An inflatable sail could revolutionize navigation
This innovative system was developed using technologies used in aviation and the navy.
It is the new attraction of the port of Saint-Prex. With a design halfway between an airplane wing and a paraglider, the new inflatable sail imagined by the navigator Edouard Kessi, winner of the Bol d'Or, and his friend Laurent de Kalbermatten does not fail to attract attention . It is for the moment only a prototype, but the concept could eventually, according to the two men, revive the attraction for sailing. "The project represents the union of technologies used in aviation and shipping," says Edouard Kessi. The America's Cup boats already use airplane wings as sails, but our system is simpler and much cheaper to operate. "
Off Saint-Prex, installed on a small boat 9 meters long, the fully flexible wing-wing inflates and deflates in minutes. Once deployed on the water, it impresses with its 11 meters high and its position in the wind.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6B3nshw6zc