Not mentioned in the article is that these new sailing ships will also have a new auxillary drive, the Sterling Perpetual Motion Machine, driving a coaxial, transwarp, variable dimension propeller.
Details available at http://www.spacealiensarecontrollingmybrain.com.
Skeptism is healthy -- so far this is just a concept. However, you've also maligned a couple of proven technologies.
:-)
Excerpted from:
http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html
"The exact date and origin of the kite is not known but it is believed that they were flown in China more than two thousand years ago. One legend suggests that when a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a strong wind, the first kite was born. "
Sterling engines exist; and they stop moving soon after the fuel runs out.