Another jaw-dropping wind/solar/hydro-powered sailing superyacht concept is making the rounds—this one designed by Florida-based Norwegian expat Kurt Strand.
The 525-foot “Florida” not only salutes the Sunshine State by name, it swaps traditional white sails made from cloth for three retracting, 80-foot tall carbon fiber wings. And like the “world’s most sustainable luxury catamaran,” this even-bigger vessel also uses sunlight-powered panels embedded on the masts to run a “solar-only” mode in the absence of winds.
At the bottom of the hull are hydro generators that produce and store electric power in a five-megawatt battery pack while the yacht is under sail. Strand’s website also mentions both a hydrogen-fuel cell production system and a smaller last-ditch fossil-fuel system, but doesn’t provide much further detail. Compared to a traditional yacht in the same size, the fuel reduction would be at least 90 percent.
The Florida boasts accommodations for 24 guests in 12 luxury suites, 40 crew members, and numerous luxury amenities including a helipad, swimming pool, beach club, fitness center, spa, and movie theater, all sustainably constructed from reclaimed wood and and recycled plastics.
A huge selection of small off-road vehicles and water toys would be stored in the tender garage at the beach club.
Of particular note is a 40-foot electric Beach cruiser, an amphibious limousine tender that can be stored, launched and landed on the retractable aft deck.
It’s yet another reason why the striking Florida superyacht would turn heads at Miami’s most exclusive ports—or anywhere else, for that matter.
