Well Neal,
You're proven you inability to accept the truth about the action of a
"Wing Keel", the fact of a low profile PH, the advantage of a furler on
a cruising boat, and now the actual operation of your own Main Sail. The
scope of your known ignorance continues to grow. Explanation seems
hopeless.
I will try, once again, to enlighten you. Your SHELVE, it has excess
material so that as the foot of the sail forms its curve there is no
resistance applied by the shelve. As you flatten your sail, the shelve
folds on itself. This is what I refereed to as an elastic action. If you
knew what the hell the shelve is doing you wouldn't be jumping to WRONG
conclusions.
Your sail's foot is only supported at the TACK and CLEW. You have the
same support as you would have if the sail was REEFED. There would be no
support from the Folded Part of the sail. That is the best example I can
think of right now.
Neal, your new main IS A FREE FOOTED sail/ with a shelve. Why can't you
understand that a shelve give no more support to the foot of the sail
than the reefed section of the sail
http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomsHomePage