US3185121A

US3185121A - Spinnaker sail jibe

Info

Publication number: US3185121A
Application number: US302022A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nilsen Leif
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-08-14
Filing date: 1963-08-14
Publication date: 1965-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-25

Description

May 25, 1965 NlLsEN SPINNAKER SAIL JIBE .2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 14, 1963 INVENTOR LE/F /V/LSE/V May 25, 1965 l.. NlLsEN SPINNAKER SAIL JIBE Filed Aug. 14, 1965 .2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 W SNN.

INVENTOR El/' /V/L SEN Mm/w ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,135,121 SHNNAKER SAIL MBE Lei? Niisen, 165 N. th St., Lindenhurst, FLY. Fiied Ang. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 3222 3 Ciaims. (Cl. Mii-193) The broad object of this invention is a mechanical device by the use of which the need of a bowrnan on a sailing yacht during shifting of a spinnaker pole from port to starboard and vice Versa is eliminated. A more specific object is a process of changing tack while accomplishing the said object. Another object is a new combination spinnaker sail and spinnaker pole. A still more speciiic object is a metal iitting for the fore (or outboard) end of a wooden spinnaker pole.

The accompanying drawing and descriptions disclose the invention. FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic top plan. FIGURE 2 is a perspective view `o a spinnaker, the pole, its attachment to the broken away main mast and to the fitting. FIGURE 3 is perspective of the fitting, showing it attached to a fore end of the spinnaker pole. FIGURE 4 is a top plan view with parts broken away and shown in section. FIGURE 5 is a cross section of FIGURE 4 on the line 5 5.

A detail description of the various parts is as follows: 1 is the main mast; 2 is the spinnaker pole; 3 is an ensemble of the end of the fitting at a clew in the port end of the spinnaker skirt; 4 is the spinnaker skirt; 5 is the clew and attached sheet at the opposite end of the skirt; 6a represents standing rigging; 6 represents pulleys; 7 is the fore guy; 8 represents sheet ropes; 9 represents cleats for holding sheets taut; 10 are winches for tightening the aft guy 7A; and 11 is the cockpit all in FIGURE l. Now referring to Sheet 2: 12 is the spinnaker fitting as a whole; 13 are slidable pins pressed forward by springs 14; 15 are projections from the pins passing through the springs to the hooks, i6; 17 is an upward projection drilled to support the pins as shown; 17A is a cavity necessary for assembling and operating the hooks; 18 are interlocked rings, through the outer one of which the aft guys are passed as hereinafter described; 19 is a sliding bracket on the main mast allowing the spinnaker pole to be moved up the mast when setting sail; and 20 is a pole lift to the mast to be slack in tilting pole down when shifting the pole to change tack.

The hull, deck, mast, other sails, jib sail and its stay running to the main mast are all conventional.

The advantage of this spinnaker fitting is for easier handling from one jibe to another, namely, starboard and port. twas only a few years ago when on a twelve meter yacht there had to be four men on the fore deck during sailing to handle a spinnaker from one jibe to another (starboard and port). Then in the year of the cup defenders in 1958, they came up with dipping the spinnaker pole under the jib stay, the pole being allowed to swing from the port jibe to the starboard, which eliminated three men on the fore deck under the jibe procedure.

The invention of the Vim (twelve meter) Jibe left one man on the fore deck liable to be knocked out by the spinnaker pole coming across the deck. He might fail to fasten the after guy into the one pin spinnaker fitting which is required. To eliminate the one man one the fore deck, I have invented the two release pins in the spinnaker fitting.

The two pin spinnaker pole fitting and all necessary rigging are laid out on deck. The two after guys are put under the two pins by depressing the springs, or if through a ring, they are attached as shown in FIGURE 3. The guys are snapped into the clews of the spinnaker. After the spinnaker is set and the jibe of the spinnaker is determined, there is no need for an after guy to be 3,185,121 Patented May 25, 1965 snapped in by the bowman, as with the Vim Jibe. Then, all that has to be done is to release the after guy on the winch, whereby allowing it to swing across the bow under the jib stay by releasing the boom lift and pulling in on the after guy on the opposite side.

A spinnaker is used only .to go before the wind, and at the most, six points off the wind. The spinnaker pole is attached to the main mast pole which is fitted into a socket. This enables the spinnaker pole to swing on a swivel or a hinge effect, in other words, from starboard to port (right to left) at one hundred eighty degrees. Y

To set the spinnaker for starboard tack, the spinnaker boom is set to starboard. The spinnaker is hoisted to port, thus allowing the spinnaker to balloon out. By pulling the starboard after guy on the starboard side, the pole goes aft (back). When pulling on the after guy on the pole side it allows the guy to slide under the pin or through the outer ring. The starboard clew in the spinnaker then cornes to two blocks snug with the pin.

If decided togo on a port tack, the pole has to be changed to the port side (left). In doing so, we slack the after guy on the starboard side lowering the boom lift and pulling in on the forward guy on port. This permits the spinnaker pole to cross the bow under the jib stay. Immediately crossing the bow the after guy on `the port side is pulled through Number 2 pin or port pin in the spinnaker itting. The clew on port of the spinnaker then comes to two blocks or comes together with the pin.

The jibe (A) In order to jibe the spinnaker perfectly, it takes six men. Two of these men are on the winch drums and two on the winch handles, one man is on the spinnaker pole lift, one on the forward guy. Four of these men have to act at once during the jibe.

First, the two sheets are (cleated) made fast, then the Windward guy is let go and the pole lift is slacked to allow the pole to dip inside the jib stay and pulled in by the forward guy, at the same time the leeward guy is pulled in. lWhen past the jib stay, up goes the pole by pulling on the pole lift. T he guy and the sheet on the opposite side are trimmed and eased according to sailing angle. The spinnaker is now jibed.

(B) Assume the boat is close reaching on the port jibe and wishes to jibe to a close reach on starboard. Then:

(l) The port guy is squared and the starboard sheet is slacked as the boat heads oft", to keep the spinnaker full before the Wind (FIGURE 1).

(2) When the wind is directly aft, and while the main boom is being jibed, tension is taken on the port sheet and the port guy is released.

(3) The pole may now fall away from the spinnaker since both guys are slack and the sheets are attached directly to the clews.

(4) The inboar'd end of the pole is then raised on the mast as the outboard end is lowered (by slacking the pole lift), the pole may then pass under the head stay to the starboard side.

(5) The pole is pulled under the stay and to the starboard clew by taking in on the starboard guy and continuing to slack the port guy.

(6) This is permitted by the use of two sets of two interlocking rings, and two pins in the end at the pole. For the port set, the port pin passes through one ring and the port wire guy passes up through the second ring to the port clew. The starboard rig is similar.

(7) The starboard guy is brought to equal tension with the starboard sheet; the latter may then be slacked. The pole resumes its horizontal position.

(8) The pole may be eased forward again by means of the starboard guy if the new course is a close reach.

T akng spinnaker down Lets assume that we are on the port tack when taking the spinnaker down. The pole is on the port side (to Windward); the rst thing to do is to trip the rings or the starboard guy out of the spinnaker pin. This is done by pulling on a trip line. The trip line is fastened to the pin led along the spinnaker pole to the inboard end of the spinnaker pole. The guy on the port side is slacked off allowing the pole to come forward to the bow. One man releases the snap shackle in `the clew of the sail allowing the spinnaker to be ltaken in the lee of the main sail. This leaves the port guy still intacted under the spinnakers pin. If decided in resetting the spinnaker al1 that would have to be done would be putting the other guy under the Number 2 pin.Y Then place the snap shackles attached to the two guys into the clews of the sail.

Having described and shown my invention, I dene it in the subpended claims.

I claim: s

1. The combination of a spinnaker sail and the pole by which it is controlled comprising such sail having clews in each end of its skirt to each of which one aft guy and one sheet rope is shackle snapped while each guy is slidably connected to the outboard end of the spinnaker pole.

2. VA combination, as in claim 1, wherein each guy passes beneath exposed pins in a fitting on the pole.

3. A combination, as in claim 1, wherein each guy passes through a link of a short chain and each pin of Yachting publication, June 1964, pages 57-59 and 96-97.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examinez'.

Claims

1. THE COMBINATION OF A SPINNAKER SAIL AND THE POLE BY WHICH IT IS CONTROLLED COMPRISING SUCH SAIL HAVING CLEWS IN EACH OF ITS SKIRT TO EACH OF WHICH ONE AFT GUY AND ONE SHEET ROPE IS SHACKLE SNAPPED WHILE EACH GUY IS SLIDABLY CONNECTED TO THE OUTBOARD END OF THE SPINNAKER POLE.