| Home |
| Search |
| Today's Posts |
|
|
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Jere Lull wrote:
In article . com, wrote: Its 2005, why do we still have to do this silly pointing into the wind to get the main up or down or to reef it. Surely someone could come up with a way to reef or get the main up or down on any point of sail. I know most sailors are conservative but I am not so if ya got any ideas let me know. We can drop our main under most points of sail by centering the boom. It's easier when the wind is forward of the beam, of course. Not when there's a 30 Kt tailwind, you can't! Further more, there ain't no remedy for gravity. We are not so conservative thar such a plan would not be popular, if it were possible. We are likewise not so stupid that we wouldn't have invented such a rig, if it were possible. Oh, actually it is, it's called a kite sail. Pull the centre sheet, and the whole sail looks like an inside out umbrella, then it gets wet, unless you fly it from the masthead. Not the best, from a heel's point of view. Sailing is elemental, and it depends on the mechanics to make it work. Those mechanics make some things easier than others. Even a vertical roller furler on the mast will jam in a big tailwind. The leech, you see, it has a mind of it's own. Only a square rig can be reefed with equal facility on every point of sail. What's the big deal? Head Up to reduce sail. Oh, and always use jibsheets long enough to let the jib flog fully foreward. Then, you can pull it down with a downhaul on a winch, if you must. There are other rigs not mentioned so far that would make it possible. One that comes to mind that I've only seen one example of is where the boom and jib are sort of on a turntable. Turning one (big) screw trims both sails. The sails can be head to wind as the boat's running downwind. Seemed like a good idea, but there must be some impracticality to the rig. No room for shrouds, with this one. Someone was experimenting with a wing mounted vertically. Supposedly, the sail could be put into "freewheel" mode and it'd have less drag than a conventional mast & stays. Again, could rotate 360. Again, sounded like a great idea as I've seen how much more efficient a double-surface wing is than a single-skin, but haven't seen it on a boat. I'll add something I'm surprised no one's tried: a double-surface sail. Perhaps two sails in tracks on either side of a rotating mast? Only the leeches would be joined. Whaaaaat? An inflatable para sail type rig pops into mind, here. (And an image of Honest John Kerry para sail boarding, which I thought showed him to be much more macho than the burning Shrub) Terry K |
| Reply |
|
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Forum | |||
| 36 foot waves forecasted for Florida western panhandle | General | |||
| VDO wind sensor | Electronics | |||
| The future of yacht design - 10 myths scotched | ASA | |||
| Nasty, Nasty, Crazy Day Sailing Today | ASA | |||
| Wind or magnetism? | General | |||
Hybrid Mode
