Human power on the high seas

[freebeard]

www.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/05/how-to-design-a-sailing-ship-for-the-21st-century

Sometimes the old ways are the best.

Except now we have hydro-generators (Propellors that work in regen) so everyone can have hot showers once a week.

[oil pan 4]

Indeed the old ways are the best. And I say bring back coal too.
No shortage of hot, fresh water then.

[redpoint5]

My original retirement plan was to sail the seas since a gallon of petrol will likely be $100/gallon by that time.

I wonder if an economical photovoltaic sail could be developed between now and then? Best of both worlds.

[freebeard]

Sometimes the old ways are the best. Sometimes. Hemp rigging.

They are going with what has been proven to work. One would hope they at least run the rigging internal to the masts and yardarms, keeping the man- person-power on or below deck.

I can see room for improvement -- M-hull trimaran for hydrodynmaics with a convex turtle-shell superstructure for aerodynamics covered with thermal and electric solar cells and dark sky air conditioning, that fillets into rigid sails.

If you use different metals for the front and back half, can you use sea water as an electrolyte flow battery?