But they’ll steal the wind! How is that helping the environment?
And what is wrong with taking stress off the engines? I hate how they report this like it is a joke, because it is still a solid step.
They’re not a joke, they’re a product called Seawing, made by a French company. They’re being being actively tested and can be retro fitted to existing vessels rather than requiring a new design.
Correct, I think they were saying it was being reported on as if it was a joke. Not being taken seriously as a good step towards reducing carbon emissions.
I’m not sure who they wrote that headline for. “Giant kites” is one thing, but what really stood out to me was that they added on the “reduces carbon emissions” as if that part would be unexpected. Like the whole point of these giant kites is to pull the ships and reducing carbon emissions is icing on the cake, rather than sails coming back because they are a carbon-neutral method of propulsion.
And they’re a lot more advanced than traditional sails.
Traditional sails only work with surface winds, which are relatively weak. These giant kites can go much higher and take advantage of much stronger and more reliable winds at higher altitudes.
The thing about those big kite sails is the wind has to be coming from pretty much astern for them to work; if the ship is sailing into even a quartering headwind they’re of no use.
There’s a technology…I forget what they’re called, some kind of turbine, where you have a couple of tall spinning cylinders on the deck, which interact with the wind in such a way to provide thrust for the ship, this is mechanically simpler, fewer ways it can go wrong, you can just hinge them down and secure them in a storm or to pass under bridges, and they can drive the ship in quartering headwinds.
I’ve seen kiteboarders able to go in pretty much whatever direction they want as long as there is wind. These kites are the same thing but bigger.
That said, idk if cargo companies really want to be adding distance to the trip by tacking back and forth into the wind. My impression is that they want to get there ASAP and screw the fuel consumption.
They will slow down to conserve fuel, because when you’re burning it at the quantities these ships do you’re talking millions of dollars per voyage, and especially if you’re going to end up waiting in line like you do at American ports…why hurry?
Because faster trips means more trips per year. Even if the margins per trip is lower due to increased fuel consumption, quarterly revenue is higher. Even if significant time is waiting at port.
That said, I don’t work in the logistics industry, so I don’t have the number to say how much the difference would be.
Why the fook is the flag flying against the wind?!?
Sails don’t billow into the wind. They are set at an angle to it. Just enough to inflate them, creating an airfoil. The remaining wind blows across the airfoil, creating “lift” (like vertical airplane wings) that pulls the boat along more efficiently. That’s why sail boats can actually go faster than the wind.
From this photo, the wind is blowing almost parallel with the sails.
The type of sail you’re referring to is ‘bermuda-rigged’, like the smaller ones at the front of the boat in the picture. The big ones in the middle of the picture are ‘square-rigged’ which are really only good for sailing downwind.
I think the square rigged sails could be rotated, so you could sail with a cross wind. You would just have a fair amount of trouble sailing upwind.
We have missed you Mr Picard Maneuver x
Hey I literally just finished watching The Battle episode a few minutes ago for the first time. K thx bye now