Ships – Spars
Patent
1993-10-05
1994-09-20
Sotelo, Jesus D.
Ships
Spars
114102, B63H 910
Patent
active
053479459
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved design and operation of spinnaker pole ends for sailing craft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spinnaker pole end which receives, in use, each of the port and starboard brace lines through respective separate apertures in the body of the spinnaker pole end so that the movement of the spinnaker pole can be controlled without requiring disconnection and reconnection of the spinnaker pole end to the respective brace lines during jibing of the sailing craft.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Known spinnaker pole ends comprise a single recess for releasably receiving one only of the spinnaker brace lines at any one time. That is, known pole ends comprise an open recess with a plunger biased into a position closing the recess and usually further comprise a closed "up-haul" loop and a closed "kicker" loop which are used to control the movement of the spinnaker pole during jibing manoeuvres and for trimming of the spinnaker.
In use, and specifically during a jibing manoeuvre of the craft, conventional spinnaker pole ends are necessarily disconnected from one of the spinnaker brace lines and connected to the other brace line as the pole is manoeuvred from the starboard side to the port side, or visa versa, thereby requiring a crew member to be positioned near the forestay. This operation not only requires utilisation of a crew member, but in a tactical aspect, signals to other craft that a jibing manoeuvre is imminent.
It would be advantageous to provide an improved spinnaker pole end or at least an alternative to known spinnaker pole ends to which facilitates a spinnaker pole control system obviating the need to disconnect the spinnaker pole end from one of the port or starboard brace lines, and to reconnect the spinnaker pole end to the other one of the port or starboard brace lines during a jibing manoeuvre of the sailing craft.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one broad form the present invention provides a spinnaker pole end for use with a spinnaker sail having port and starboard spinnaker pole brace lines extending from respective lower corners thereof, the pole end comprising: pole; kicker line respectively, the first and second anchor means being provided on opposite sides of the body; starboard brace lines of the spinner sail, and a second brace line aperture adapted to feedably receive the other one of the port or starboard brace lines of the spinnaker sail, such that the pole end is selectively slidable along both of the brace lines towards or away from the respective lower corners of the spinnaker; the inner end of the body than the first and second anchor means, and extend through the body from a top side to a bottom side thereof; and the inner end of the body from a position of the body proximate the anchor means.
A further broad form of the present invention provides a spinnaker pole control system for a spinnaker sail of a sailing craft, the sailing craft having a hull with an upper deck, a mast extending generally vertically upwards from a central position of the deck and a fore slay extending diagonally from an upper position of the mast to a forward central position of the sailing craft, such that the mast and the fore stay define a central plane of the sailing craft; respective lower side corners of the spinnaker sail which is supported at an upper central corner thereof by the mast of the sailing craft; the mast, with a spinnaker pole end mounted to an outer free end of the pole such that the pole has a first anchor means which is spaced from the inner end of the pole and is attached to a topping lift line which extends from a position of the mast which is at a level above the inner end of the pole for selectively lifting the outer free end of the pole relative to the sailing craft; connected to a kicker line which extends from a position on the sailing craft at a level below the pole for pulling the outer free end of the pole downwards relative to the sailing craft; starboard pole brace line extending from the s
REFERENCES:
patent: 3185121 (1965-05-01), Nilsen
patent: 3207114 (1965-09-01), Moseley
patent: 3228372 (1966-01-01), Ridder
patent: 5109786 (1992-05-01), Hall
Sailing World, "Dip-Pole Jibe", pp. 36-37, Nov. 1989.
Yachting "The 12-Meter Spinnaker Jib", pp. 57-59, 96-97, Jun. 19, 1964.
Sail Power, pp. 219-226.
Sailing World, p. 8.
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