Full sail ahead

Last issue we talked about the impending voyage of Opal, a special schooner converted to a regenerative-power, carbon-free vessel. We are happy to report a hugely successful first leg of an exciting journey.

Opal is an elegantly restored, 24-meter long, two-mast oak schooner operated by North Sailing, a whale-watching and eco-tourism company based in Iceland. Probably their most spectacular tour is a voyage exploring the southern coast of Greenland amidst granite cliffs, icebergs, and polar bears – and it’s here that Opal is in its element. Especially now the new power and propulsion system is in place. Using a 1.8-meter controllable pitch propeller as a turbine during the periods under sail generates electrical power that is stored in four specially designed 600 kg batteries. The batteries give the vessel a speed of 6 knots for more than 10 hours. They can also be recharged on land by plugging the system into the power grid, which in Iceland is almost 100 percent from renewable sources.
When the skipper wants to cruise close to the wildlife, he switches to battery power and benefits from a leisurely but effective 150-200 rpm. “Sailing on this boat today, you hear nothing; it’s totally silent,” enthuses North Sailing managing director, Guðbjartur Ellert Jónsson

PROFESSIONAL PRIDE

Jonas Granath, System Integration Manager at Caterpillar Propulsion, enjoyed the unique challenge he and his colleagues faced getting the combined propeller and turbine to work. And the project has evidently become a source of great pride. “The aim has been to get maximum efficiency while utilizing a minimum of power in order to get a ‘True Green Vessel’ without CO2 emissions. The target that North Sailing set up is really innovative and environmental friendly, and will definitely take the Icelandic wilderness tourism to a new level. To be able to maneuver the ship without pollution in complete silence during whale watching, and get so close to the wild animals, is a special experience and we are happy to be a part of making this possible.”
This maiden voyage was also a successful test-run to configure the monitoring software, learn how to optimize the propeller’s pitch and the energy storage, and get the captain and crew 100% confident with the new equipment.

NEW HORIZONS

In fact, it’s been such a success that North Island are looking to use the concept throughout their fleet of vessels. And even present it to the rest of the world. “We may take it as far as Africa this winter and possibly cross the Atlantic to the United States,” says Jónsson. “One of our missions is to share the concept with people and companies who want to be more efficient and save as much energy as possible.”