Twin asymmetrical wing sail rig

Abstract

The problems associated with rotating a wing sail around a stayed rig mast; changing the airfoil shape of a wing sail on different tacks; and reefing a wing sail may be solved by using an A-frame mast with port and starboard mast extrusions for supporting two asymmetrical wing sails.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 836,523 filed on Jun. 18, 2013, titled: TWIN ASYMMETRICAL WING SAIL RIG, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is in the field of sailing rigs and more particularly, is in the field of twin asymmetrical wing sailing rigs.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Sailing rigs have existed for thousands of years. A typical sailing rig includes an elongated, oval-shaped fixed mast, which is held in place by a plurality of stays, turnbuckles and shackles. The mast supports the sail and boom, which creates the driving force to propel a craft across the water when the wind blows. However, traditional masts for sailboats are not aerodynamic and can act as an obstacle to airflow resulting in high drag and reduced efficiency of the sailin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a new kind of sailing rig that has an A-frame mast with port and starboard mast extrusions and two asymmetrical wing sails. The mast extrusions are rounded and fixed in place, and the wings have an airfoil shape with ribs that rotate freely around the mast extrusions. The technical effect of this design is improved performance and efficiency in wind and wave interaction, leading to improved performance and stability of the sailing rig.

Problems solved by technology

However, traditional masts for sailboats are not aerodynamic and can act as an obstacle to airflow resulting in high drag and reduced efficiency of the sailing rig.

One of the disadvantages of a wing sail is that the supporting rigid mast structure is heavy.

In addition, the rigid mast structure cannot be reefed in heavy winds.

When overpowered, a wing sail craft can be pointed into the wind to stall it but that creates drag, which instantly converts to heel and can knockdown a boat (the wing sail AC45 Catamarans are knocked down routinely because of this effect).

Alternatively, a wing sail can be loosened and allowed to flap (called feathering), which is safe for the craft but can destroy the rigid structure of the wing sail.

Changing the shape of a wing sail from a port tack to a starboard tack requires a lot of internal mechanisms, which adds a significant amount of weight to the sail and can easily break.

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