conduit / sail hybrid

The conduit system has been a point of contention between tideriders and islanders since its opening at the beginning of 2000 Vol. The tracks cut off traditional tiderider routes and has increasingly forced them to conduct their trade around the outside of the Cluster Islands. At the same time, many small islands have benefited tremendously from the improved access to other parts of the Cluster.
When Walemin designed the conduits, she intended them to be completely separated from the use of traditional sail. The first vehicles to run on the conduits were heavy cargo carriers with no secondary means of propulsion. They had to be towed and tediously connected to the conduit entry point. Shunt ends were added to the conduit terminal points on both the Galtern and Mraydor ends so that the boats could be left on the track when not in use, loaded by barge, and connected to the main conduit when ready to go. When fully loaded, these boats were heavy enough to create powerful wakes capable of capsizing a small tiderider mother ship.
At the time of Walemin's death in 2014 Vol, only Mraydor was constructing conduit boats. In order to start a rescue fleet of her own Salibret Varenagos turned to Zaiyeve engineers with the goal of converting standard sailing boats to conduit travel without compromising their ability to travel under wind power. By 2016 a few small boats had been successfully modified, and the process continued to develop up until the double eruption that destroyed Zaiyev in 2030 Vol.
Despite the obvious advantages of the hybrid boats, they were not immediately popular. Out of sympathy with tideriders, the shipyards on Scaetra refused to manufacture any boat capable of conduit travel. For ten years no new hybrid boats were made; nevertheless, many existing boats were crucial to the historical events that followed. Despite her opposition to the conduits, Delu was not above taking advantage of the benefits they offered. She salvaged the remains of Salibret's fleet and used them for sabotage work, sailing in to reach her targets by stealth and then latching onto the conduits to make speedy escapes. Several of these were involved in the 2040 attack that ended the Unity.
Most conduit travel today is done on hybrid boats. The bulk of these are sailed by islanders, though tideriders represent a small but increasing percentage of conduit users. Recent track improvements include some experimental methods of creating temporary sags in the conduits. Not only would this allow freesailing boats to cross the conduit, it would enable hybrids to get on and off the tracks at points along the middle instead of having to go all the way to the end.

Power Generation

When it is in contact with the conduit chain, a boat can fill its power wells by drawing on the lightning energy produced by the generators located at the conduit's anchor point. Otherwise it must rely on the same energy sources as traditional boats, generating heat from solar ovens and lightning power from magnets and wire loops.

Propulsion

When attached to the conduit, the hybrid boat engages a rotating-chain hull system that latches onto the track sections, making electrical contact that powers the chain and propels the boat forward. Sails deploy for travel between dock and conduit or any other short trip. Hybrids can be sailed on open ocean, although the combination hull is not ideal for rough conditions.

Sensors

An echo sensor pings the track and analyzes the returning sound to determine how far the boat is from the end of the conduit. This sensor was developed in reponse to frequent sabotage events that caused conduit boats to fly off the ends of damaged tracks and crash into the ocean at high speed. When the sensor detects the approaching end of a conduit, it alerts the crew to stand ready to disengage the chain drive for a safe transition to sail mode.

Additional & auxiliary systems

To prepare for conduit travel, a hybrid boat must retract its masts and outer hulls and deploy deck shields to protect the crew from the certain death of falling overboard.