Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to the field of sailing,
either on water, on ice or on land, and more particularly to the
field of hand-held sails.
The general concept of utilizing a hand-held sail for
propulsion is not new, but has been in existence since at least as
early as the late nineteenth century. Hand held sails are not
like body supported sails which are tied to the user (see Canadian
Patent No. 20371 (Nelson)). A hand-held sail is like the name
implies, a sail, stiffened with spars and unstayed. It is solely
hand-held, perhaps resting against the body of the user as well.
A good example of a hand-held sail is Canadian Patent No.
1,105,330 (Harpole). There is another type using a crusiform
frame and bowed leading and trailing edge spars, known in Europe
as the Hopatcong type. The latter is sailed with the user on the
leeward side of the sail which is difficult and dangerous.
Generally, all hand-held sails to date have been complex, heavy
and awkward to handle.
There have been several other hand-held sail types
proposed. For instance, the SAILAIR~ is a generally conical type
sail which comprises two spars joined at a vertex and held apart
by a spreader bar. A sail is rigged between the two spars and the
user manipulates the sail by grasping each of the spars and
resting one on his knee with the joint between the two spars
pointed downwardly. The SAILAIR~ is disadvantageous in that it is
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considered to be an unstable design, one which does not lend
itself to maneouverability.
A further type of hand-held sail is known as the Eastland
sail. This sail comprises a generally vertical mast with a mast
foot adapted to be rested on a boot or shoe. A wishbone boom, of
the type usually found in wind-surfers, is situated mid-way up the
mast, and a generally triangular sail is rigged from the mast
between the twin boom members of the wishbone boom. The Eastland
sail is maneouvered very much like a sailboard, but it has been
found that tacking is more difficult with the Eastland sail than
with the traditional sailboard, as it is necessary with the
Eastland sail to use one's foot as a mast rest, and therefore when
the sail is shifted to an opposite tack, it is not possible for
the user to completely shift his body with the sail.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the
disadvantages associated with known hand-held sails, and provide
an efficient but inexpensive hand-held sailing rig.
In one broad aspect, the present invention relates to a
hand-held sailing rig for wind propelled locomotion including: a3
a sail having a slightly curved luff and a substantially
semi-circular leech; b) stiffening means associated with said
luff for stiffening said luff, comprising a pair of flexible
substantially identical spars joined together by a connector
co-axial with said spars and adapted for detachable connection to
said spars; c) a boom comprising a third, substantially
identical spar extending from the mid-point of said luff to the
mid-point of said leech, said connector being adapted for
detachable connection to said third spar; and (d) at least a pair
of battens, one on each side of said boom (c), each batten
extending from said leech toward said luff.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to
a cleat for use with a sailing rig, said cleat being substantially
cylindrical and having a top and a bottom located at opposite ends
of its major axis, said bottom being adapted for attachment to a
mast, spar or the like, and said top being provided with a
diametrically extending slot, parallel to the major axis of the
cleat, said slot having mutually opposed interior surfaces which
are provided with ridges to graspingly engage a sheet, halyard or
other sail rigging line to secure it against slippage.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to
a connecting apparatus for connecting at least three substantially
identical spars together to form a mast for a hand-held sail, said
apparatus having a main body portion with a major axis terminating
in a pair of ends each adapted for secure connection to a spar and
means integral with said main body portion for securing a spar to
said main body portion normal to said major axis.
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In drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the
embodiments of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a rig embodying the present
invention, and provided with the preformed batten, T connector and
clea-t of the present invention;
Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view through line II-II in
Figure 1,
Figure 2B is the same view as Figure 2A, but showing a
standard, instead of a preformed batten;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cleat of the present
invention: and _ __________~_____ _ 7
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Figure 4 is a perspective view of a T-connec-tor of the
present invention.
Re~erring first to Figure 1, it will first be seen that
the rig of the present invention does not include a mast per se,
but rather utilizes a novel T-shaped arrangement of three
substantially identical spars 1, 1' and 2. The spars are
connected by a T-shaped spar-connector 3, and in a preferred
embodiment the spars are identical, so that in assembling or
disassembling the rig, it is not necessary to specifically note
the location o~ each spar in the rig, the spars preferably being
interchangeable. The spars are assembled on the T-shaped spar
connector 3 so as to present two co-axial spars to serve as a form
of mast (these spars will be referred to as mast spars 1 and 1').
The third spar extends away from the mast spar at 90, and is
termed the boom spar 2~ The spars are manufactured from a
resilient, durable material, such as, fibreglass tubing or
aluminium tubing.
Alternatively mast spars 1 and 1' may be replaced by a
single mast spar (not illustrated), the length of which would be
equal to the combined lengths of mast spars 1 and 1'. In such a
case, T-connector 3 will completely hollow through its major axis,
so it can be slid onto the single mast spar, and held on by
friction.
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The sail 4 provided in the present invention is
substantially semi-circular, as shown in Figure l. The luff of
the sail 4 is curved (but not as sharply as the leech) and is
provided with a pair of pockets 5, one upper and one lower, for
accommodating the mast spars l, l'. The sail is provided with a
series of battens 7 which may be preformed to assume an air foil
shape (as shown in Figure 2A). The battens are inserted in batten
pockets 6 in the sail 4. The pockets extend fully from the luff
of the sail to the leech of the sail 4 as shown in Figure l.
There are preferably four battens 7, two above the boom spar 2 and
two below the boom spar 2. As can be seen in Figure 1, the
battens 7 are spaced along the mast spars l, l' and are angulated
away from the boom spar 2. Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen
that the forward end of each preformed batten 7 is formed into a
semi-circle. This portion of the batten 7 abuts one of the mast
spars 1, l' and allows the batten 7 to rotate more or less freely
about the mast spars. The leech end of each batten pocket 6 is
provided with a closure flap 8. In a preferred embodiment
"velcro"~ hook and pile fastener is used in the closure flaps 8.
Alternatively, as shown in Figure 2B, flexible battens may be
utilized instead of preformed battens, and may also end in the
batten pockets. Moreover, battens need not be full length from
luff to leach, as shown in Figure 2B.
Sail tension is ad~ustable by means of a clew outhaul
sheet 9 running from the clew lO of ~he sail to an end cleat ll on
the boom spar, and a pair of luff tension control sheets 12 which
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extend from the upper and lower vertexes of the sail 4 to cleats
11 located on the ends of the mast spars 1, 1'. It will be seen
therefore that the luff tension control sheets 12 are effectively
connected to both the luff and the leech of the sail and
tensioning of these sheets will therefore tension the entire sail,
while tensioning the clew outhaul sheet 9 will control the
effective depth of the sail 4.
The substantially semi-circular or eliptical shape of the
sail provided in the present invention has been found to be very
efficient aerodynamically. ~oreover, the combined effect of
providing a semi-circular sail with a slightly curved luff, and a
straight, but very flexible ana resilient mast, is that sail
tension in the leech of the sail will tend to bend the mast spars
toward the leech. This helps to reduce stalling in the sail.
At a very high angle of attack into the wind, one would
expect to encounter a stall condition which would result in very
low lift to the sail and very high drag. However, with the sail
configuration of the present inven-tion as described in the
previous paragraph, when the angle of attack of the sail into the
wind is very high, and there will consequently be very high air
loads on the sail, the spars will tend to bend toward the leech as
tension built up in the leech. This will cause an opening up of
the leech, and a consequent reduction in the angle of attack to
wind at tips of the sail, where stall is dangerous to stability.
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A further advantage of the present invention is that due
to the fact that it is symmetrical, when a user wishes to change
tack, it is not necessary for him to step around the sail as is
done with a conventional sailboard rig, or to shift the sail to
his opposite shoulder, a difficult maneouver that is necessary in
a Hopatcong type sail, but rather he need only invert the sail and
turn to the opposite tack through or away from the wind. In this
way, he can be in control of the sail at all times.
As shown in Figure 1, the sail 4 of the present invention
is not necessarily manufactured from a single piece. Rather, it
can be manufactured from a nurnber of panels. There are two large
central panels 41 which are surrounded by opposed pairs of inner
42 and outer 43 panels. The overlap of the inner 42 and outer 43
panels with one another and with the central panel 41 creates the
batten pockets 7 for the sail 4 of the present invention. The
luff tubes 5 of the sail of the present invention are applied to
the luff of the sail 4 and sewn thereto~ Alternatively the panel
configuration can run radially from the clew and/or head or
horizontally, or otherwise. Batten pockets may also be applied,
rather than incorporated in seams.
As noted above, a cleat 11 is provided on the end of each
of the three spars 1, 1' and 2 of the sail of the present
invention. These cleats are unique to the present invention, and
as can be seen in Figure 3 each one is substantially cylindrically
shaped with a top 111 and a bottom 112. The bottom 112 of each
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~leat 11 is hollowed to fit snuggly around a spar. On the top end
of each cleat there is a slot 113 formed. This slot 113 extends
diametrically across the top of the cleat 11 and is deep at one
end, and shallow at the other. The interior surfaces of the slot
113 are ridged to graspingly engage a sheet, and in a preferred
embodiment these interior surfaces converge slightly from top to
bottom, and the ridges 114 on the opposite surfaces of the slot
113 are aligned with one another. In this way, in order to
utilize the cleat ll of the present invention, a sheet is placed
in the slot 113 with the free end of the sheet extending out of
the cleat 11 from the shallow ended side of the slot 113. It will
be seen therefore that the sheet will extend down the slot 113
from shallow end to deep end. To tension the sheet all that need
be done is to grasp and pull the free end. The sheet is then
drawn up the slot 113 and when the free end is released it will be
drawn by tension in the leech of the sail back into the slot, and
as it is drawn into the slot it will tend to be grasped by the
ridges 114. As it is drawn tightly into the slot 113 it will
descend the slot 113, and since the slot 113 converges from top to
bottom, it will be held quite tightly between the ridges 114
nearest the bottom portion of the slot.
It should be noted though, that the cleat of the present
invention is quite satisfactory if provided with a slot of
constant depth. Moreover, a standard cleat may be provided on the
end of the spar, and if this is the case, a fairlead or an endcap
with a hole or slot through which a sheet can be passed is
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provided on the end of each spar. As noted above, there is a
T-connector 3 ~see Figure 4) provided to connect the three spars
1, 1' and 2 of the present inven-tion. This T-connector 3 is
preferably manufactured of injected moulded plastic material. It
will be seen that this T-connector 3 has a major axis coaxial with
the mast spars 1, 1' of the present invention (when they are in
place). In order to strengthen this major axis, the T-connector
is hollow along this axis and is provided with a structural tubing
insert, such as a tubular aluminum inser-t or a fibreglass insert.
The ends of the T-connector (both the major axis ends and the end
connected to the spar boom) are adapted to be connected to the
spars of the present invention. For instance they may be hollowed
so that the spars can fit within them, or they may be constricted
so that if hollow spars are being utilized the spars can be fitted
around the ends of the T-connector. In the same way, the cleats
may be either hollowed or they m~y have constricted ends, for use
with hollow type spars.
The sail of the present invention is preferably
manufactured from a light weight sail material such as Dacron~ or
a resin impregnated polyester sail cloth and it is reinforced with
folds and stitching along its leech, and in the areas of the upper
and lower vertexes and near the clew with additional layers of
material ("patches"), as shown in Figure 1.
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