Patent ID: 7672761

Claim:
A watercraft with wind propulsion, in which a freely flying kite-like element on which wind acts and with a wing profile as an exclusive, auxiliary or emergency propulsion system, is connected to the vessel only via a hawser which may spread out into a number of holding cables, in which the element on which wind acts can be varied via at least one active drive element, which is provided close to or in the element on which wind acts and is operatively connected to it, by variation of its aerodynamic effect for guidance to and holding in a predetermined position with respect to the watercraft and/or for dynamic maneuvering on predetermined flight paths, characterized in that a plurality of control lines are connected to said kite-like element at different locations and form a matrix-like arrangement, with one set of different control lines being driven in a combined form by a driven operating element, and at least another set of different control lines being driven in combined form differently by said driven operating element.