Kite test day on the Atlantic!
We flew the kite for about 4–5 hours, switching between manual control and full autopilot to see how the yacht performs in different wind angles and loads.
In lighter breeze we held around 5.3–5.6 knots with minimal power draw. In stronger wind, the kite and solar together kept us close to energy-neutral at ~6 knots, even with the boat fully underway.
Every hour teaches us more. We’re learning as we go, testing conditions, fine-tuning the setup and gathering real data for the rest of the passage.
More updates coming from the ocean.
Well, this is astonishing and such a great inside view of what’s going on by using kite to reduce the use of electric power!
This is a true pioneer mission and so awesome to have this videos here and there to know what’s going on.
Silent Yachts is writing history at this very moment!!!
Hi Walter,
We have invested heavily in our Electric Yacht technology, we are still gaining valuable data from flying the kite. Keep tuned for more updates.
that great work guys well freaking done.
Thanks Robert
That’s awesome!! 😃 Here in Brazil (I live in São Paulo) I do a bit of kitesurfing in the Northeast (Ceará state… Cumbuco, Fortim, Preá…) and I was super curious to see the kite in action on the boat. I’m happy to see positive results. Congratulations to all of you.
Thank you, Marcel
We hope to publish more data as we progress to Antigua
How is the NHV? (Noise, Harshness and Vibration to use an automotive term)
Does the kite induce any dynamics that effect your comfort level?
It’s silent, like a sailing yacht with just the noise of the sea and the waves. The kite does not affect comfort. The yacht is very comfortable.
Beautiful! I’ve waited a long time to see the kite in action! What’s really cool is that the wind blows at night so if you guys can show the kite assisting the generator during night shift, that would be beyond helpful!! Keep up the good work and safe travels!!
Thank you for the support and keep following us for more information on the kite.
Is the kite size standard or can a larger kite be used? Have you guys done a comparison of efficiency and cruising speed with and without the kite?
We have only had the chance to fly the kite once for an extended period of time. Keep following us for more information.
It’s difficult to really launch anything bigger than a 10 square metre kite. We will post more data once we get in a position to fly it again.
Great results and what a fantastic trip!
Greatings from the Sleipner crew and we wish you good luck and always FAIR WINDS with lots of sunshine!! 🙂
Thanks, Olaf. We appreciate the following
Thanks Olaf!
Too bad the kite back and forth movement cant harness to power the boat?