#SolarSail - Ahead of the start of this year's Route du Rhum offshore race, UK Sailmakers gave a special preview of their state-of-the-art solar mainsail that will get its first proper sea trial on board the IMOCA 50 yacht Martinique Challenge.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the revolutionary new sail uses the French-designed SolarCloth System, whereby photovoltaic cells are woven into the fabric in a flexible film – allowing whatever boat hoisting it to generate power from the sun, even without direct sunlight.
The SolarCloth System has been specially designed for offshore races such as the Route du Rhum, so it will be interesting to see how the technology performs when the Martinique Challenge sets sail from Saint-Malo tomorrow with a fleet that includes an Open 60 piloted by the legendary Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.
