DIVERSION OF SAILING VESSEL BY TETHERING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR WITH HARPOON MEANS

摘要

A method for diverting a sailing vessel is disclosed. A watercraft (10) equipped with a harpoon (12) having a hull-piercing head and a tail attached to a cable may swiftly approach the vessel in the aft position. Upon piercing the hull an extraction-preventing means, such as spokes unfolded from the head, latching it in the hull and preventing the harpoon's withdrawal. Via a cable attached to the tail of the harpoon (12) the watercraft (10) may use low-speed high- traction propulsion means such as Voith-Schneider Propulsion (VSP) (16) to pull an divert the vessel at the stern to a desired course. The watercraft (10) may preferably have a combination of lifting hydrofoils (18a, 18b) with propellers (20), and VSP propellers (16) to provide the respective low-traction high-speed and high-traction low-speed modes of o eration.