LibertyKite® Pinball Boat E-Hybrid

Multipowers that sail…

The coming together of two players in France’s energy transition reflects their synergy to work towards decarbonization. As with the wing designed by Yves Parlier and the Pinball Boat optimized to cruise at 5 knots in electric mode, simplicity and a return to slow sailing may hold the key to our environmental challenges. Why not try both? Sailing allows a powercat to limit its fuel consumption, to venture into protected areas, and even to complete an ocean passage, provided the conditions are downwind... Welcome aboard a motor catamaran unlike any other. One that sails as it’s pulled by the wind.

The LibertyKite® in full flight: slow boating resumes with decarbonization as its goal.

Published 28/06/2024

By Nicolas Massines

Réservé aux abonnés

Issue: SP22

Published: aug. / sept. 2024

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Test location: Arcachon, France
Conditions: westerly wind 12 to 18 knots, light chop

Our video

You don’t get the nickname “extra-terrestrial” by accident. Yves Parlier is a household name in France, having earned his reputation during his long and brilliant career as a racing skipper. While his ability to outwit the weather traps during the Solitaire du Figaro has gone down in history, prompting his rivals of the day to call him E.T., the tenacity and seafaring sense of this outstanding sailor have taken him to the greatest nautical challenges: the Vendée Globe, Transat Jacques Vabre, Route du Rhum, Fastnet Race, distance records... But it was a bad experience that prompted this composite materials engineer to develop a means of towing that’s accessible to all. Following a dismasting during the Vendée Globe race in 2000, Yves Parlier found himself confronted with the damage feared by so many sailors. The dangers for a ship not in control of its maneuvering are real and can be fatal. This is what led this brilliant jack-of-all-trades to rethink the passive safety of our boats.

The idea of being able to take on board a traction kite to remain maneuverable led to the creation of the LibertyKite® some ten years ago by Beyond The Sea, a company specializing in towing large commercial and fishing vessels.
Since then, some of the biggest names in sailing, such as Charles Caudrelier - recent winner of the Arkea Ultim Challenge - Armel Le Cléac’h, Tom Laperche, Alex Thomson and many other sailors have carried a LibertyKite® on board for their maritime expeditions. It goes without saying that with such skippers, the product has already been validated, but this kite deserved to be tested under yachting conditions.
The self-stabilizing wing, which requires no permanent adjustments to keep it within its flight window, can be used to sail on any type of water and on any type of boat, provided it has two pulling points and sufficient space to launch it.
As the Pinball Boat hybrid catamaran lends itself perfectly to these conditions, the two teams met at Quai Goslar in Arcachon on France’s Atlantic coast for this “test flight”. Conditions offered a well-established 12-knot wind and a choppy but clear stretch of water. Flight is accessible from 10 knots of apparent wind, so particular attention must be paid to drift and sea state.
On the Pinball’s 65-square foot (6 m²) foredeck are the bags containing the three available wings. Space requirements are minimal. A block, two sheets and two cleats: that’s all the 215-square foot (20 m²) LibertyKite® that we’ll be flying today needs. It should be noted that the French companies Cousin Trestec® and Porcher Industries® collaborate respectively in the manufacture of the fabrics and the ropes.

Preparation is simplicity itself

The 9-meter-long (30’), 2.97-meter- wide (10’) powercat silently slips aways from the pontoon thanks to propellers in the port and starboard nozzles - a smart move for the safety of ...

This article was published in the issue SP22. To read the full article, purchase this issue or subscribe from $3/month.