GB2038262A - Securing device for a sail wishbone - Google Patents

Abstract

A device 11 to be used in securing the sail wishbone of a sail board to the mast of the said board. Spaced sockets 12, 13 receive the free ends 6 of the wishbone, the sockets being spaced so that the device can abut against the mast between the socket openings, with or without the interpolation of a resilient pad. A hook 18 protrudes from an initially upper face, to be engaged by a looped holding element secured about the mast. The device is then rotated by 180 DEG about a horizontal axis to engage the holding loop about the end of the device remote from the sockets, whereby the device is held against the mast by the holding loop. The loop may be resiliently extensible, or may be non-extensible when the resilient pad is provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sail securing device This invention relates to a device for use in the rigging of a sail board or wind surfer.

There has been known for several years a nautical sport consisting of supporting one's self on a hollow board of elongated shape like that of a canoe and provided essentially with a mast and a sail.

This sail is kept constantly under tension by means of a ring of very elongated shape usually referred to as a "wishbone". This ring, which surrounds the sail, replaces the boom of conventional rigging and it serves to permit the user of the board to carry out the various manoeuvres necessary for the steering of the sail board.

The securing of the wishbone to the mast is usually made in a conventional manner with rings and ropes, with the inconvenience of such a coupling means, for example the making oftheso-called "capstan" knot, the difficulty of undoing it, especially when the rope is wet, the necessity to have a wedging pin to retain the excess end portion, a more or less large play between the mast and the wishbone, loss of time, etc.

The device which is the subject of the invention is a very simple mounting element permitting a good coupling between the mast and the wishbone, without requiring any knot.

A non-limiting form of construction, given by way of example only, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows, in perspective, a sail board in its entirety; Figure 2 shows an element for coupling the wishbone to the mast; Figure 3 shows, on a reduced scale, a plan view of the coupling element, in its upper part, and a section on a plane at right angles along the line a, b, in its lower part; Figures 4, 5, 6, 7,8,9 and 10 show the manner of fixing to the mast the element shown in Figure 2; Figure 11 shows, in perspective, the mast, the coupling element, and the wishbone after they have been placed in position.

In Figure 1, showing the board provided with its rigging, reference numeral 1 designates the board which comprises a fixed fin 2 and a removable keel 3, these accessories being indispensable for the stability of the sailing device during its progression with the wind at the side.

Above the board there are a mast 4 fixed to the board by a ball coupling 5, and a wishbone 6 surrounding a sail 7. The edge of the sail 7 which touches the mast is provided with a sheath 8 formed by a hem of the sail. In this sheath the mast is engaged in such a manner that the sail is supported along its entire length. The sheath 8 comprises an opening 9 at the region where the wishbone fixes to the mast, this region being indicated in Figure 1 by a circle in broken line. It is also from this point that there runs a small length of knotted rope 10 referred to as the hoisting end and serving for lifting up the sail again when the latter has been flat down in the water.

Figure 2 shows, in perspective, the element 11 for fixing the wishbone to the mast. This element comprises two tubular sockets 12 and 13 in which there are fitted the two free front ends of the wishbone which form a "V". Between the sockets 12 and 13 there is placed a part-cylindrical recess 14 in which there is seated a portion of the mast when the element is in position. At the end of the element 11 remote from the sockets 12 and 13 there are disposed two resilient blocks 15 and 16 separated by a gap 17. At the end of this gap 17 there is disposed a belaying hook 18 one end of which is buried in the thickness of the element. The whole forms an integral structure, although being constructed of rigid material for the part having the sockets, and of a relatively flexible material for the blocks 15 and 16.

Figure 3 shows, in its upper part, the element 11 for fixing the wishbone, seen in plan. There can be seen in this view the recess 14, the blocks 15 and 16 separated by the gap 17, and the hook 18.

The lower part of Figure 3 shows the element 11 in central section taken on a normal plane passing through the broken line a,b. The position of the hook 18 is readily seen, as also that of the gap 17. There is now described the manner of fixing the element 11 to the mast 4.

Figures 4 to 10 indicate the manner of proceeding for fixing the element 11 to the mast 4 of the sail board. This is carried out by means of a resiliently extensible loop-shaped strap 19.

On Figure 4 this strap 19 can be seen engaged about the mast by a simple sliding knot.

This first operation being performed, one pulls on the free end of the sliding knot to tighten it and present its terminal loop 20 in front of the hook 18 of the fixing element 11. This is what is shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 7 shows the assembly after the hooking up, and it should be noted here that the gap 17 is directed towards the mast 4.

The following operation consists in tilting the whole about the hook 18 in the direction of the arrow F whilst keeping the strap well under tension.

Figure 8 shows the first part of this rotation, when the wishbone fixing element has carried out a quarter of a turn, the strap 19 being engaged in the gap 17 where it is wedged at the interior of a toothed "V".

In Figure 9, the movement of rotation in the direction of the arrow F has been carried out still further and the wishbone fixing element 11 has almost terminated its half turn. It then abuts against the mast 4, and this latter engages into the cylindrical recess 14.

In Figure 10, the element is in position and has assumed a position perpendiculartothe mast 4. For that purpose it has had to strain the resiliently extensible strap 19 and has caused some extension thereof. If this placing in position is too difficult, it is possible to put the wishbone in place by engaging its ends in the sockets 12 and 13 (see Figure 2), whereafterthe wishbone may be as a lever.

Figure 11 shows the whole assembly in position.

The wishbone fixing element 11 is locked against the mast 4 by the strap 19 and the ends of the wishbone 6 placed in position in the sockets 12 and 13 of the element 11, (see Figure 2).

The wishbone cannot under any circumstances disengage itself because it is constantly pressed against the coupling element 11 by the tension of the sail 7 which, in its turn, is secured firmly to the mast by its junction point 22 therewith. At the point 21 there is a coupling between the sail 7 and the wishbone 6 (see Figure 1).

This coupling of the wishbone to the mast is simplerthan that which uses roping. It is placed in position more rapidly and assures fixation without any play between the mast and the wishbone, which assures a more precise adjustment of the sail.

A modification of the invention producing the same effects may be obtained by replacing the resiliently extensible strap by an inextensible coupling, and by interpolating between the mast and the internal face of the wishbone end a flexible pad or cushion the compression of which will assure the firm holding ofthe assembly.

Claims (19)

1. A device, for use in securing the sail wishbone of a sail board to the mast of the sail board, comprising a body having sockets to receive respective free ends of the wishbone, the openings of said sockets being spaced to permit the body to abut against the mast between said sockets, and means on said body for securing thereto an element for holding the device in abutment with the mast.

2. A device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has a part-cylindrical recess positioned between the openings of the sockets to form a seating forthe mast against the body.

3. A device, as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein the securing means is a hook on the body.

4. A device, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said socket openings are provided at a first end of the body, and wherein at an opposed second end of the body there are provided means for gripping the holding element.

5. A device, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said gripping means is a V-shaped recess.

6. A device, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said recess is defined between toothed elements.

7. A device, as claimed in either of claims 5 and 6, wherein said recess is defined between resiliently deformable elements.

8. A device, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the body has a resilient pad between said socket openings to abut against the mast.

9. In combination, a device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, and a holding element.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the holding element is or includes a resiliently extensible loop.

11. In combination, a device as claimed in claim 8 and a non-extensible holding element.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the holding element is or includes a loop.

13. The method of securing a wishbone to a mast, utilising the combination of claim 10, or of claim 12, which includes the steps of: (i) placing said loop about the mast and passing one end of the loop through the other end of the loop to form a running knot, (ii) engaging said one end of the loop with the securing means when the device is in a first position of rotation about a horizontal axis, (iii) rotating the device through 180 about said axis to cause the loop to become engaged with the body remote from the socket openings, (iv) placing the body in contact with mast, between the socket openings, (v) prior to, or after, step (iv), engaging the free ends of the wishbone in the socket openings.

14. The device claimed in claim 1 substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

15. The combination of device and holding element claimed in claim 10 substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4, of the accompanying drawings.

16. The combination of device and holding element claimed in claim 12 substantially as described herein.

17. The method claimed in claim 13 substantially as described herein.

18. A sailing apparatus including the securing device of any one of claims 1 to 9 and 14.

19. A sailing apparatus including the combination of securing device and holding element claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12, 15 and 16.