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The
original yacht was designed and built by Walker Wingsail between
1989/90, primarily as a test platform for the revolutionary,
solid airfoil propulsion system. During the following seven years,
under the name of Blue Nova, she covered a total of 30,000 nautical
miles, crossing the Atlantic twice and, on one occasion, sailing
through a hurricane with winds exceeding 100 kts. Suffice it
to say, the sail technology and control systems were tested thoroughly
in all conditions.
In
1997, The Next Challenge Ltd purchased this vessel from the manufacturers,
renamed her Inventure, and began the lengthy process of
conversion. Upon dismantling the wing
structure was found to be in excellent condition, the few small
sections that showed signs of stress or fatigue being easily
replaced. By far the biggest task was to adapt the boat for autonomous
use by extremely disabled sailors. |
