Alessandro Stagni and his Italian friends launched Northern Light Composites seven years ago to develop recyclable composites as an alternative to fibreglass in boat building, using Arkema’s Elium resin. The company’s r Composite material is used in championship-winning sailing boats and is being tested for wind turbine blades, surfboards, helmets, water treatment plants, and cooling towers. Stagni notes the challenge of moving from marine leisure into industrial sectors.

BAR Technologies, spun out of the British America’s Cup challenge in 2017, applies sailing-honed skills to renewables, including foils that save 15-20% fuel on commercial catamarans transferring crew to offshore wind projects. Maersk has signed a deal to retrofit a vertical rotor sail designed by Anemoi on a container ship. Espen Øino, Monaco-based superyacht designer, highlights technology transfer from marine to aerospace, motor-racing, and renewable energy, noting electric propulsion, computing, sensors, lightweight materials, hydrofoils, and potential small modular nuclear reactors for superyachts in 5-10 years.