Whatever next? Windpowered cargo ships

These skysails look the business!

What do Forumites reckon about their ability to be used as emergency propulsion on yachts, if say you lose the rig? Or even on a mobo if you have engine failure?

A mini version could also be useful if it was supplied with a liferaft, especially if it was made of radar reflecting material - and it would make life much easier for a rescue vessel to spot the tiny liferaft.
 
Junior SWMBO has a neat 3.2 m kite that looks similar to the piccy.

In F5 and above this kite generates enough power to pull both of us (joint mass 155kg) along a sandy flat beach at well over walking speed. I haven't got the figures for friction between bodies and beach, but the pull must be at least 155kg x 5kph.

If nothing else, a similar kite would provide some steerage way and emergency propulsion. The land based kite seems to go at 55degrees to the wind when the flier is stationary. Perhaps the AYRS has some figures ?
 
On a slight tangent, I listened to a radio program the other day which highlighted the fact that ships had largely escaped attention to their considerable contribution to emissions.

I think that you will see cargo ships using the wind again.

Tim
 
This idea has been around since, er.. the days of sail. Sky sails are a bit of a gimmick, since it would be easy to rig a big cargo ship with 5 or 6 masts, each carrying computer controlled sails. They could even sail against the wind, just like magic! And no one has to go aloft to reef; in- mast furling makes it automatic. You will see all this coming back when the oil runs out, and you won't have long to wait.
 
Re: Wind powered cargo and passenger ships

The Maltese Falcon has 'blazed the trail' re these large computer controlled square sails - I think the concept was originally called the Dynaship and it was initially developed in Germany in the 70's.
There was a resurgence of interest in the 80's, to the extent that a couple of international conferences on wind assistance were held (in 1980, by RINA in London, and in 1985 at Southampton University) - but I think that fuel prices then dropped (?) and interest waned.... until the world fuel cost started going ballistic again recently.

Here are a couple of photos of the Maltese Falcon underway - she is certainly very impressive!

MalteseFalcon2.jpg


MalteseFalcon.jpg


While there is lots of info about her if you do a google - here is a comprehensive specification about her at http://www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/details/465/
 
Re: Wind powered cargo and passenger ships

A few years ago I sailed on a 7000t sail assisted passenger ship imaginatively named "Windsong". She had computer controlled, hydraulically operated sails and we clocked her at 14 knots under sail alone!
 
Re: Wind powered cargo and passenger ships

The Wind Star ships can certainly sail very well - they have to really, because the smaller ones only have a single electric motor for propulsion, and their speed drops off rapidly if they ever have to plug into a head sea with out being able to use their sails.

Sadly Wind Song is no longer in the fleet - she sustained a serious fire on board some time ago off Tahiti - while everybody was rescued, and the vessel was saved, the damages were so severe that opinion at the time said that she was not worth restoring - or even worth being towed to a scrap yard to be recycled.
So she was sunk in very deep water off Tahiti, with pretty much most of her outfit equipment on board.

Here are a couple of links : http://www.windstar-cruises-luxury-lines.com/windsong.htm

and http://www.windstarcruises.com/
 
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