Variable camber wing sail

A variable camber wing sail and a sailing device including a mast assembly with a lower end, a mast support structure and a boom pivotally connected generally at right angles to the mast assembly adjacent the lower end comprising:

• means to mount the mast for rotational movement about its vertical axis to said support structure of the sailing device, said mast assembly including a main, generally vertically extending mast member and an outwardly extending projection comprising a vertically extending rigid beam along the major portion of the mast height, said beam including a trailing end portion,
• a sail member positioned relative to the rotatable mast assembly and boom including a main body portion, forward and trailing edges, and a clew corner portion,
• a plurality of resiliently deformable struts fixed relative to said sail member along a major portion of their lengths in a spaced apart, generally horizontal, parallel relation, each of said struts including forward and trailing end portions and extending between said forward and trailing sail edges,
• means to support said sail member with said struts in a hoisted position relative to said rotatable mast assembly and boom with said sail forward edges and said struts forward end portions engaging said mast assembly and overlying said outwardly extending projection along the mast height, the main lengths of said struts extending outwardly from said mast assembly in cantilever fashion,
• said sail member and plurality of struts comprising a first sail assembly, and including a second sail assembly with means to support it in a hoisted position relative to said rotatable mast assembly and boom in a spaced apart relation to said first sail assembly, said second sail assembly including a sail member having a main body portion, forward and trailing edges and a clew corner portion, and a second plurality of resiliently deformable struts, fixed to said second sail member, conforming in all respects to said plurality of said first sail assembly struts,
• connection means between said clew corner portions and the boom to permit translation of said clew corner portions relative to the boom while maintaining proper tension forces in the sail between said boom and mast assembly,
• a mast assembly rotation control means, including opposed outwardly extending end portions, fixed to said mast, and block and tackle means connecting between said opposed end portions and said boom for selective rotational operation of said mast assembly in either direction to impart a cam action to the plurality of struts by said rigid beam trailing end portion to bend said struts to a degree in direct proportion to the amount of rotation of said mast assembly.