A submersible vessel having wing and keel assemblies that are extendable for wind-powered surface operation and retractable to reduce drag for submerged operation or to place the vessel in a more compact configuration. A deployment mechanism including an actuator and linkage pivots the wing and keel assemblies simultaneously between the deployed and retracted configuration. The vessel may have first and second pressure hulls flanking the wing and keel assemblies. A drive mechanism including a motor and a gear train employing pulley-and-cable assemblies rotates either the wing and flap together such that the flap angle relative to the wing is constant, or to change the flap angle relative to the wing with the wing angle of incidence held constant. The invention also provides a retractable wind-powered propulsion apparatus that is mountable to the hull assembly of a submersible or non-submersible vessel.

A standing rigging element, in particular a mast of a vessel, that has a closed profile, and a method of manufacturing the standing rigging element. The halves of the closed profile are made of layers of structural textile saturated with an epoxy resin and have a shape corresponding to the shape of the standing rigging element, after gluing. The mast includes a layer of photovoltaic modules as one of the laminate layers, with a flat set of flexible photovoltaic cells on the outer surface. Cables collecting electricity from photovoltaic modules are routed from each photovoltaic module to common collecting cables, connected to the electric power supply installation of the vessel. The photovoltaic module includes layers of structural textile, wherein one of the layers is a layer of flexible photovoltaic cells.

Wellbore drilling system comprising: a drilling tower, a drill floor having a well center through which a drill string passes along a firing line, a drilling tubulars storage rack adapted to store multiple drilling tubulars in vertical orientation, a tubular racking device having at least a lower first tubular racker assembly and at least a second tubular racker assembly operable at a greater height than the first tubular racker assembly, each tubular racker assembly comprises a base, a motion arm connected to said base, and a tubular gripper member connected or connectable to the motion arm and adapted to grip a tubular,

whereinwith the tubular gripping member connected to the motion arm of the racker assembliesthe tubular racking device is adapted to grip and retain a drilling tubular by the tubular racker assemblies, and wherein the tubular racking device is adapted to place a tubular in and remove a tubular from the drilling tubulars storage rack,

and wherein the tubular racking device has a reach at least allowing to transfer a tubular gripped by said first and second tubular racker assemblies between the drilling tubulars storage rack and a position of the tubular aligned with the firing line above the well center so as to allow for building and disassembly of a tubulars string,

wherein the system further comprises one or more well center tools, each adapted for operation above the well center of the drill floor,

wherein the motion arm of the lower first tubular racker assembly is provided with a connector, and the at least one well center tool is provided with a complementary connector, and

whereinwith the at least one well center tool connected to the motion arm of the lower tubular racker assemblythe well center tool is operable above the drill floor.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a wellbore drilling system comprising a drilling tower and a tubular racking device having at least a lower first tubular racker assembly and at least a second tubular racker assembly operable at a greater height than the first tubular racker assembly. The system further comprises one or more well center tools, each adapted for operation above the well center of the drill floor, e.g. an iron roughneck tool for making up and breaking out of threaded tubular joints. According to the present invention, the tubular racking device comprises a third tubular racker assembly which is vertically mobile and which is operable for tubular transfer between the firing line and the drilling tubulars storage rack in combination with the second tubular racker assembly, e.g. in case of failure of the first tubular racker assembly, and wherein at least one well center tool is adapted to be connected to the motion arm of the third tubular racker assembly, which well center tool is operable above the drill floor, whilst the first and second tubular racker assemblies are operable in combination for tubular transfer between the firing line and the drilling tubulars storage rack.

A portable wind-powered sailing vessel includes a plurality of parallel hulls, a plurality of cross-member spars releasably connecting the parallel hulls, a central longitudinal body centrally located between the parallel hulls and releasably connected to the plurality of cross-member spars, a crew seat releasably connected to the central longitudinal body forward of a mast, a kick-up rudder assembly and a foot pedal steering system both releasably connected to the longitudinal body, a rudder releasably connected to the kick-up rudder assembly, and a main sail on the mast, and a jib.

Wakeboarding performance is improved using a vessel having an operator station located generally amidships, a vertical support unit fitted across a beam of the vessel near the operator station, and adjustable ballast. An upper portion of the vertical support is at a height substantially above a level of the operator station, and a container is onboard and proximate the starboard and port sides, wherein water from a body of water within which the vessel is operating is directed into the container for weighing down a stern of the vessel to provide the ballast so as to modify a wake created for a wakeboarder or the like being towed by the vessel using a tow rope attached to the upper portion of the vertical support.

Wakeboarding performance is improved using a vessel having an operator station located generally amidships, a vertical support unit fitted across a beam of the vessel near the operator station, and adjustable ballast. An upper portion of the vertical support is at a height substantially above a level of the operator station, and a container is onboard and proximate the starboard and port sides, wherein water from a body of water within which the vessel is operating is directed into the container for weighing down a stern of the vessel to provide the ballast so as to modify a wake created for a wakeboarder or the like being towed by the vessel using a tow rope attached to the upper portion of the vertical support.

A pivoting mast device is disclosed for pivoting a mast relative to a surface. The pivoting mast device comprises a mast pivot pivotably coupling the mast to the surface. A lower wheel is rotatably coupled adjacent to a proximal end of the mast. An upper wheel is rotatably coupled adjacent to a distal end of the mast. A linkage couples the lower wheel to the upper wheel. A drive is coupled to the lower wheel for displacing the linkage. An upper traveler slideably engages the mast and is coupled to the headstay. A lower traveler slidably engages the mast and is coupled to the linkage. A lowering stay is secured to the surface and the lowering traveler. A mast lowering displacement is defined by the lower traveler and the upper traveler in a descending direction. A mast raising displacement is defined by the lower traveler in a ascending direction.

A flyable sailboat includes: a floating member, having a front support, a rear support and one or more air pumps, wherein the top end of the front support is installed with at least one rotating device; one or more rear flaps, installed at the tail end of the floating member and respectively including a horizontal flap and a rotating vertical rudder; two or more lateral flaps, respectively extended from two lateral sides of the floating member; at least one wind resisting device, installed on the rotating device and including at least one sail, at least one boom rod and at least one horizontal rod, wherein the center of the sail is installed with the boom rod having a tail rod and fastened on the rotating device; and one or more power devices, installed at the tail end or at two lateral sides of the floating member.

A flyable sailboat includes: a floating member, having a front support, a rear support and one or more air pumps, wherein the top end of the front support is installed with at least one rotating device; one or more rear flaps, installed at the tail end of the floating member and respectively including a horizontal flap and a rotating vertical rudder; two or more lateral flaps, respectively extended from two lateral sides of the floating member; at least one wind resisting device, installed on the rotating device and including at least one sail, at least one boom rod and at least one horizontal rod, wherein the center of the sail is installed with the boom rod having a tail rod and fastened on the rotating device; and one or more power devices, installed at the tail end or at two lateral sides of the floating member.