Spinnaker's Dream

Amidships the luxury cruise-liner a group of passengers gather to board the gondola that will waft them up to an aerostat trailing behind and far above the ship, said craft resembling nothing so much as a gaudy airborn pufferfish.

After a few minutes scenic travel in the comfortable pod, amidst oohs and ahhs and squeals of delighted children, once disembarked at the top of the cable, they are greeted by the Junior Sails Officer whose duties include introducing passengers to the lounge, bar and restaurant facilities. As he nonchalantly mentions the airborn Very-First-Class Cabins and Honeymoon Suites, his smooth delivery is interrupted by the First Officer poking his head out of the Flying Wheel Room long enough to tell the junior officer to "Report to Spar 17, there's a tacking wind coming in at 30deg relative". The junior officer's eyes light up and, as the passengers look on with askance, he hurries belowdecks after waving them in the direction of the Observation Lounge: "You don't want to miss this!".

As the hushed guests crowd to the windows there starts the sound of canvas being unfurled in a breeze. The heretofore mysterious poles attached to the craft at odd angles sprout huge sails one-by-one as 'The Spinnaker's Dream' LTA section smoothly arcs across a mile of open water into it's new tethered position far afront the luxury liner.

Or, for those of you who read the last paragraph first: a very large, crewed lighter-than-air sail assembly which not only tows its ocean liner around (or vice versa) but functions as one of its major passenger decks and attractions.