Beyond the Sea
LibertyKite® and LibertyKite New Generation: products answering the need to reduce the ecological footprint with innovative processes.
At the root of these projects : Yves PARLIER.
Yves Parlier is an engineer specialised in composite materials and a well-known sailor due to his numerous victories. During his career, he has led innovative projects in various fields such as naval architecture, the use of composite materials or the creation of navigational aid.
During his 3rd entry in the Vendée Globe, the idea of kite sail towing ships arise. After demasting off the coast of the Kerguelen islands, he stayed in the Stewart Island’s bay for two weeks of repairs. Once his mast repaired, he got back in the race and reached the Sables-d’Olonnes after 126 days at sea.
OBSERVATION
With the price of oil, the expectations that it will be rising, the rules on greenhouse gas emissions and the extra taxes to come, the maritime transport world is looking for cleaner solutions.
“Passionate about nature, I made wind my ally to create a kite sail that could help a sailor in distress. I thought it could also be a more ecological and economical way of sailing. LibertyKite was born”, narrate Yves Parlier.
In 2007, Yves Parlier and his team looked at kite towing ships system. Together, they imagined a backup kite sail in case of engine failure or demasting. After years of research and development, they created the first towing sail for pleasure boats: the LibertyKite®. It was launched in 2017.
LibertyKite® is a kite sail autostable designed to tow pleasure crafts from 4 to 18m, starting from a 10 knots wind. This sail is linked to the hull by 2 ropes.
Its use is simple: the kite sail can be sent, recovered and manoeuvred from the deck of a boat by one single person that doesn’t necessarily have great knowledge in kitesurfing.
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The LibertyKite Second Generation.
Beyond the Sea keeps on developing new technologies to offer, in 2020, a kite sail steered by an automatic pilot that will also send and recover the sail. The principle is simple:
we will produce sails of all size, capable of towing, alone or with another propulsion mode, the ship equipped. The sail, fixed on some part of the sip, will either be in movement or at rest depending on the force needed. Steering the sail will be done manually or automatically, according to the user’s choice and the kite sail will work from upwind to downwind.
ADVANTAGES of these solutions
FUEL SAVING: an ecological and economical advantage
By using the wind as a source of energy, the equipped boats will reduce their greenhouse emissions as part of the energy used will be renewable. The kite, in addition to helping the propelling of the boat, will reduce the use of fuel. Our studies show that 20 % of fuel will be saved at a constant speed. However, according to the speed wanted, the internal combustion engine could be completely turned off, using only the wind – a free and ecological source of energy – as a propeller.
A solution synonym of SECURITY
A maximum ADAPTABILITY
Our solution will be adaptable to all ships, whether a sailing boat or a motorboat, in addition to or as a replacement of the engine. The size of the kite sail will change with the size of the boat in order to keep complete control of the obtained power and a total safety.
Our materials, a garantee of EXCELLENCE
Having a partnership with the best rope and sail makers on the market, our sails are produced with Porcher Industries fabrics and Cousin Trestec ropes, to have an exceptional product quality.
LibertyKite, a MADE IN FRANCE product
In our premises, in Arcachon Bay, we imagine our prototypes, assemble our materials and tests all our sails.
Our engineers think and produce the LibertyKite sails, always looking for innovation and increasing the performance of our products.
Our new PROJECTS
Beyond the Sea will soon start the “SeaLab” of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region. The goal is to create and use a boat self-sufficient in energy, zero emissions, and connected, to be used as a test platform. It will be used to develop new innovative technologies oriented towards the maritime market.