(also off group)
Mike,
If I am going to experiment with this, it will be on the plywood
proa I am slapping together with windsurfer masts and sails. It is not
something I am going to be doing with a sailmaker. I would be
interested in trying out both this rig, and a Dynarig, modified so that
the "battens" actually encompass the mast, and have a central slot so
that the air pressure of the wind cants the sail fore and aft. If that
works, and doesn't kill performance, it would let it luff into the wind
when released and I would only have to worry about the broadside on
sailing, which Todd's models seemed to indicate was not a real issue.
Hope that explanation is clear. I know a picture would help.
Think of it like the asymmetrical rudders I drew recently, with the
pivot point at the top of the mast, and the sail cants back away from
the wind.
- Gardner