GB2342907A - Improvements relating to the sails of sailing vessels - Google Patents

Abstract

A system of pressurisable elastic tubes is built into the foot, shoulder and the luff of various sails, so that, when they are pressurised, the area and especially the stiffness of the sails is increased. So that, particularly in 'lumpy 'seas, the boat will have a much better performance as well as a more comfortable ride. Similar tubular battens can be fitted where appropriate. They are all inflated by a bottle of pressurised gas, or a pump, so that the pressure may be adjusted to suit the conditions.

Description

Improvements relating to the Sails of Sailing Vessels.

When sailing in light airs, in sailing boats or yachts, all the sails need to be set so as to present the largest possible area to the wind and, so as to keep their shape, are made of very light material. Except of course the mainsail which, generally, is never changed whatever the wind strength.

But, and it is a big BUT; large light sails are very fine if the if the sea is calm or nearly so, but very demanding if there is any sort of a sea running. As the boat rolls in the waves the sails fold and flap about and need constant attention by the crew in the hope that they can prevent them getting damaged and stop the dreadfull noise they make.

This is in what is known as a'left-over'swell where the sea, raised by the last wind, now'fallen light', is still there. As a last resort you can always take the sails down but you promptly lose their stabilising effect and your boat becomes much more uncomfortable as it rolls about more than ever. And, if you do not want to stay where you are, you now have to put up with the engine noise.

And the object of the present invention is to make-especially large light sails- (though it is not limited to them alone) much nicer and easier to use in light airs and lumpy seas as well as making them present a larger area to the wind. This larger area will tend to be higher up the mast where, especially in'light airs'the wind is stronger. So that your yacht is not only faster but much more comfortable and needing less attention.

And this desirable objective is achieved in the following manner.

A flexible elastic tube, or tubes, is built into both the luff and the foot of the genoa; into the shoulder and foot of the spinnaker and the luff of the main-sail. And these tubes are inflated by some means. A pump or a bottle of compressed gas via a pressure regulator set so that the safe pressure could not be exceeded together with a gauge so that the pressures could be recorded if desired. And the higher the pressures the stiffer the tubes. So the sails would retain their shape more or less regardless of the motion of the boat, which motion, because of the stiffness of the sail-sails-is much less than it otherwise would be. And main-sails often have'battens'to stiffen them. These could now be tubes connected to the tube on the luff and pressurised from it.

Or, alternatively, they could have their own supply pipe And catamarans often have fully battened main-sails (the most unwieldy thing you ever meet on the deck of a yacht!) could now have pressurised tubes batten, whose stiffness could not only be adjusted to suit the conditions but could be let down completely when you wanted to put it in it's bag. Very much easier than extracting lots of twenty foot long battens ! The accompanying diagrams, not to scale, shows roughly-Fig 1- how the tubes could be formed and their battens laid out. The extra lines round the edge of the sails shows where these tubes could be fitted. Fig 2 shows the tube applied to a main-sil and shows how the area might be increased. Fig 3 show the same thing on a genoa.

And Fig 4 shows the very large increase in'high-up'area to be expected with a spinnaker. And'T'= tube.

The gas supply could be anywhere convenient but the cockpit is the obvious place so that the helmsman could control it. Fixed supply pipes would go from there to the mast and the forestay where it would connect with the sails.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS.

1. A pneumatic system for increasing and adjusting the area and the stiffness of sails on sailing boats while they are hoisted and sailing.

Normally the sails would not be pressurised until after they are hoisted.

2. A system, as in Claim 1, which allows the area and the stiffness to adjusted very quickly.

3. A system, as in Claim 1, which allows the stiffness of battens to be altered as desired.

4. A system, as in Claim 1, which allows fully battened sails to be taken down and put away as if they had no battens at all.

But battens, on some sails, could, if desired, be pressurised before being hoisted.