Another thing to be explored is a major improvement in downwind sailing.
Those large spinnakers flop around in the wind and are tied way up high on
the mast. I suggest replacing them with a very large kite. The kite can be
tied to a single point on the boat that has a low center of gravity, they
automatically adjust to the wind, are up away from the water where the air
is faster.... The kites wouldn't be practical on short runs or under bridges
but I think they can outperform the spinnakers.
Jim Nolan
-----Original Message-----
From: Rye Gewalt <ryeg@vais.net>
To: james nolan <nolan_laboratories@email.msn.com>; wwpotter@tscnet.com
<wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Monday, July 19, 1999 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: many weighs to degauss
>I have never given much thought to having a binnacle on my Potter, but I
>do have some little things growing on the keel.
>
>I like the coil idea. A small amplifier could be connected to the coils
>to detect lightning strikes before they get too close. Or maybe really
>magnetize the keel and then polarize the coils such that the the keel is
>forced to the exact middle of the trailer for easy loading and unloading
>-- or perhaps they could be superconducting coils that would allow some
>sort of MagLev effect to be applied for totally dry land loading and
>unloading. The Helium associated with the superconducting coils could
>also be used to good advantage for making Donald Duck voices.
>
>I find that flinging iron filings in front of the car using an electric
>fan helps to locate flux lines -- then you can just drive around them.
>
>I wonder if you could use errant flux lines -- which are generally very
>long -- with a cruising spinnaker since existing jib sheets are seldom
>long enough.
>
>Gotta go, it's time for my meds.
>
>Regards
>Rye
>
>
>james nolan wrote:
>
>> Rye:I think the large iron balls are a capital idea. They would look
>> great on the binnacle, next to the parrot stand. ....... I would
>> suggest the installation of two large Helmholtz coils on the boat
>> trailer guides....... Jim Nolan
>