How the wind blows
While the first SILENT 60 hull reflects the brand’s growth, it's the model’s kite wing that hints at the potential of sustainable yachting.
21 July 2021
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SILENT-YACHTS has increased its fleet of innovative, oceangoing, solar–electric catamarans with the SILENT 60.
The first hull recently launched at the brand’s Thailand production facility, led by the Swiss entrepreneur Philippe Guénat. This is the first unit of the model, with eight of the 17 total ordered hulls currently under construction.
Making this SILENT-YACHTS catamaran greener than usual is its kite wing, a special system that, in contrast to conventional sailing yachts, does not require a large mast and generates more power per square metre. SILENT-YACHTS offers the optional available kite-sail system for all their models.
The SILENT 60 carries a lightweight, compact kite wing from Wingit that’s easy to use and doesn’t require a big mast to hoist the kite. A kite wing that operates in such heights generates up to ten times more power per square metre than a conventional sail.
There is a dedicated box in the bow area of the SILENT 60 that contains the 13-square-metre kite alongside all the necessary components, such as winches, mast, electric pump and ropes.
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Launching the kite only requires a small, 2-foot-high mast to be set up with four 6-millimetre Kevlar rope stays that need to be fixed to four foldable pad-eyes. After the kite is taken out, it gets electrically pumped up. Following this, you switch on the winch, throw the kite overboard where it will drift away with the wind, and then the kite can start from the water by pulling the ropes.
When in the air, the automatic steering will take over with the pulling rope releasing until the kite is more than 120 metres above the boat, painting a figure eight in the sky.
Bringing it down is the reverse process. The automatic control will move the kite to a position right above the boat where it has the least pull on the rope, following which the owner or a crew member will winch the kite down electrically, pulling the rope so that the kite collapses above the front deck before stowing it inside the box.
There are three advantages of the kite wing for the yacht, the first being extra propulsion. The kite can pull the 30-tonne SILENT 60 with about 4 to 5 knots, reducing the consumption of the e-motors, thus extending the range. This feature also makes the already green solar–electric catamaran more environmentally sustainable.
The second advantage is emergency. If a floating fishing line gets entangled in the propellers, a kite can serve as a reserve propulsion that enables the boat to get to a protected place. And, last but not least, the kite wing offers fun and joy. It’s great to see the kite high up in the air, pulling the boat with the power of the wind.
The SILENT 60 also includes a new high-performance hull form optimised with computational fluid dynamics and features a longer waterline and reverse bow. The exterior design’s signature details are long window stripes at the sidewall of the hull and more overall window surface.
The boat can be handled by two people with ease and offers plenty of space for families and crew, while for adventurers, water toys, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and e-bikes can be stored in the bridge deck.
The SILENT 60 offers a flexible layout, with the first hull featuring four guest cabins on the lower deck, including a spacious master suite. There are many social areas on board such as an airy main saloon, an aft cockpit, a cosy bow seating and a flybridge. The yacht also has higher headroom everywhere with up to 2.3 metres in the saloon and more powerful solar panels – 42 pieces for 17 kWp, versus the SILENT 55’s 30 for 10.8 kWp.
The SILENT 60 has been designed to go everywhere as a true oceangoing cruising yacht. It can cruise efficiently for up to 100 miles a day for weeks. At the same time, the arrangement of the components enables the system to power all onboard systems without the need for fuel to power a generator. The yacht’s cruising speed is 6 to 8 knots, but it can be fast when needed, reaching 20 knots maximum speed.
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