Retrofitting a Buoy to Provide Dynamic Control of a Freeboard of the Buoy

A retrofit kit for retrofitting a buoy to provide dynamic control of a freeboard of the buoy, the retrofit kit comprising:

• a plurality of buoyancy chambers for surrounding a vertical axis of the buoy with a center of mass of the buoy disposed on the vertical axis below the buoyancy chambers, the buoyancy chambers for providing a variable buoyancy ranging from a minimum buoyancy to a maximum buoyancy;
• an air reservoir for an inflation of the buoyancy chambers;
• and
• a valve arrangement for dynamically setting the freeboard of the buoy upon the inflation and a deflation of the buoyancy chambers for varying the variable buoyancy between the minimum buoyancy and the maximum buoyancy.

A buoy after retrofitting to provide dynamic control of a freeboard of the buoy, the buoy comprising:

• a plurality of buoyancy chambers surrounding a vertical axis of the buoy with a center of mass of the buoy disposed on the vertical axis below the buoyancy chambers, the buoyancy chambers for providing a variable buoyancy ranging from a minimum buoyancy to a maximum buoyancy;
• an air reservoir for an inflation of the buoyancy chambers;
• a valve arrangement for dynamically setting the freeboard of the buoy upon the inflation and a deflation of the buoyancy chambers for varying the variable buoyancy between the minimum buoyancy and the maximum buoyancy;
• and
• a ballast disposed along the vertical axis below the buoyancy chambers, wherein the buoy has the freeboard with a first positive value before the retrofitting with the buoyancy chambers, the air reservoir, the valve arrangement, and the ballast, but, after the retrofitting, the valve arrangement sets the freeboard anywhere between a negative value, which is achieved when the buoyancy chambers provide the minimum buoyancy, and a second positive value, which is achieved when the buoyancy chambers provide the maximum buoyancy.