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To: marcos who wrote (43415)	6/28/2007 9:38:17 AM
From: E. Charters	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 78425

What you do is build great multi-marans, which are interlinked and flexible, so generate no torsional effect from waves. You make the total linked bodies about 1/2 mile long, sort of like a formation of aquatic sausages. Across several ranks of sausages you incline a series of fixed-form (rigid wing) aerofoils at about 30 degrees inclination from vertical to about 150 foot height. The aerofoil is an enclosed structure unlike a sail and rigid so it cannot luff. If the foil can change shape, it can be made to incline ever more into the wind as criticality is approached exceeding which induces turbulence and loss of lift. The torsional effect of wind on the aerofoil is therefore taken up by the flotation reaction of the ranks of non rigidly connected floating hulls, and thus cannot overturn the craft. The boat could sail at about 30 degrees to the wind exceeding most craft by about 15 degrees. When you need to reduce sail you simple rotate louvers in the aerofoil, reducing lift to zero. The limitation of sail is that downwind the speed of the craft cannot exceed the speed of the wind. And you cannot sail straight into the wind. However given that prevailing winds operate very regularly over wide areas of the sea, this can be worked around very handily as it was during the age of sail by boats that could barely tack 65 degrees off the wind. Probably as in most motor sailer and other yachts today, you would use diesel as 25% of your power, 65% of the time, and as 100% of your power, 35% of the time. This would allow you to steer just about any course you desired. As in aircraft you should be able to design the sail to hydraulically change or stow, and resist/avoid windspeeds well in excess of typhoon speeds. The reduction in diesel fuel in the average craft of this type could be roughly estimated at about 75%. I base this on my own cruising figures in a motor sailer of 25 tons cruising with a 15 HP diesel in all weather for about 15 years. The design of the aerfoil multi-maran has been worked out by designers 47 years ago. Speeds of 40 knots by these craft were achieved. They will sail significantly faster than the wind tacking up wind at close reaches. Aerofoil hydrofoil designs were used briefly in semi commercial trade tests in the Carribean for a while in the 80's. These craft were not sufficiently robust to resist very high winds. You have to build industrially strong to do all duty safely. This requires a few shekels. 207 years ago. Are such seemingly low manoeuverability designs at all practical? When you consider the massive fuel savings they might be if they can be scaled to usable sizes. I would say you see real economies when a multi-maran could transport 50,000 tons or more. 1923 -- first wind rotor ship Cousteau's Alcycone