[QUOTE=kladner;443521][url]http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/04/sailing-ships-large-crew-automated-control.html[/url]
Computer controlled sailing is in the works. :smile:[/QUOTE]Sounds like a nice challenge for the hobbyist community. Instead of faffing around with quadcopter drones, which is now old-hat as they can be bought from a number of suppliers, build a small-scale sailing ship. Demonstrate your skills by completing an autonomously controlled figure-of-eight course around two buoys set in the local duck pond.

Anyone up to funding a small prize to gain media attention?

Hmm. I may explore this (initially fatuous) proposal further.

[QUOTE=xilman;443525]Sounds like a nice challenge for the hobbyist community. Instead of faffing around with quadcopter drones, which is now old-hat as they can be bought from a number of suppliers, build a small-scale sailing ship. Demonstrate your skills by completing an autonomously controlled figure-of-eight course around two buoys set in the local duck pond.

Anyone up to funding a small prize to gain media attention?

Hmm. I may explore this (initially fatuous) proposal further.[/QUOTE]
It does sound like the sort of project upon which to release engineering students. However, my contributory powers are highly circumcised, at the moment. :razz:

I don't see why you need "intelligent" sailing. What you need is just to install few wind sensors, then add a lot of actuators to spread or unspread the sails, to move them from left to right, etc., and put their (manual) controls in a cabin with 2-3 good pilots. In a man-managed wind boat, the sailors are just "tools", monkeys who climb the musts and pull the ropes. It is the captain/navigator that knows which sails to spread and which ropes to pull. So, few pilots working in shifts and a little support personnel (for emergencies, etc) is all you need, same as for a diesel-powered boat. No intelligence in strings and motors.

The main problem with sea shipping is not how you push your boat above the waves, but how long it takes. Salty and humid air gets everywhere, destroying everything. Any of our customers would say they prefer the goods to arrive in few days, by air, even if they pay much higher price for shipping. The alternative would be to wait months for the containers to arrive by sea, and at the end throw away the products because the PCBs are oxidized (now, we do not talk about perishables!) or tracks/components eroded out by the salt, etc, or pay less for the shipping but pay more for air-tight, weather resistant, etc. packaging. And the waiting time.

If you want to play with sails, better develop computerized/automated [U]airplane[/U] with sails... hehe. But you will be overtaken by solar airplanes soon... so another time wasted.

Making drones is more fun :razz:

[QUOTE=kladner;443521][url]http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/04/sailing-ships-large-crew-automated-control.html[/url]
Computer controlled sailing is in the works. :smile:[/QUOTE]
There has been a low labour wind assist (an add-on) available to vessels for some years:
[url]http://www.skysails.info/english/skysails-marine/skysails-propulsion-for-cargo-ships/[/url]

[QUOTE=LaurV;443673]I don't see why you need "intelligent" sailing.[/quote]The "need" is to make it a fun challenge. To stretch the state of the art.
[QUOTE=LaurV;443673]The main problem with sea shipping is not how you push your boat above the waves, but how long it takes. Salty and humid air gets everywhere, destroying everything.[/quote]
Let me guess, you aren't importing iron ore, grain, liquified natural gas, crude oil, ...

[quote]Making drones is more fun :razz:[/QUOTE]Not really, IMAO. I just go down to my local branch of Maplins and buy one off the shelf. Where's the fun in that? Even if I do build one [i]ab initio[/i] I'm only replicating what thousands of others are doing.

[QUOTE=xilman;443679]Even if I do build one [I]ab initio[/I] I'm only replicating what thousands of others are doing.[/QUOTE]
You mean like making children? :razz:

[QUOTE=Uncwilly;443676]There has been a low labour wind assist (an add-on) available to vessels for some years:
[URL]http://www.skysails.info/english/skysails-marine/skysails-propulsion-for-cargo-ships/[/URL][/QUOTE]
Ah yes. Giant [URL="http://www.flexifoil.com/"]Flexifoils[/URL]. That is a good interim solution for existing vessels. Anything that reduces fuel consumption is to the good.
[URL="http://www.flexifoil.com/rage-free-big-buzz-kite/"]These[/URL] seem to be the larger of the products of this company. While a 4.7 m kite would not mean much to a freighter, something that size could snatch you off the ground before you knew what hit you. I have seen this happen with trains of smaller foils.

[QUOTE=LaurV;443746]You mean like making children? :razz:[/QUOTE]That depends. There are those who claim that IVF isn't much fun. However, let's let that one ride. How about my other two comments?

[QUOTE=xilman;443768]How about my other two comments?[/QUOTE]
Well, I could not start a contradictory discussion there, so I better said nothing... :razz:

Tropical Storm Matthew...
 

So, Barbados was disabled for 36 hours because of Tropical Storm Matthew.

The country was not shut down entirely, but all schools and businesses were closed, and public transit went offline.

Electricity mostly stayed up (except in a few areas), and only about 25% of the population lost (mains) water. The communications infrastructure mostly survived, although "511" (Ambulance Service) went offline (reportedly because of a localized power failure; WTF?).

We got ~105mm of rain over a 24 hour period. There was a bit of flooding, but not too bad. There were no reported injuries.

We're all thanking our deities; this could have been a LOT worse.

Matthew is projected to gain strength to possibly a "Cat 2" as it heads west and then north. The western Caribbean Islands, and Florida, are advised to be aware.

[QUOTE=chalsall;443815]Matthew is projected to gain strength to possibly a "Cat 2" as it heads west and then north. The western Caribbean Islands, and Florida, are advised to be aware.[/QUOTE]

Just a quick update on this: [url]https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/atlantic/2016/Hurricane-Matthew[/url]

Anyone who has interests in the Western Caribbean or Florida, and possibly other areas, are advised to be aware and to be prepared.

It's a little humbling watching tonnes of water flow by per second, while high winds blow.

Edit #2: Linked from the above [url]https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3456[/url]