It seems the unsolved problem of sailing is the inconsistency of wind - too
much or too little, and it's constantly changing velocity. Perhaps you
could design a wind storage system, wherein the energy from gusts and
excessive winds would be stored, to be applied to the boat during lulls and
calms. One could dial in whatever steady wind strength was desired, a
steady 10 knots, for instance, or shut it off entirely for a lunch break or
swim. Perhaps that would involve eliminating sails and replacing them with
a windmill generator, fuel cells, and electric drive, but that's an obvious
approach and has probably already been done. I'm sure you can come up with
a more elegant solution to this straightforward problem of designing a
"wind rectifier."
Incidentally, I've already solved the pivoting mast problem. The Sunfish
rig I'm using on my lateen rigged Potter is designed to rotate. Of course,
just eliminating the stays and using a cylindrical mast in a cylindrical
socket is a rather primitive approach.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, cA
>Bernie:
>Your idea of a pivoting mast sounds intriguing. To increase the shroud
>lengths I would use non linear springs in series with the shrouds. Rock
>climbers use a thing called a "zipper strip" to lighten the dynamic tension
>on a rope during a fall. It is simply a piece of nylon webbing sewn back on
>itself and has a loop on each end. The stitching pulls out of the webbing at
>pre determined loads. The loops are attached to the rope via carabiner and
>to the piece of protection in the rock via a carabiner. A zipper strip in
>the shroud would also allow the sail to dump the wind load. I too am
>working on a propulsion system for the Potter (my 15) that should propel it
>into the next century. It has all the benefits of a sail but without the
>hassles. The wind loading could be adjusted almost instanteously, and it
>could use the current wind to outsail the current. Yes, you heard right--
>this puppy puts energy back into the system. The type of sail was used on a
>German boat about 70 years ago and is now all but forgotten. I have yet to
>work out a few problems with bearings and guys but the prototype should be
>simple to build. Here's a clue: Magnus Effect.
>I'll look up the details for the manometer, etc. All the stuff is available
>from Cole-Parmer scientific supply. Call 1-800-323-4340 for free catalog.
>
>Jim Nolan P-19 #426, P-15 #1055, Loon 138T, Sears Inner Tube 16.5 x 8.50