[dirtboy]

Ideal weather conditions allowed "sun21" to travel up to 107 nautical miles a day, as much as sailing boats of a similar size would do

So why not just use friggin' sails?

[GSlob]

"So why not just use friggin' sails?"
And what do you think was that large solar panel on an overcast day, if not a sail?

[Ken522]

Because sails interfere with the movement of air about the earth, indirectly causing the earth to slow down it's rotational speed and increase global warming - you'll find it all in ! /s-snicker

[Ken522]

Because sails interfere with the movement of air about the earth, indirectly causing the earth to slow down it's rotational speed and increase global warming - you'll find it all in A Inconvenient Truth! /s-snicker

[GAB-1955]

"So why not just use friggin' sails?"

Because you don't need the crew to set and reset the sails to tack and wear. You can steer a more direct course. Fewer crew means more savings in shipping costs.

[GAB-1955]

"So why not just use friggin' sails?"

What do you think this is, the Good Ship Venus?

[RightWhale]

Do both. Cover the sail with flexible solar panels. No more becalmed under the burning sun with skin turning to cracked, bleeding leather. Could Coleridge make poetry out of that?

[SunkenCiv]

Why not a pen that writes in zero gravity, instead of a pencil? ;') Because "[t]he achievement serves as a powerful example of responsible energy use in practice." I wonder how much fun a glorified pontoon boat ride across the Atlantic would be?