GB2260112A - Device for rolling up a sail - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for rolling up a sail comprises a pair of elongate members formed from aluminium tubing (1). The length of the tubes (1) is at least as great as the width of a sail (7) to be rolled up. The tubes (1) are interconnected adjacent their ends as by plates (3) a slot (2) being defined between the two tubes (1) through which the sail (7) can be inserted. The sail (7) can be rolled up around the two tubes (7), being drawn in from both ends at the same rate. Once a sail has been completely rolled up around the device, it may be removed from the mast and stored away. <IMAGE>

Description

DEVICE FOR ROLLING UP A SAIL The present invention relates to a device for rolling up sail, for instance for the purpose of furling or reefing the sail.

When in use, an open sail is generally supported by means of a vertical mast and a horizontal boom, such that the required area of sail is open to the wind. "Furling" refers to the process of securing away a sail that is not in use, the object being to secure the sail out of the way, generally by lashing it in a folded state to the boom.

"Reefing", refers to the process of reducing the extent of a sail open to the wind by taking in, or rolling up, part of the sail.

The most widely employed method of furling a sail is simply to release the sail from the mast and then gather it together, for example by folding it up, and lashing it to its boom. This method of furling a sail has several disadvantages. The method is relatively difficult to perform, and for a sail of a significant size may require several men if the sail is to be folded neatly, particularly in windy conditions. To bind the furled sail to the boom sufficiently securely to ensure that it doesn't unfurl or flap in the wind, it must be secured to the boom at a number of points along its length, further adding to the difficulty and time consumption of the task of furling.

Unused portions of a reefed sail cannot be easily lashed to the boom and therefore reefing is often achieved using more complex arrangements that can also be used to assist furling. For example, various motorised mechanical devices have been devised to furl or reef sails, which largely overcome the problems outlined above. Such devices range from relatively simple rotating booms to the provision of large hollow booms which have an internal motorised rotating shaft.

With such arrangements the sail is fixed to the rotating shaft and extends through a longitudinal slot in the boom. To furl or reef the sail the internal shaft is simply rotated, drawing the sail into the hollow boom. The sail may be taken in partially for reefing or completely furled away. These, and other similar motorised mechanical devices, are very effective and efficient at furling and reefing sails.

However, such devices are expensive to manufacture and do not represent a viable option for the majority of smaller sail craft.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for furling or reefing a sail which obviates or mitigates the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for rolling up a sail comprising a pair of elongate members the length of which is at least as great as the width of a sail to be rolled up, the elongate members being interconnected at or adjacent their ends such that a slot is defined therebetween through which the sail can be inserted.

To furl a sail, the sail is first lowered so that the device can be positioned halfway along the length of the sail, ie. midway between the ends of the sail in the direction in which it is to be rolled. The device is then rotated about the longitudinal axis between the elongate members. This rolls the sail up around the device, drawing in both ends of the sail at the same rate. To reef a sail, the procedure is essentially the same except the sail is lowered to a lesser extent and the device is positioned less than half way along the sail.

Once a sail has been fully rolled around the device it may be completely removed from its mast and boom and stored in a convenient place. This obviates the need to provide a separate sail covering to protect the sail from the elements when it is not in use.

Alternatively the device with sail rolled around it, could simply be secured to the boom or mast. The furled sail can be adequately secured to the boom or mast by simply tying each end of the device to the boom or mast, there being no need to secure the sail to the boom at a number of points along its length. The invention offers a further advantage in that even when used in conjunction with relatively large sails only two people are required to operate the device and furl the sail, one to support and rotate each end of the device.

Preferably the said elongate members are disposed parallel to each other. The said interconnection between the elongate members at or adjacent their ends may be permanent, or alternatively may be releasable at one or both ends to enable the device to be slipped over a sail.

A handle may be provided at one or both ends of the device to facilitate rotation of the device about the longitudinal axis between the elongate members.

Preferably the device is provided with means for releasibly fixing it to a boom or mast supporting the sail. For example, flexible tethers may be provided at each end of the device to tie the respective end of the device to the mast or boom.

If the device is to be used to reef the sail, both the means by which the device is secured to the mast or boom, e.g. the tethers, and the material from which the device is fabricated must be sufficiently strong to withstand the forces transmitted to them.

Preferably the device is provided with a slide member in slidable engagement with both said elongate members, the said slide member tending to draw the elongate members together reducing or maintaining the gap therebetween. For instance, the slide member could be a collar that fits around both elongate members and has an internal diameter approximately equal to the combined diameter of the two elongate members and the said gap defined therebetween. The slide member can then be used to pinch a sail between the elongate members to help secure the device to the sail and compensate for differences in sail thicknesses and therefore in the required gap between the two elongate members.

With the embodiments of the invention so far described above the device generally requires two people to operate, i.e. one to rotate each end of the device. In an alternative embodiment, adapted to be operated by a single person, the device is provided with means for fixing one end rotatably to the mast (or boom). For example, one end of the device may be rotatably attached to a bracket which is in slidable engagement with either the boom or the mast.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 1 fitted to a sail; Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the device of Figure 1 is used to furl a sail; Figure 4 shows a fully furled sail wrapped around the device of Figure 1 and detached from its boom and mast; and Figure 5 illustrates the device of Figure 1 used to reef a sail.

Referring to Fig. 1, the illustrated device comprises two equal length elongate members 1 formed from lengths of hollow aluminium tubing.

Aluminium tubing is used as it is light and has the required strength.

Alternatively, plastics materials such as glass fibre could be used to form the tubes. The tubular members 1 lie parallel to each other and are spaced apart to define a longitudinal gap 2 therebetween of sufficient width to accommodate the thickness of a sail. The respective ends of the tubular members 1 at each end of the device are joined together by means of lateral, oval shaped plates 3. Each plate 3 is fixed to the respective ends of the tubular members 1 by screws 4 which extend through the plate 3 and into plugs (not shown) provided in the open ends of the tubular members 1. A collar 5, of for example plastics material, embraces both tubular members 1 and is slidable along the length of the device. Flexible tethers 6 are fixed to the plates 3 at each end of the device.

In use, the device is fitted to a sail as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the device fitted to a typical triangular Bermudan sail 7 although it will be appreciated that the device could be fitted to sails of other shapes. Referring to Fig. 2, the sail 7 is supported between a vertical mast 8 and a horizontal boom 9. The bottom, horizontal edge or foot of the sail 7 is fattened, typically being edged by a length of rope, and is retained in a "keyhole" slot 10 defined along the length of the boom 9. The sail is fitted to, and removed from the boom by sliding its bottom end along the slot 10.

The device is fitted to the sail 7 such that it lies parallel to, and adjacent the boom 10, with the sail 7 sandwiched in the gap 2 defined between the tubular members 1. The sail 7 may be inserted into the gap 2 in the device before being mounted upon the mast and boom. Alternatively the device may be fitted to the sail 7 subsequent to its mounting, by first removing one of the plates 3 from one end of the device, slotting the device onto the sail 7 so that it is received within the gap 2, and then refitting the previously removed plate 3.

With the sail 7 open and in use, the device may simply rest on the boom 9 or be secured to the boom 9 by way of the tethers 6 which can be tied around the boom 9. The collar 5 is slid along the length of the device up to the edge of the sail 7. This helps pinch the sail 7 between the tubular members 1 and thereby to secure the device to the sail 7.

When it is desired to furl the sail 7 away, firstly the device is untied from the boom 9. The sail is lowered down the mast 8, as shown in Fig. 3, so that its midpoint is below the level of the boom 9. The device is moved along the length of the sail 7 to its midpoint.

This will generally require two people, one to support each end of the device. The device is then turned about its longitudinal axis, in either direction, so that the sail 7 is rolled around the two tubular members 1, both ends of the sail 7 being drawn towards the device at the same time. The device, with the sail 7 neatly wrapped around it, may then be retied to the boom 9 or removed entirely, the sail 7 simply sliding out of engagement with the boom 9. The sail 7, neatly and relatively compactly supported on the device, as illustrated by Fig. 4, can then be stored in a convenient place out of the way and protected from the elements. Unfurling the sail is simply the reverse of the above process.

In an alternative method of furling the sail, the device is first pulled away from the boom 9 so that it extends parallel with the boom 9 a short distance therefrom. The tethers 6 are fixed to the boom and limit this lateral movement of the device to the desired distance.

Alternatively, a restraining arm could be fitted to the device and the boom specifically for this purpose. The sail is then lowered down the mast so that a length of sail passes through the gap 2 in the device.

The length of sail lowered must be greater than the distance by which the device is spaced apart from the boom 9, but not so great that the sail reaches the deck. The device is then secured to the sail, for instance by tethers which may be secured to the plates 3 and tied to fore and aft reefing points in the sail. The length of sail extending between the device and the boom 9 thus forms a "bag" into which the rest of the sail is lowered. The device is rotated about is longitudinal axis to tighten the "bag" and the device is then secured adjacent the boom to effectively close the "bag". Thus the sail is neatly and readily furled away.

This method of furling the sail is particularly useful for large sails, such as the main sail, with which finding the mid-point of the sail may be difficult. Furthermore, this furling method has an advantage over the first described method in that it avoids the need to have the sail lowered onto the deck which can be an inconvenience with large sails.

Thus the invention offers a simple, cheap and easy to operate device that much simplifies the procedure of furling and unfurling a sail wherever more expensive and complicated motorised systems are not available. The device has the added advantage in that it provides a support upon which the sail can easily be removed from the boom.

The device may also be used to reef a sail (suitably modified) or used in conjunction with slab reefing. The procedure is essentially the same as that described above except that only a portion of the sail is rolled onto the device which is then re-secured to the boom.

Prior to rolling, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the sail 7 is dropped the desired amount and the device is positioned at a distance from the boom 9 equal to half the length of sail 7 that it is required to take in. When the device is used to reef a sail both the elongate members 1 and the tethers 6, or any other means by which the device is to be secured to the boom, must be sufficiently strong to withstand the stress imposed on them by the force of the wind in the sail (not applicable in the case of slab reefing). The above described device may also be used to furl or reef square rigged sails which are supported between a pair of horizontal booms mounted on a vertical central mast. In this case it is desirable that the device is fitted to the sail such that it extends parallel to and adjacent the mast. The device can then be used to furl or reef the sail from its position adjacent to the mast, without the need to reposition it, as it will already be midway between the ends of the sail.

Claims (12)

1. A device for rolling up a sail comprising a pair of elongate members the length of which is at least as great as the width of a sail to be rolled up, the elongate members being interconnected at or adjacent their ends such that a slot is defined therebetween through which the sail can be inserted.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said elongate members are disposed parallel to each other.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the said interconnection between the elongate members at or adjacent their ends is permanent.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the said interconnection between the elongate members at or adjacent their ends is releasable at one or both ends to enable the device to be slipped over a sail.

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a handle is be provided at one or both ends of the device to facilitate rotation of the device about the longitudinal axis between the elongate members.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is provided with means for releasably fixing it to a boom or mast supporting the sail.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the said means comprises flexible tethers fixed to one or both ends of the device.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is provided with a slide member in slidable engagement with both elongate members, the said slide member tending to draw the elongate members together pinching the sail therebetween.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the slide member comprises a collar that embraces both elongate members.

10. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided for fixing one end of the device rotatably to the mast or boom supporting the sail.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein one end of the device is rotatably attached to a bracket which is in engagement with the boom or the mast.

12. A device for rolling up a sail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.