Places Features

When the tide is low only the blades of what appear at first glance to be a small version of the windmills used to generate electricity are visible over the wall of the marina, but closer inspection reveals that the windmill is attached to the hull of a catamaran.

Designed and built by Jim Wilkinson the yacht, Revelation II, is the only one of its kind and Jim said he constructed it because he "was fascinated by the idea" though he admitted to being "doubtful" about the notion.

The vessel exists as a prototype of a new way of sailing that removes the use of sails but still uses wind to move the ship. Wind moves the blades on the ship's mast which in turn drives the propeller below the water and drives the boat forward.

Jim said: "The biggest problem was working out the correct profiles for the blades and propeller." Another aspect of the design that caused complication was that to allow the boat to sail in any wind direction the mast can rotate to gain the optimum effect.

What this means though is that, unlike ships with sails, Revelation II can sail directly into the wind, thus overcoming one of the oldest problems in sailing.

The design of the yacht also means it can be driven by a single pilot rather than the larger crew often required for a vessel of its size.

Jim said: "It's very satisfying doing the theoretical work but of course the end product is wanting to go sailing."

Despite the different design to a standard sailing ship Jim explained that "she handles very well" and "sailing people seem to be interested" in his innovative design.

To build a yacht like the Revelation II from scratch Jim said, "would cost a little bit more" than a standard yacht, "but once quantities were being built there wouldn't be much in it".

Though Jim's design has yet to be fully proven in more challenging seas beyond Guernsey's water the design is certainly something a bit different to the hundreds of other yachts we see in Guernsey's marinas each year.