Re:Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay
by 205guy on Wednesday April 02, 2014 @01:38PM
(#7517370)
Submitter here: I have the same excitement (though not a sailor myself, just a spectator). I actually wondered about a kite pulling a boat a while ago myself, and now someone goes and does it.
I was surprised how fast the foiling technology has been spreading after the America's Cup. There were the foiling moths (small sailboats) before, but now it seems to be more popular. Then recently, I saw something about kiteboarders fitting a foil to their boards and gaining speed. Now this.
One disadvantage of the kiteboat is that it requires a bigger sail and thus longer lines. That will increase the risks of entanglement in a race. And with 80-meter lines, this prototype already has to worry about bridge clearance on the bay.
I was surprised how fast the foiling technology has been spreading after the America's Cup. There were the foiling moths (small sailboats) before, but now it seems to be more popular. Then recently, I saw something about kiteboarders fitting a foil to their boards and gaining speed. Now this.
One disadvantage of the kiteboat is that it requires a bigger sail and thus longer lines. That will increase the risks of entanglement in a race. And with 80-meter lines, this prototype already has to worry about bridge clearance on the bay.