Batten control for sailboats

Abstract

A positive batten inversion system for control of the battens used to stiffen the leech of a sail for a sailboat comprises a pair of control lines for each batten that extends beyond the backstay run up from the tack, along either side of the luff of the sail, to blocks secured to the sail near the luff and slightly below an imaginary line connecting the batten centerline to the luff. From the blocks, the lines run out to the leech and are secured to the leech just above the after end of the battens. Accordingly, the lines cross the battens at a very acute angle. Tensioning the lines causes the batten to be inverted and/or compressed, allowing it and the leech of the sail to pass by the backstay.

1 . A batten inversion control system for a sail of a sailboat, said sail comprising one or more substantially resilient batten members affixed to the sail and extending forward of the leech of the sail, 
 said control system comprising:    at least one control line and at least one block on either side of said sail, said control line being disposed so as to extend from a position near the tack of said sail upwardly along the luff of said sail to a point on the luff near the intersection of an imaginary line extending along the centerline of the batten and the luff, said block being secured to the sail near said point, and said line passing around said block and toward the leech of the sail, said line being secured to the leech of the sail near the intersection of said imaginary line with the leech of the sail.    
     
     
         2 . The control system of  claim 1 , wherein said block is secured to the sail on one side of the intersection of said imaginary line with the luff of the sail, and said control line is secured to the leech of the sail on the opposite side of the intersection of said imaginary line with the luff of the sail, such that said control line crosses the batten at an acute angle.  
     
     
         3 . The control system of  claim 2 , wherein said control line is located with respect to said batten so as to pass over or near the point of maximum curvature of said batten.  
     
     
         4 . The control system of  claim 2 , wherein said block is secured to the sail below the intersection of said imaginary line with the luff of the sail, and said control line is secured to the leech of the sail above the intersection of said imaginary line with the luff of the sail.  
     
     
         5 . The control system of  claim 2 , wherein said acute angle is between about 5 and about 30 degrees.  
     
     
         6 . The control system of  claim 1 , further comprising a cleat affixed on either side of the sail, for maintaining a desired tension in said control line.  
     
     
         7 . The control system of  claim 1 , wherein said sail is sized such that at least one of said battens and the leech of the sail tend to interfere with the rigging of said sailboat during manuevers  
     
     
         8 . The control system of  claim 7 , wherein said sail is a mainsail, and said battens tend to interfere with a backstay of the sailboat.  
     
     
         9 . The control system of  claim 8 , wherein if the sail comprises more than one batten extending past the backstay, control lines and blocks are provided on either side of said sail corresponding to said more than one battens extending past the backstay.  
     
     
         10 . A sail comprising the control system of  claim 1.