Device for guiding a sail of a sailing boat

Abstract

The guiding device of the invention introduces, close to the entrance of the groove in which the sail hoist rope is engaged, two guiding elements having on the side opposite the groove external guiding edges. In addition, the sail includes at least one protuberance situated at a distance from the hoist rope and is intended to take support and be guided by said external edges. The invention can be applied in particular to battened sails.

1 . Device for guiding a sail of a sailing boat at the level of the opening of a groove of a mast or a part integral with a mast, in which a sail hoist rope is engaged, said device introducing two guiding elements situated close to said opening approximately on both sides of the latter, these two elements being spaced from each other by a distance slightly larger than the thickness of the sail so as to delimit a passage through which the sail is able to pass, 
 whereinthe guiding elements and have on the side opposite the groove external guiding edges and said sail comprises at least one protuberance situated at a distance from the hoist rope approximately equal to the distance separating said external edges from the entrance of the groove so that this protuberance comes into support and is guided by said external edges, this ensuring that the sail cannot be jammed between the guiding elements and is unable to disturb the passage of the hoist rope in the groove.    
     
     
         2 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said sail is provided with battens.    
     
     
         3 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said protuberances are bent inward and have a concavity orientated opposite the hoist rope.    
     
     
         4 . Device according to  claim 3 , 
 wherein the shape of the protuberances is a V-shaped.    
     
     
         5 . Device according to  claim 2 , 
 wherein said sail comprises as many protuberances as the battens, said protuberances being situated close to the ends of the battens.    
     
     
         6 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said protuberances are line segments.    
     
     
         7 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said protuberances form a second continuous bolt rope extending parallel to the hoist rope over its entire length.    
     
     
         8 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said mast includes the groove delimited by the external guiding edges in which the hoist rope is engaged.    
     
     
         9 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said groove is comprised in a profiled element joined onto the mast.    
     
     
         10 . Device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein said guiding elements comprise two rollers rotating around a common axis perpendicular to the plane of the sail so as to guide the hoist rope inside the axis of the entrance of the groove.    
     
     
         11 . Device according to  claim 9 , 
 whereinthe space between the two guiding elements is adjustable so as to be adapted to the thickness of the sail.