Among the superyachts and megayachts and uberyachts on display at the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show at Yas Marina are designs for one that is emissions-free. Designed by Alastair Callender, a British boat architect, it looks rather like a floating caravan with three "solar sails" sticking up into the air like carving knives. "An initial influence for the whole project was from Masdar City just down the road, being completely environmentally friendly and with no carbon footprint, so I wanted to incorporate those attributes into the design," says the 24-year-old Mr Callender.
It is pleasing to note that Masdar is turning out to be a catalyst for change in several areas. And it's good to see a man from one of the great seafaring nations in history coming up with new ideas that are also environmentally friendly. His eco-friendly yacht is called Soliloquy and runs on sunlight. We are not sure what happens at night; perhaps it has large batteries on board. But we feel we must point out to Mr Callendar that Britons, and other nationalities, have been powering their vessels with environmentally friendly means for centuries. Admiral Nelson, Christopher Columbus, China's Admiral Zheng Ho and even Horatio Hornblower all used the same eco-friendly fuel. It is called the wind, and is harnessed by canvas sails.