beat the record for the distance covered in 24 hours single-handed, with 586.00 miles, or an average speed of 24.41 knots.
The skipper/inventor went on to put his efforts into his company Beyond the Sea, an organization specializing in the development of environmentally friendly innovations such as maritime transport using kite wings. The approach being the re-use of an existing structure, rather than making a new one, which makes a lot of sense. Yves has been thinking about rehabilitating his former steed for more than five years. In fact, it's been tricky keeping it stored for so long in good conditions - especially financially! There are so many adventures he shares with humor... demonstrating, as ever, this skipper’s tenacity: Yves Parlier’s SeaKite has become an experimental multihull propelled by a laminar-flow kite wing made in Vectran ® - a sail that should ensure excellent upwind performance. The catamaran is also equipped with biomimetic turbines from the company ADV Propulse. These will produce electricity “under kite” (600 W at 6 knots) and propel (2 x 15 kW at 48 V) the multihull when the conditions are incompatible with flying the wing. Solar panels are also planned. The catamaran will begin its second career in the spotlight – at the Win for Good festival in Saint-Nazaire, the 2024 Olympic Games in Marseille, and at the start of the Vendée Globe in Les Sables d'Olonne. The SeaKite will then undertake a “100% green” Atlantic circuit during the winter of 2025/26.
www.beyond-the-sea.com
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