Yes opening like a clamshell for downwind would work, probably fairly well. If it wasn't for the huge penalty of cost, weight and complexity for the slowest point of sail it would probably be worth it.
My wife's father invented the clamshell thrust reversers for jets which is the same principle (reversed).
Nothing is perfect, not being able to fly a big spinnaker or Genoa is going to be a bummer when the wind is very light and variable. Any other conditions and the wings efficiency should get the boat to the downwind goal faster.
Some wings have a 140 to 1 drag ratio. Perfectly trimmed mainsails at the optimum angle have a 30 to 1 drag ratio or less generally less. A sail basically has 4 times the drag, not counting shrouds and stays (which have very significant drag).
Talador
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Posted by: taladorwood@yahoo.com.au
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