Rob Humphrey
40 Meter Skycht

British naval architect Rob Humphreys is a designer who can’t be pigeonholed. He and his team have designed extreme yachts such as Ellen MacArthur’s Open 60, mainstream sailboats for Oyster and Elan and motoryachts for production and custom builders.

Now Humphreys’ work with German innovator SkySails results in the prototype for a 40-meter luxury motoryacht that cruises with the assist of a kite. This project addresses concerns about hydrocarbon emissions by combining a trimaran hull with kite propulsion technology currently available for commercial ships. While the Skycht (pronounced skite) will have conventional engines, it is designed to sail effectively under its 1,700-sq.ft. kite, which can be deployed and retrieved electronically with push-button controls located in a gondola at the base of the mast....

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