Summer has arrived and we have been working hard to finalize the preliminary design of Whio II.
As you can see, the team at LOMOcean have chosen a catamaran with a length of 18 meters. Whio II is designed so that all the sailing systems can be operated from inside, and all the sailing and sailing trim can be done with minimal rope-handling. The rig is a powerful aerodynamic design which is fundamental as it will serve as our main source of energy. In addition, she has over 6 kilowatts of solar panels on the cabin top. Under the floor, the cabin has space for as many batteries as we could wish for. The process now is to calculate exactly how many batteries we’re going to need to truly achieve unlimited range.
At the back there are two additional helms and we envisage this will be used in the ‘supercharging mode’ with excellent views to the rig, full sailing trim control, and the feeling of sailing a racing boat; with the CMG display calculating your performance as you cruise.
Whio II features two front sails which will attach to the rail just in front of the mast. This allows tacking without any adjustment! The front sail will be a large ‘code zero’ for light wind conditions.
You will also notice the ultra clean design because you’re not expected to go outside in any conditions, so it’s not really necessary to have protection around the front of the boat for falling overboard. However, walking around the boat at anchor is completely safe because you are inside solid bulwarks. Additionally you’ll notice the large sugar scoops at the rear with a full-height door leading to a garage for all the toys, bikes, and other things. This design suits larger overtaking waves but also makes it easy to load from the garage to the tender. Remember, this boat is not really designed to tie up in a marina but ‘anchor out’, and this will be the main way you get on/off the boat to the shore via tender.
The team here are very excited and looking forward to working on this design and finalizing details to make Whio II the ultimate zero-emissions global explorer. It’s amazing to be able to present this preliminary design to you now!
If you have any comments, questions, or want to engage with us about the design, feel free to email us, follow us on Social Media wherever it suits you and tell us your thoughts.