The racing industry has been good for drivers in general. It\u2019s been a way for designers to make cars \u2013 all cars, not just race cars \u2013 lighter, stronger, safer, more fuel-efficient, more powerful and more responsive.<\/p>\n
However\u2026 the yacht racing industry.\u00a0 Most sailing boats I see look pretty much the same as they did back in the 1980s or even before. Now, with all the emphasis on being environmentally conscious and using renewable resources and all that, wouldn\u2019t you think that somebody somewhere would be interested in making water transport more eco-friendly by going back to using wind power but with all the added technology they\u2019ve developed for yacht racing?\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t somebody else want to use the sort of thing we see on the racing yachts put onto other craft?<\/p>\n
Some people might question the demand for using this sort of technology on a yacht, as there\u2019s no commercial need for sailing boats like there is for cars. However, there are water taxis, coastal patrols, tourism operators and light fishing boats \u2013 to say nothing of the pearl industry up in the north of Western Australia and Northern Territory. These still seem to use regular motor boats\u2026 but there\u2019s no real reason why they couldn\u2019t switch to eco-friendly wind power when you really come down to it. \u00a0I heard a commentator on the America\u2019s Cup say the other day that they could generate 700 hp (that\u2019s 512 kW) from cleverly designed sails in those racing boats. Your typical outboard motor gets about 150 hp, while larger ones as seen on water taxis might have two 250-hp engines. More powerful and much more fuel-efficient\u2026 sounds like a winning idea to me. Heck, if there was some means of getting a car\u2019s engine from 250 hp to 700 hp without using any extra fuel, we\u2019d all be demanding it and probably getting it, too.<\/p>\n
One could argue that wind-powered means of transport are dependent on weather conditions. But aren\u2019t we all? Ever slipped on ice while driving? Ever felt a strong wind buffet you or create a bit more drag?\u00a0 Ever had to slow down because the rain was so strong that you could hardly see, in spite of the best efforts of your windscreen wipers? Cars are affected by weather conditions, too.<\/p>\n
The motoring industry is doing its bit for the planet, playing around with alternative fuels, hybrid engines and electric vehicles, as well as making petrol-powered things work more efficiently, and what\u2019s been learned on the race track has helped these efforts.\u00a0 The airline industry is also getting on board with improved design features and even fuel types. But what about the marine industry?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll close by saying that I\u2019ll be overjoyed if I\u2019m proved wrong and there are some operators who are using wind-powered boats on a commercial basis somewhere.\u00a0 Let us know.<\/p>\n
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