Solid sail explorer yacht unveiled
Goliath Series has unveiled a new polar explorer class sailing yacht design with solid sails. The new Caribù Solid Sail is a 113m, six-deck, two-masted polar class sailing yacht. Its solid sail system has integrated load sensing technology that informs the captain how much to drive the sail rigs. The main sail on each mast comprises semi-rigid panels that are hinged together, the jib is a traditional Dacron sail that is automatically rolled in or out.
The new Caribù features an observation bubble at the upper part of the bridge to offer an unobstructed view of the sails while underway.
In addition to her Chantiers de l’Atlantique Solid Sail/ AeolDrive sail and mast system, the yacht has a 1913 ft² aircraft hangar with a landing area. The hanger has enough space to house and protect up to three small helicopters or two medium helicopters. The huge landing area permits safe aircraft operations during rough conditions. The two large cranes can help load and off-load special research equipment easily.
According to Goliath Series, the Caribù with the Solid Sails system has many advantages over traditional sailing rigs:
The first notable advantage is the tilting masts. These masts tilt 70 degrees forward to reduce the air draft from 237 feet to 131 feet making it possible for the Caribù to traverse below most bridges. Caribù can now have direct access to the Panama Canal, San Francisco, San Diego and many more notable harbours.
The second advantage of the Solid Sail system, according to the company, is the automated setting and dropping of the sails.
The boat can also be pointed in any direction when raising or lowering the sails. The Solid Sail System has 360-degree rotating masts, thus the captain rotates the masts into the wind to perform the raising and lowering of the sails.
The claimed service life of the Solid Sail material is around 20 years. The yacht also features a 2,000 ft² owners suite with a private full-sized pool at the stern. The pool features the Kozloff invention of a hard retractable cover so draining is not required in rough conditions. She also features a full beam beach club with retractable decks. The new Caribù has two master suites and can host 14 guests and a crew of 20. Of note are the heated handrails and heated doors to minimise icing problems.
According to Goliath, the Caribù Solid Sail will cruise at 15 knots for 6,000 nautical miles with diesel power only. Range can be extended with careful management of her hybrid diesel-electric systems and sail power. Under sail power only, the yacht has a claimed speed of up to 15 knots.
