Arne Vogler, a senior research engineer and principal investigator at the Hebridean Marine Energy Futures project, said hurricane force gusts had also been recorded.

BBC: Warning of high winds and snow forecast for Scotland

Barton Bull, chief engineer at NASA's Wallops Research Range, worked on the project.

NPR: SpaceX Makes Progress with Rocket Test

Richard Pemberton, a research engineer at the university who took part in the testing, says he feels the project has potential.

BBC: Sailing into the future of global trade?