Sailing with the Second Sun

The open ocean is a stunning place, but is fraught with many peculiarities. Everyone knows of the ol’-time tales of ghost ships, Kraken’s, and spooky images on the horizon that don’t seem to be quite sitting on the water, but floating atop it. Known technically as Fata Morgana, these mirages are complex forms of image distortions caused by bending light through layers of different temperatures. So what would you think, hypothetically, if you were stuck in the middle of the ocean and you looked out, hoping to see land, but came across a Fata Morgana of an yolk-coloured orb (almost like a second sun), just above the water? You’d think you’d lost your marbles—your compass directions—your bearings—for sure.

After a few moments, though, you realise that you’re looking at the future of watercraft innovations. Recently announced by Brazil-based Furf Design Studio and London’s Cesar Pieri, this aptly named ‘Second Sun’ is a new design as a result of this collaboration. To have minimal impact on nature, the sheen, clear hull is to be made from sustainable, algae-based biopolymer, whilst the whole inside (and every other fabric) is going to be made from recycled waste plastics cleaned from the ocean. How cool, right? By doing that, they’re shedding light (from their ‘Second Sun’) on one of the biggest environmental impacts – ocean pollution.

Looking at the ‘elephant-in-the-water’ of this futuristic water-craft, the giant orb sails and curves in the wind to increase and decrease thrust, and was inspired by the design of famous America’s Cup sailboats and aircrafts. The design of the sail, especially the bright colour, is to be a blinding beckon on the horizon of the future, and we are so here for it.