Clew for a sailboard boom

A method for quickly adjusting the sailboard sail tension comprising

• providing a sailboard boom having a mast fitting at one end, a clew end opposite the mast fitting, first and second tubular arms interconnecting the mast fitting and the clew end and defining a first plane perpendicular to a second plane bisecting the boom and defined by a sail attached to the mast, each arm having a mast end and an aft end and terminating at the aft end with a adjustment tube adapted to telescope inside the arm and secured in the arm by a forward spring pin protruding from the adjustment tube to cooperate with a plurality of holes arranged in a row parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm, the adjustment tube further being secured in a clew by a rear spring pin having a diameter and protruding from the adjustment tube to cooperate with a slot in the clew having a length of at least twice the diameter of the spring pin fitting;
• providing a clew having a pair of cylinders connected by a central flange arranged parallel to the first plane and adapted to hold the cylinders at a predetermined angle such that a centerline of the cylinder lies within the first plane, the cylinders having a slot penetrating and oriented perpendicular to the centerline of the cylinder and adapted to cooperate with the rear spring pin of the adjustment tube, the crew further having a sail attachment means on the clew comprising
• a plurality of cylindrical lanyard holes penetrating the central flange;
• a lanyard adapted to loop around two sail sheaves having a common axis and sandwiching the sail, the lanyard further wrapping around the central flange twice;
• and
• a substantially V-shaped drag notch penetrating the central flange at its rear edge and adapted to receive a loop of the lanyard as it wraps around the central flange;
• and
• a jam notch penetrating the central flange at its rear edge and adapted to receive and hold the lanyard at the end of its last loop around the central flange;
• then
• attaching the boom to the mast using the mast fitting;
• attaching the boom to the sail using the sail attachment means;
• then
• depressing the forward spring pin and rotating the adjustment tube within the arm and the clew;
• then
• sliding the adjustment tube inside the arm to align the forward spring pin with a hole;
• then
• rotating the adjustment tube to cause the forward spring pin to enter a hole;
• then
• grasping the lanyard tail protruding from the jam notch;
• the
• yanking the lanyard out of the jam notch;
• then
• adjusting the tension in the lanyard by pulling on the lanyard until any slack occurring in the loops around the sail sheaves has been eliminated;
• then
• yanking the lanyard into the jam notch for securing the tension in the sail.

A clew for a sailboard boom, the boom having a mast end, a clew end, first and second tubular arms interconnecting the mast end and the clew end and defining a first plane perpendicular to a second plane bisecting the boom and defined by a sail attached to the mast and the clew end of the boom, each arm having a fore end at the mast end, an aft end opposite the fore end, and terminating at the clew end with a terminal fitting, the clew comprising

• two cylinders, each having a front end and a rear end, a longitudinal cylinder axis, and concentric interior and exterior walls surrounding and parallel to the cylinder axis and defining a tubular recess, each cylinder adapted to receive within its tubular recess the terminal fitting of an arm;
• a central flange defining a clew plane substantially parallel to the first plane and connecting the cylinders, the flange having a front edge and a rear edge corresponding to the front and rear ends of the cylinders;
• latching means for securing each terminal fitting within one of the tubular recesses;
• means for attaching the sail to the clew comprising
• a lanyard adapted to loop around at least one interface means mounted on the sail, and to wrap at least once around the central flange;
• a drag notch penetrating the central flange at its rear edge and adapted to receive a loop of the lanyard as it warps around the central flange;
• and
• a jam not penetrating the central flange at its rear edge and adapted to receive and hole the lanyard at the end of its last loop around the central flange.