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Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
151–160 of 281 posts
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
"suggested masts are better as integral parts of ships rather than bolt on after thoughts." It seems quite mad that we even need to debate this. Wind is free power and we have at least 2000 years of engineering to draw on how to use it. Any propulsion unit needs to be effectively attached to a ship. Screws are attached longitudinally, low down and push. Sails are a bit more tricksy. A triangular sail mounted along th…
This is all interesting, but is there a reason trianglular and rectangular sails can't be bolt on after thoughts?
They likely can but with reduced changes for being optimal. Sails, keel and rudder should be balanced so that adjusted sails cause minimal pivoting force to mitigate with the rudder. Also the supports below the mast and plates for the stays likely need planning to allow sufficient structure without limiting the working angles of boom too much.
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#153I wonder why we don’t have nuclear cargo/container ships.
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Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bottom line: impressive optics, zero impact for this technology on global warming, it's a distraction.
Or an experiment? Maybe eventually finding its niche, even if it doesn't solve climate change, but why would the impact be zero? If it does not use oil, then this is CO2 not released.
Well it does use oil.
> The 136-metre-long vessel had to rely partly on its auxiliary motor and its remaining sail after the aft sail was damaged in a storm shortly after departure.
Used the motor "shortly after departure".
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I worked with maritime shipping folks, and they always say "We don't care how slow it is, but we care A LOT to estimate the time it takes right". The logistical chain is long, so delaying one link breaks the whole chain, and that's costly.
that doesn't really make any sense. You'd just overestimate the time and if you arrived ahead of schedule you'd wait out at sea for the "correct" time
But that's extra time when the ship is sitting idle, while it could've already been on its way with new cargo, making more money.
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#156In the meantime, China is constructing nuclear cargo ships ([1], [2]) that will be able to transport 14,000 containers at full throttle (200MW) without a need to refuel for years. Obviously, it's still not done, and yet to prove to be profitable, but their reactor design does suggest that they have a chance to make it work and replace a lot of CO2 emissions. 1. Original article, but paywall: https://www.scmp.com/news…
Nuclear ship propulsion is not a new technology so I have no doubt they will succeed. But where this will and all previous attempts have (see: N.S. Savannah) failed is that ports do not want to accept such ships, because of environmental and insurance issues.
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or an experiment? Maybe eventually finding its niche, even if it doesn't solve climate change, but why would the impact be zero? If it does not use oil, then this is CO2 not released.
Well it does use oil. > The 136-metre-long vessel had to rely partly on its auxiliary motor and its remaining sail after the aft sail was damaged in a storm shortly after departure. Used the motor "shortly after departure".
Yes. Experiments have a tendency to show where problems are.
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#158There are even more crazy steampunk ideas out there, like pulling ships with giant high-altitude kites https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/giant-kite-sai...
Cool link, thanks! Unfortunately they went bankrupt and the tech now belongs to what was their first and only customer, K Line.
That's such a disappointment, I always had higher faith in the kites than the sails. Just seems easier to retrofit on existing ships witouth taking too much of the cargo capacity.
But are you sure they are bankrupt? The Internet claims "The company says the purpose of the acquisition, for which the price was not reported, is to strengthen the development and commercialization of “Seawing,” the automated kite system". That might be bs of course.
There also seems to be anther company trying it out, https://cargokite.com/
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I crossed the atlantic twice, each time for 650 euros the 13 days… add 250/300 euros for internet
Have long been interested in something like this. From where to where? How did you arrange the trip?
Same and always wanted to be completely offline for that length of time.
Re: Largest cargo sailboat completes first Atlantic crossing
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
No. If it isn’t cheaper it isn’t on the board for the next decade or two outside niche routes. The hard part is in making it economically viable. We already know sailboats work.
That really big question for society is how to force GHG emissions externalities to the polluters. In the current political climate it doesn't appear possible...
> how to force GHG emissions externalities to the polluters
Not happening for decades. Not until America’s boomers, Xi and his wolf warriors and Putin and his circle are dead.
Solar is a success because it’s economically viable. We need more solutions like that. Not conference presentations wrapping a regressive carbon tax as a sailboat.