Energy Observer’s first transatlantic passage from France to the Carribean served as a test bed for this year’s key innovations in renewable energies.
Thanks to her new fuel cell system developed with Toyota, automatic wings, new solar panels and innovative propellers, the long passage from Finistère to Martinique was completed self-sufficiently and with a hitherto unprecedented level of performance.
The first part of the course, from Brittany to the Canaries, involved headwinds and any hopes of slipping along in the trade winds were unfortunately replaced by hours of close-hauled sailing in tough seas.
On this type of passage, the team behind Energy Observer said the variable pitch propellers worked a treat, stabilising the air flow over the wings whilst consuming little electricity.
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