NL2009693C2 - Protective sail cover having individually operable lashing cords or lashing cord segments. - Google Patents

Description

P31362NL00/RR

Title: Protective sail cover having individually operable lashing cords or lashing cord segments.

The invention relates to the field of protective covers for sails of sailboats, in particular headsails of the type which are Tollable around a stay. A lot of sailboats are equipped with such headsails which are to be rolled up around a stay when not in use. In order to protect such a headsail against weather influences at those moments when it is not 5 used for sailing, an elongate sleeve-shaped protective cover can be placed around it.

Such a protective cover for example is known from NL-1021896. This cover comprises an elongated piece of cloth which can be gradually wrapped around a rolled up headsail while getting zipped up. For facilitating this process, the elongated cloth initially is stored on or inside some kind of storage organ, like a bag, and, then during applying, is 10 hoisted from out of this storage organ upwards along an assembly of stay and a headsail which has been rolled around it. During the upwards hoisting of the cover, a closure of the zipper is fixedly held downwards by being mounted to for example a railing of the boat. Because of this, the gradual hoisting up of the cover automatically results in the zipper getting gradually zipped up while the cloth takes the shape of a circumferentially closed 15 sleeve around the rolled up headsail.

A disadvantage here is that the cover merely loosely wraps around a large part of the headsail. This is caused by the fact that during hoisting the zipped up cover needs to pass over a thickest part of the rolled up headsail, that is to say a part where the largest area of the triangular headsail has been rolled up, and thus where the rolled up headsail locally has 20 become the thickest. The loosely wrapping however has the effect that the cover shall heavily flap around and against the headsail when it is windy. This flapping causes the cover and the headsail underneath it to wear out rapidly. Furthermore the flapping causes a lot of undesired noise.

GB-2 222 993 discloses a protective sail cover which tries to prevent the undesired 25 flapping by equipping the cover with additional lashing means. For this an acrylic or polyester fibre lashing rope is provided which links a series of eyelets along a reverse side of the cover. With this a single rope is used which is laced up crisscross along the plurality of eyelets. After the cover is hoisted and zipped up entirely, two outer ends of the lashing rope can be pulled down. This lashes up the cover and thus takes away some of the play 30 between the cover and the rolled up headsail.

A disadvantage here however is that this cover is somewhat troublesome and heavy in use. Not only is it difficult to sufficiently lash up the cover over its entire length, it has -2- appeared even more difficult to strike or lower the cover when it is desired again to unroll the headsail for sailing purposes. This is caused by the fact that segments of the rope may get stuck at various height positions in between respective eyelets. During a hoisting operation, rope segments which get stuck, immediately stand in the way of further lashing up that part 5 of the cover as well as of the part above it. During a striking operation, rope segments which get stuck keep that part of the cover as well as of the part above it, lashed up. Those still lashed up parts of the cover then are unable to pass by the thickest part of the rolled up headsail and make it impossible to further lower the cover. It may even be the case that it becomes necessary to first unzip the entire cover while it is still wrapped around the headsail 10 in order to be able to strike it. For this a hoisting cable like a halyard then needs to be connected to a runner of the zipper which then can be hoisted. If even this does not work, for example because the zipper is locally tensioned to heavily to be able to unzip it there, it may even be necessary to have a person be hoisted up along the mast in order to be able to manually release the stuck segments of the lashing rope.

15 The abovementioned disadvantages together have the effect that a lot of sailors frequently do not use the protective cover at all, even though they already have it available at their boats, and despite the fact that they consciously know that this means that they shall have to replace their entire headsail far more quickly because of unprotected storage. The replacing of the entire headsail is quite expensive in particular for large sailboats with high 20 masts and corresponding large headsails.

The present invention aims to at least partly overcome one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages and/or to provide a usable alternative. In particular the present invention aims to provide a user-friendly reliable protective sail cover which is easy to apply and remove again from a rolled up sail, in particular from a rolled up headsail.

25 This aim is achieved by a protective sail cover according to claim 1. The cover comprises an elongated piece of cloth with first and second longitudinal side edge parts extending in a longitudinal direction. Complementary fastening means extend alongside the first and second longitudinal side edge parts. Those fastening means can be fastened together for obtaining a so-called release state in which the piece of cloth forms an 30 elongated sleeve. When hoisted upwardly via operation of a hoisting cable which has been connected to a hoisting cable connection provided at an upper end of the cover, the elongated fastened together sleeve is well able to cover a rolled up sail. Lashing means are provided as a kind of secondary fastening means for lashing up the sleeve from its release state into a so-called tensioned state. Those lashing means comprise a first row of eyelets 35 provided at interspaced positions underneath each other along the first longitudinal side edge part and a second row of eyelets provided at interspaced positions underneath each other along the second longitudinal side edge part. Furthermore the lashing means comprise -3- one or more lashing cords which extend in between the eyelets of the respective first and second rows. According to the inventive thought the lashing means further comprise at least one pull cord which is connected at a plurality of height positions along said longitudinal direction with the one or more lashing cords. From there the pull cord extends to a lower end 5 of the cover. Exertion of a pull force on the pull cord results in a distinctive stepped lashing of segments of the one or more lashing cords at the plurality of height positions which causes the sleeve to be properly lashed up into its tensioned state.

This has the important advantage that it is now possible to tension and release a plurality of lashing cord segments by means of a central operation of the pull cord. Thus a 10 reliable and sufficient tensioning and releasing of the sleeve has become possible, in particular there where it is most needed, that is to say there where the rolled up sail is the thinnest and thus the sleeve needs to be lashed up or released the most. A getting stuck of respective lashing cord segments at or in between pairs of eyelets no longer takes place and/or no longer has a negative influence on lashing cord segments lying there above. Thus 15 the risk of one or more lashing cord segments getting stuck at positions where they cannot easily be reached anymore by a user/sailor no longer exists or is at least largely reduced. During a striking operation, the release of the pulling force at each of the plural connections of the pull cord at said various height positions with the corresponding lashing cord segments, immediately cause all of those segments to be fully released again. This has the 20 effect that each pair of eyelets no longer is lashed together. Thus the entire cover gets unlashed and is ready for an easy and smooth striking operation by means of a suitable lowering of a hoisting cable and releasing of the fastening means. According to the invention the cover is quickly and easily hoistable and strikable. Nothing stands in the way anymore of the user/sailor more frequently using the cover for protecting his sails and thus suitably 25 protect all of his sails against all kinds of weather influences, like sunshine, wind, rain and dirt.

It is possible to use only one lashing cord which extends along al eyelets. It is also possible to use a limited number of distinctive lashing cords which each extend along a plurality of pairs of opposing ones of the eyelets. In a preferred embodiment however an 30 individual distinctive lashing cord is used for each pair of opposing eyelets. The pull cord then can be connected with each of those distinctive lashing cords. This has the risk of one of the lashing cords getting stuck relative to its eyelets is minimized. Another advantage is that if one of the lashing cords breaks the other ones remain in function and still are well able to keep the cover sufficiently lashed up around the sail for some time. A user can then 35 see the breaking of this one lashing cord as indication that the other lashing cords also need to be replaced at short notice. Yet another advantage is that each lashing cord only has to extend in between two opposing eyelets it connects together. The individual length of the -4- lashing cords can thus be kept relative short, and thus also the amount of friction it has with the cover material during lashing or unlashing.

In a further preferred embodiment each distinctive lashing cord is formed as an endless loop which extends freely moveable through its respective pair of opposing eyelets.

5 The pull cord can then be connected at only one location to the endless loop, for example to only a lower segment thereof, in particular in the middle to a center part thereof, which lies centrally in between the respective opposing eyelets. When a pulling force is then exerted to the pull cord, each loop-shaped lashing cord then shall be pulled into a triangular shape, with the lower segment being pulled downwards into an angle and an upper segment 10 remaining substantially horizontal and lashing the eyelets towards each other until the cover at that specific location has gotten wrapped tight around the rolled up sail segment.

In an even further embodiment the distinctive lashing cords have been given individual lengths such that they each are able to span a width which is equal to or greater than a sideways distance between their respective pair of eyelets. In the case of the lashing 15 cords being loop-shaped, this means that the individual total length of each loop is at least equal to or greater than twice the sideways distance between their respective pair of eyelets. Thus a release state is defined in which the piece of cloth and/or cover is truly unlashed and has not gotten tensioned at all until a downwards pulling force is going to be exerted on the pull cord.

20 In addition or as a variant at least one of the lashing cords, in particular one of the upper lashing cords, spans a shorter width than at least another one of the lashing cords, in particular one of the lower lashing cords. Owing to this it can now automatically be obtained that when the pull cord is pulled down, this shorter one of the lashing cords gets actively lashed up at an earlier stage than when this longer one of the lashing cords gets tensioned. 25 Thus it can be timed when and in what order the respective lashing cords need to be lashed up when the pull cord is pulled down.

Advantageously the one or more lashing cords are made out of an elastic material. This has the advantage that when the pull cord is released again the individual lashing cord segments in between the eyelets automatically have the tendency to unleash and let the 30 pairs of eyelets and the cover itself take their original unlashed release position again.

Further preferred embodiments are stated in the subclaims.

The invention also relates to a sailboat provided with a protective sail cover and to a method for applying the protective sail cover.

35 The invention shall be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: -5-

Fig. 1a, b show a schematic perspective view seen from above and a schematic front view of an embodiment according to the invention of the elongated piece of cloth;

Fig. 2a-d show a side view and an enlarged partial side, front and back view of a sailboat with the cover of fig. 1 hoisted upwardly over only a first part of a rolled up headsail; 5 Fig. 3a-d show views similar to fig. 2a-d with the cover hoisted upwardly over the entire rolled up headsail and with lashing means and cover in a release state;

Fig. 4a-d show views similar to fig. 3a-d with the lashing means and cover in a tensioned state;

Fig. 5a, b schematically shows the release and tensioned states in side view; and 10 Fig. 6a, b show front, side and upper views of an embodiment of the connection organ with and without being connected to the lashing and pull cords.

The entire cover has been given the reference numeral 1 in fig. 1 and 2. The cover 1 comprises an elongated rectangular piece of cloth 2 with a triangular shaped upper end part 15 3. A hoisting cable connection 4 is provided at an upper corner of the part 3. The elongated piece of cloth 2 has a longitudinal direction y and a width direction x. Longitudinal side edge parts 5a, b are formed with folded back segments 5a’, b’ of the piece of cloth 2. Complementary zipper parts 7a, b extend along folding edges of the side edge parts 5a, b.

Each of the segments 5a’, b’ is provided with a row of eyelets 8a, b. Each of the 20 eyelets 8a, b comprises a sailring pressed onto/into the cloth material and a guiding ring connected freely hingeable thereto. The eyelets 8a, b are provided at interspaced distances d underneath each other. The respective first and second row of eyelets 8a, b form pairs of opposing eyelets 8a, 8b. Between each pair of opposing eyelets 8a, b an elastic loopshaped lashing cord 10 is provided. With this the loop-shaped lashing cords 10 extend freely 25 moveable through the guiding rings. In an unlashed state as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the lashing cords 10 are substantially released/relaxed and free from tension. This is obtained by each cord 10 spanning a width which is equal to or larger than a width w between a pair of opposing eyelets 8a, b.

A non-elastic pull cord 12 extends in the longitudinal direction y along the center of 30 the lashing cords 10. The pull cord 12 is connected to each of the lashing cords 10 by means of suitable connection pieces 13 of the click-on type. The connection pieces 13 have the advantage that they are easily adjustable to variable positions on the pull cord 12 and/or lashing cords 10. Furthermore the pull cord 12 is connected at its upper end to the hoisting cable connection 4. At its lower end the pull cord 12 has a free hanging part which can be 35 gripped by a user. With this the pull cord 12 has been given an initial play between its upper connection piece 13 and its fixation to the hoisting cable connection 4. For the rest it extends substantially play free in between the other connection pieces 13.

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At a lower end of the piece of cloth 2 a tensioning band 15 is provided. During use the zipper parts 7a, b can be zipped together in such a way that the piece of cloth 2 forms an elongated sleeve with the lashing cords 10 and the pull cord 12 extending along a reverse outer side. By means of subsequently exerting a pulling force on the lower end of 5 the pull cord 12, the loop-shaped lashing cords 10 can be partly pulled down into triangular tensioned shapes while at the same time lashing their opposing eyelets 8a, b towards each other. Thus the sleeve can be lashed up(see fig. 5). The amount with which the pull cord 12 can be pulled down is limited by means of its fixation with the hoisting cable connection 4. As soon as its initial play at that position is taken up, then a further pulling down of the pull 10 cord 12 is blocked.

A suitable method for applying and then lashing the cover 1 around a headsail 20 which has been rolled up around a forestay 21 of a sailboat 22 is shown in fig. 2a-d, 3a-d, and 4a-d.

With this a storage bag 23 inside which the cover 1 is stored, is hung to a railing 24 15 of the sailboat 22. A hoisting cable 25 is connected to the hoisting cable connection 4. Subsequently an upper part of the cover 1 is wrapped around a lower part of the rolled up headsail 20, and the zipper parts 7a, b of this upper part are zipped together. A pulling part 27 (runner) of the zipper 7 is connected to the railing 24.

The cover 1 can then be hoisted upwardly by pulling the hoisting cable 25. With this 20 the zipper parts 7a, b automatically zip up. The hoisting continues until substantially the entire headsail 20 has been covered. The tensioning band 15 can then be wrapped around the lower part of the cover 1 and closed. Thus the situation according to fig. 3 is obtained. As can be clearly seen in fig. 3b, d, the pull cord 12 in this situation is still freely hanging down.

25 As a final step, which is shown in fig. 4a-d, the pull cord 12 can then be pulled down.

This has the effect that the lashing cords 10 get tensioned and lash their corresponding pairs of eyelets 8a, b towards each other. This situation is shown in fig. 4. As soon as the cover 1 has been lashed up sufficiently, the pull cord 12 can be fixated to the boat 22, for example to the railing 24 thereof. The zipped up sleeve-shaped cover 1 in its longitudinal 30 direction y then is tensioned in between its hoisting cable connection 24 and its zipper pulling part 27 and/or tensioning band 15 because of the pulled hoisting cable 25, while at the same time the cover 1 is lashed up in its circumferential sideways direction x by means of the plurality of tensioned lashing cords 10.

Whenever it is desired to strike the cover 1 again, the above steps can be reversed, 35 meaning that first of all the pull cord 12 is released, after which the tensioning band 15 can be opened, and, after release of the hoisting cable 25, the cover 1 can be pulled down and stored into the bag 23 again.

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An advantageous alternative embodiment of the connection piece is shown in fig. 6.

It is somewhat T-shaped and comprises two leg parts 30a, 30b which are designed to take up two free end parts of a lashing cord 31, fixate them with the connection piece and thus fixate them with each other in order to have the lashing cord 31 form an endless loop.

5 Furthermore the connection piece comprises a first and second opening 32a, 32b through which a pull cord 33 can extend while at the same time being wrapped with half a turn around a grooved central body part 34 of the connection piece. Thus the connection piece is well able to on the one hand be fixedly connected to the lashing cord 31 and on the other hand be reliably connected to the pull cord 33. The connection piece is still replaceable over 10 the pull cord 33, because the pull cord 33 can be pulled through the openings 32a, 32b to a greater or lesser extent by means of a simple sliding operation as long as it is not tensioned yet. Thus the exact location of the connection piece on the pull cord 33 can easily be changed, for example because it is desired to tune the lashing of that specific lashing cord to an earlier or later moment in time. If it is desired to replace a lashing cord 31 or to make it 15 somewhat shorter then this can be done without first having to remove the connection piece of the pull cord 33. Instead of providing the connection piece with upper and lower through going openings for the pull cord, it is also possible to provide it with upper and lower hooks behind which the pull cord can be hooked after it has been wrapped one or more times around a central part of the connection piece. This makes it more easy to add or remove 20 connection pieces to or from the pull cord.

Besides the embodiment shown, numerous variants are possible. For example other materials, dimensions and shapes can be used for the various parts of the cover. Instead of a zipper, other types of suitable fastening means can be used, like Velcro, buttons, lacing and the like. The lashing cords can also be made out of non-elastic material. Instead of 25 using assemblies of sail rings and guiding rings as eyelets, it is also possible to use other types of guiding/connecting organs for guiding/connecting the lashing cord(s) with the cover. Instead of using only one pull cord for all of the lashing cords, it is also possible to use two or more pull cords, each being connected to a limited number of the lashing cords. This can for example be advantageous in the case of large sailboats having high masts and 30 corresponding high headsails which require a large length of cover (up to more than 15 metres) to be used and lashed up. The cover can also be used for protecting other types of sails, for example a main sail rolled up around a mast or the like. Depending on the used material of the cover, it can be made thicker or thinner or more flexible or stiff. Likewise the type and thickness of the (elastic) lashing cords may differ. The total length of the cover may 35 also have an impact on having to use thicker or thinner (elastic) lashing cords. The lashing cords can be tuned depending on the length of the cover and the maximum thickness of the headsail and the height position of this maximum thickness. Those are aspects which might -8- typically differ per sailboat. The tuning can be done by choosing suitable lengths for the respective lashing cords depending on their height position along the cover, and/or by adjusting their connection positions with the pull cord. Preferably the tuning is such that upper lashing cords get tensioned somewhat sooner than lower lashing cords.

5 Thus the invention makes it possible to tension or release a plurality of lashing cords, at the same time or in a timed, for example stepped manner, by means of one common operation of merely a central pull cord. The cover can quickly and easily be applied and removed from around a rolled up sail by only one single person and without running a risk of the cover not getting lashed up sufficiently and/or it not being possible to strike the cover 10 again because of jamming lashing means.

Claims (15)

Protective sail cover for covering a rolled up sail of a sailboat, comprising: - an elongated piece of cloth with first and second longitudinal side portions extending in a longitudinal direction; Complementary fastening means extending along the first and second longitudinal side edge portions and capable of being fastened together to cause the piece of cloth to form an elongated sleeve in a release position to cover an rolled sail; - a hoisting cable connection provided at an upper end of the cover; and - tensioning means for tensioning the sleeve from its release position to a tensioned position; wherein the fastening means comprise a first row of eyes which are provided at spaced positions, below each other, along the first longitudinal side edge part and a second row of eyes which are provided at spaced apart positions, below each other, along the second longitudinal side edge part, and wherein the tensioning means comprise one or more tensioning cords extending between the eyes of the respective first and second rows, characterized in that the tensioning means further comprise at least one pull cord which is connected to the one or more longitudinal direction along said longitudinal direction a plurality of tensile cords and extending therefrom to a lower end of the sleeve such that the exertion of a tensile force on the tensile cord results in a distinctly stepped tying of the one or more tensile cords at the multiple height positions and thereby tying the sleeve into its causing stressed position. 2. Protective sail cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second rows of eyes are provided in pairs of opposite eyes, wherein each pair of eyes is connected to each other by means of a separate cord of said cord, and wherein the pull cord is connected is with each of the individual drawstrings. - ✔. Protective sail cover according to claim 2, wherein each individual tie cord is loop-shaped and extends freely movable through its respective pair of opposite eyes. Protective protective cover as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drawstring is connected at one location to each of the individual loop-shaped tensioning cords. A protective sail cover according to any one of the preceding claims 2-4, wherein the drawstring is connected to central parts of the individual tension cords. A protective sail cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 2-5, wherein, in the release position, the individual tensioning cords each span a width that is equal to or greater than a lateral distance between its respective pair of eyes. A protective sail cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 2-6, wherein, in the release position, some of the individual tensioning cords span larger widths than some of the other individual tensioning cords. 8. Protective sail cover as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein one or more tensile cords are made from an elastic material. A protective sail cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drawstring is made of a non-elastic material. Protective protective cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper edge part of the piece of cloth is triangular in shape. A protective sail cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening means comprise a zipper. 30 A protective sail cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein connecting members are used for connecting the pull cord to the one or more tensile cords. A protective sail cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the longitudinal side edge portions are formed by folded-back segments of the piece of cloth, wherein the fastening means extend substantially along folding edges of the folded-back segments and wherein the eyes are provided on the folded-back segments . 14. Sailboat provided with a protective sail cover according to one of the preceding claims. Method for applying a protective sail cover according to one of the preceding claims around a sail of a sailboat, comprising the steps of: - providing the elongated piece of cloth near a lower end of the sail; 10. connecting a hoisting cable with the hoisting cable connection; gradually lifting the elongated piece of cloth while at the same time the complementary fastening means are gradually fastened to each other such that the release position is obtained in which the piece of cloth forms an elongated sleeve covering the rolled up tarpaulin; and 15. tightening the sleeve from the release position to the tensioned position by exerting a pulling force on the pull cord at the lower end of the sleeve such that the one or more tension cords are individually tensioned at the plurality of height positions. 20 25