--- In harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au, Mike Crawford <jmichael@...> wrote:
> But I actually wasn't thinking about a whole new system.

I found a link to a soft wing sail that its designer calls "ready for production": http://www.omerwingsail.com/

The flexible batten for the aft portion of the sail doesn't work with junk-style sheeting, for the reasons others have already explained. It does work if you set up your soft wing like a standing lug, as Chapman did in the 1960s. There is information on this rig in old AYRS publications.

Another alternative is to use rigid bent battens and let them flip along their longitudinal axis. Nils Myklebust has published drawings in the latest JRA Newsltter, and plans to make his next sail that way.

Jeff Doyle developed another soft wing, based on what a Chinese man told him about his grandfather's invention. I can't find Jeff Doyle's article on the web, but it was published both by AYRS and JRA. I also have a copy of the 2002 version of the article.

Regards

Robert Biegler

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