This French start-up venture might just have paved a new way forward in production yacht building. Windelo is the brainchild of the Kauffmanns, a father and son team who wanted to create something altogether different from the norm and to build boats that have half the environmental impact of standard glass fibre yachts. The result is an intriguing package – from the clean styling, modular interior and novel layout to the electric propulsion – the Windelo 50 is completely fresh.
Having followed this project for the last three years, I was aware of the R&D the new yard had put into materials and its strive for a greener product. What I wasn’t quite expecting is the sailing rewards. The forward cockpit design combined with the yacht’s performance could surprise many...
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
In an era where the big yards should be leading by example rather than greenwashing, few go to the extent that newcomers Windelo has. Olivier Kauffmann (ex-CEO of Orange Marine) and his son Gautier spent two years researching environmentally-friendly composite materials with Ecole Nationale des Mines d’Alès before establishing a shipyard for their new range of catamarans in Canet-en-Roussillon in 2019.
Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
PALMA'S FUN FACTOR
FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88
