SETTING A NEW SAIL

This wishbone-shaped sail and mast might be the superyacht sailing world’s next big rig.

Mides Design’s Aero Sail could be a revolutionary new rig for sailing superyachts. Aero Sail has already proved itself on computer tests and a five-metre prototype. Its next test vessel will be a 19m sailing yacht, though designer Erik Sifrer says the technology could work all the way up to a 122m sailing superyacht. Aero Sail is built inside an A-frame on the exterior edges of the yacht and connected to a carbon roll boom that rotates around a central pivot point. Sifrer’s goal was to create a beautiful-looking sail plan that is also easy to handle.

“It doesn’t require any deck equipment and provides a shorthanded sailing solution,” he says. “It could even be completely automated.” Aero Sail is 40 per cent lighter than a traditional rig, and benefits like in-boom furling remove any need for winches, tracks, blocks or deck hardware. Its compact size could allow for helicopters to land on larger superyachts, something precluded by current mast designs. The lack of a central mast also frees up the interior design of any sailing superyacht. www.mides-design.si ≠