SPINNAKER LAUNCHING AND DOUSING DEVICE This invention is an improvement on the spinnaker of Patent No. 4,831,949, incorporated by reference, and which decrease the effort required to furl the spinnaker by 50% or more .
In the drawing, Fig. i illustrates the sail of Patent No. 4,831,949 with tne furling line connecteα to the upper end ot tne spinnaKer, Fig. 2 is a view showing the spinnaker unfurled ana Fig. 3 is a view showing the spinnaker furieα.
The spinnaKer is a large sail which is useful only for sailing downwind. A change in direction of the boat relative to the wind may require speedy furling of the spinnaker.
In Fig. 2. the spinnaker 4 is shown unfurled and transmitting the force of the wind to the top of mast 2 and to guy lines 6. 7 fastened to the boat. The spinnaker is ballooned by the wind. In order to cut off the force of the spinnaker when the boat no longer runs downwind, it has been customary to release the connection between the spinnaker and the top of the mast and allow the spinnaker to fall to tne ooat or sometimes into the water in front of the boat. Releasing the connectior. from the mast did cut off the force from the spinnaKer to tne boat but it did cause a great deal of work for the crew ir: rescuing the spinnaker from the water
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anc fo din ; it so that it coulσ again be used. In this application, when the spinnaKer is no longer needed or desired, tne lines 6, 7 are disconnected from the boat anc tne spinnaKer is allowed to blow freely from the top of the mast. In high winds, the spinnaker could be almost horizonta.l. The furling of the spinnaKer is accomplished by a line 8 fixed to eyelet ig at the upper end of the spinnaker and extending from eyelet Ig through eyelets lh, li , Ij, Ik, 1m , lb, lc. Id, le, If, Ig anc tnen αown to the αeck of the boat. As the furling line 8 is pu ied, the sail is collapsed eαgewise ooth laterally and vertically ana in the same manner as Patent No. 4,831,949, and when furled is buncned at the top of the mast as shown at 4 in Fig. 3. The edgewise collapsing of the sail is not resisted by the wind. Pivoting of the sail about the top of the mast does not stress the furling line.
As the furling line is tightened, the edgewise contraction of the sail continually decreases the area exposed tc the w nd. The forces exerted by the wind are not transmitted to the furling line. Accordingly, the furling of the sail of this application is much easier than the furling o* the sail in Patent No. 4.831.949.
