Abstract:
An apparatus and method for guiding a sail while it is being hoisted on a sail-powered marine vessel are disclosed. The apparatus is a pre-feeder or feeder for use on a forestay, mast, or foremast; the apparatus having two oppositely-facing members that are movable in relationship to each other thereby forming an adjustable opening for receiving and partially encircling the luff portion of a sail. The two members are movable about a hinge and a locking mechanism prevents the members from separating inadvertently. For use with a forestay, the pre-feeder is attached near the bow of the boat or directly to the forestay below the grooved track. The method of using the pre-feeder includes gripping the two members and pulling them apart, inserting the luff, closing the two members, and pulling on a halyard attached to the sail. The apparatus and method of the present invention can reduce the time required to hoist a sail and may be performed by a single crewmember.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of co-pending and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/050,140 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Guiding and Hoisting a Sail”, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 18, 2002 by the inventors herein, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention pertains to sail management systems on sail-powered marine vessels and specifically to systems used in connection with guiding and hoisting or lowering a sail on a forestay, mast, or foremast using a pre-feeder or feeder with an adjustable opening.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Pre-feeder devices used with a forestay to hoist a jib sail on a sail-powered vessel are well known in the art. Representative patents describing such pre-feeders and sail management systems include U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,025 (to Hood et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,210 (to Davis); U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,200 (to Hood et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,005 (to Lagerquist); U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,216 (to Creer III et al.) and RE31,829 (to Stearn). These patents disclose various commonly used mechanical sail management systems available to competitive and leisure sail boaters. In particular, these patents disclose pre-feeders made from extruded, injection molded, die cut, stamped, or bent plastic, metal or a combination of plastic and metal. They are assembled to provide a fixed opening adaptable for loosely encircling the luff portion of a jib sail.  
           [0006]    A jib sail is an essentially triangular-shaped sail, the three edges of which are typically referred to as the luff, leach, and foot. The luff is the forward or leading edge of the sail closest to the bow of the boat. The leach is the rearward or aft most portion of the sail. The foot is the bottom edge of the sail and generally runs parallel to the boat deck.  
           [0007]    The luff portion of a sail consists of a bead made from plastic tube, boltrope, or other flexible, durable, and generally cylindrical or oval-shaped material that is typically sewn to the luff edge of the sail. This area may be reinforced with a polymeric tape or nylon fabric that is wrapped around and attached to the luff edge of the sail with adhesive or stitches (i.e., the “luff tape portion” of the sail). A halyard is attached to the upper head of the sail and is used to raise the sail.  
           [0008]    A mast of a sailboat is attached approximately at the center of the boat and vertically extends in a substantially perpendicular direction relative to the plane of the boat deck. A forestay extends from the bow of the boat to the top of the mast (or foremast, if one is present). Its principal use is to support the mast (or foremast) and to hold the jib sail (also called a Genoa sail or headsail). The forestay may include a C-shaped or V-shaped groove running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the forestay. The groove includes a slot that is large enough to contain the plastic bead or boltrope of the luff-edge of the jib sail but has a slot opening that is small enough to prevent the plastic bead or boltrope from pulling free from the groove when the sail is hoisted.  
           [0009]    The forestay may include a feeder at the base of the groove to facilitate feeding the luff into the groove, although often there is no feeder or other extending member near the groove opening. Because the jib sail is often folded in layers on the deck of the boat (or in a hold below deck in some boats), the luff needs to be pre-positioned generally parallel to the forestay before it enters the feeder (or directly into the groove opening in the case where there is no feeder) to prevent the luff from bunching at the feeder/groove opening or, worse, causing the jib sail to tear. This pre-positioning is accomplished by using a pre-feeder below the feeder (or below the groove opening where no feeder is used). The pre-feeder is usually tied to the bow of the boat or the bottom of the forestay below the groove using a rope or flexible attaching arm. This method of attaching allows the pre-feeder to move back and forth to accommodate the luff movement as it deploys from its folded position. The pre-feeder aligns the luff so that it enters the groove (or feeder) in a nearly parallel position relative to the groove on the forestay.  
           [0010]    Similarly, the mast or foremast may include a feeder positioned just below the groove or track on the mast or foremast. The feeder is used for positioning the luff portion of a sail so that the sail enters the groove on the mast or foremast in nearly a parallel position in the same manner that the pre-feeder positions the jib sail with respect to the forestay.  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,025 discloses a single cast or extruded plastic guide with two concave guide members forming a generally C-shaped enclosure for loosely encircling the luff portion of a jib sail. The extremities of the two guide members have a gap between them large enough to allow the luff tape portion of the jib sail to pass. The patent illustrates how the guide is attached to the lower portion of a forestay or the deck of a boat to position the pre-feeder below the opening of a grooved forestay feeder. The attaching device is a flexible link that includes a round eyelet on each end.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,216 discloses essentially a single metal rod formed into a V-shaped pre-feeder with plastic or metallic rollers connected to the ends of the two guide members. As with other pre-feeders, the V-shaped pre-feeder includes an opening or gap between the ends of the guide members, and between the rollers attached thereto, for loosely holding the luff between the members while allowing the sail luff tape portion to pass between. As illustrated in this patent, the pre-feeder is attached to a forestay using a rope securely looped around and knotted to the pre-feeder. Commercially available pre-feeders of this type may not have rollers and may have a support bar connecting the two members for dimensional rigidity (i.e., to resist torsional and bending forces).  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,210 discloses a single, die cut, cast or extruded, pre-feeder attached to a forestay by a rope, the pre-feeder including a C-shaped yoke with two rounded sail-contact members forming a luff-holding opening. A gap is provided between the contact members for allowing the sail sheet to pass between. The disclosed device is intended to prevent a substantial amount of the sailcloth from gathering within the pre-feeder under various conditions.  
           [0014]    Various methods of attaching a pre-feeder to a boat are also well known in the art. In addition to the attaching devices described above, U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,005 discloses a pre-feeder attached to a forestay below the forestay track feeder using a spherically-shaped retainer that encircles the forestay. The retainer includes two circular parts hinged on one end and connected together on the other end with a pin.  
           [0015]    Similar to the above pre-feeders for use with forestays, feeder systems used to guide and hoist a mainsail (or foremast sail) are also well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,461 (to Rusich) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,475 (to Merry) are exemplary of such feeders. U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,461 discloses a two-member feeder attached to a mast with each member being attached on opposite sides of a C-shaped grooved track parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mast, thereby forming a small gap between the ends of the two members. The gap provided by the two members is large enough for a sail to pass between them, but is smaller than the diameter of the plastic bead or boltrope that is integrated into the sail luff edge. The feeder is welded or bolted to the outside of the mast.  
           [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,475 discloses another two-member feeder attached to a mast with each member projecting away from the surface of the mast at an angle forming a triangular shape feeder. As illustrated in the patent, the tips of the two members form a gap that is large enough for the luff tape portion of the sail to pass between, but is smaller than the plastic bead or boltrope of the mainsail luff that is being fed into a groove on the mast. The feeder is attached to the outside of the mast using four metal screws.  
           [0017]    One problem with these prior art fixed-opening sail pre-feeders and feeders is that in order to hoist a sail on a grooved track forestay, mast or foremast, the head of the sail containing the leading end of the luff must first be fed through the opening of the pre-feeder or feeder. This must be done because once the sail has been completely hoisted; the pre-feeder or feeder typically no longer encircles the luff. In the case of pre-feeders, for example, the pre-feeder typically drops off the jib sail after the full length of the luff portion of the jib sail passes through the pre-feeder and into the forestay track when the sail is raised. Thus, in order to re-raise the jib sail, for example after the jib sail has been doused, the head of the jib sail must be completely lowered out of the grooved track to the deck so that it can again be re-fed into the pre-feeder.  
           [0018]    This creates several problems for sail boaters. In competitive sailboat racing, a crewmember must move to the foredeck of the boat and, with one hand on the sail cloth near the luff and the other hand on the pre-feeder, make ready the jib sail to be hoisted by taking the luff of the sail completely out of the grooved track and re-feeding the luff through the pre-feeder a second time. It is not uncommon that two crewmembers will be assigned to perform this task because of the difficulty involved (i.e., one person must hoist the halyard while the other person operates the pre-feeder) and the need to complete the task expeditiously. Obviously, this reduces the boat&#39;s speed because of the additional weight over the bow and the delay in raising the jib sail. In addition, this process is inherently dangerous for the crewmembers standing near the bow in choppy conditions because of the need to use both hands as noted above.  
           [0019]    The above problems are not limited to competition sailboat racing. Recreational sail boaters also rely on pre-feeders and feeders when hoisting sails. Although speed is not as much of an issue to some non-competition sail boaters, the problem remains that someone on the boat must first move to the foredeck, spending extended time at the front of the boat, to feed the sail through the pre-feeder before raising the jib sail or, in the case of the mast or foremast, be ready to handle the mainsail or foremast sail. This is particularly difficult when there is a small crew sailing the boat.  
         SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0020]    In view of the foregoing, it should be apparent that there exists a need for a more efficient sail management system on sail-powered marine vessels, including a system for guiding and hoisting a sail on a grooved track forestay, mast, or foremast. Specifically, there exists a need for a pre-feeder or feeder that can be used to guide and raise and re-raise a sail without requiring the sail to be completely lowered, and that would be more efficient and present less danger to sail boaters than current devices.  
           [0021]    Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a jib sail pre-feeder that has an adjustable opening for receiving and partially encircling the luff portion of a jib sail.  
           [0022]    It is another object of the invention to provide a mast or foremast feeder that has an adjustable opening for receiving and partially encircling the luff portion of a sail.  
           [0023]    It is still another object of the invention to provide an adjustable opening device for use on marine vessels, the purpose of which is to feed and pre-feed a line, rope, or boltrope.  
           [0024]    Still another object of the invention is to provide a sail pre-feeder or feeder that allows a sail to be partially lowered and then raised again without having to lower the sail completely or remove the sail luff completely from a grooved track in order to reposition the top of the luff portion between the opening of the device before raising the sail.  
           [0025]    It is another object of the invention to provide a sail pre-feeder or feeder device that allows a single crewmember to operate the device with one hand.  
           [0026]    It is still another object of the invention to provide a sail pre-feeder or feeder that can be removed from a sail without having to raise or lower the sail completely.  
           [0027]    Briefly described, these and other objects and features of the present invention are accomplished, as embodied and fully described herein, by an apparatus for use in guiding and hoisting a sail in connection with a grooved track on a forestay, mast or foremast. The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art sail pre-feeders and feeders by providing a device in which the two members of the device can be opened to receive the luff portion of a sail and then closed to loosely secure the luff between the members of the device. Thus, the pre-feeder or feeder can be positioned on a sail when the sail is hoisted to any position on a grooved forestay, mast or foremast, avoiding the need to lower the sail completely out of the grooved track to the boat deck and minimizing the time required to accomplish the task of hoisting a sail.  
           [0028]    The present invention includes a first jaw member for receiving a luff, a second jaw member opposing the first jaw member, the second jaw member being movable in relationship to the first jaw member, and wherein the first and the second jaw members form an opening for partially encircling the luff. The embodiment may also include an eyelet extending through at least one of the members and a rope that is looped through and knotted to the eyelet for securing the apparatus to a sailboat. It may also include a groove cut into the first jaw member, a pin slidably connected to the second jaw member for tracking in the groove on the first jaw member, a stop connected to the pin for maintaining the pin in the groove, a cutout formed in the groove for receiving the stop and for securing the pin in a first position in the groove, and a spring disposed around the pin for holding the stop in the cutout. There is also a hinge or pivot for connecting the first and second members and about which the second jaw member moves in relationship to the first jaw member. The first and second jaw members are each made of one or more of the following materials: Dehrin, carbon fiber, titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze.  
           [0029]    The present invention is also directed to a method for guiding and hoisting a sail in connection with a grooved track on a forestay, mast or foremast, including the steps of providing a pre-feeder, wherein the pre-feeder comprises a first jaw member connected to a second jaw member such that the first jaw member is movable in relation to the second jaw member; gripping the first and second jaw members of the pre-feeder; opening the ends of the first and second jaw members of the pre-feeder to accept a luff-edge of a sail; inserting the luff-edge of the sail between the first and second jaw members; closing the pre-feeder thereby loosely and partially encircling the luff; and pulling on a rope tied to the top of the sail to raise the sail.  
           [0030]    Additional aspects of the method of the invention include the step of tying one end of a rope to the pre-feeder and tying the other end of the rope to a boat, wherein the pre-feeder is positioned below the opening of a groove on the forestay; disengaging a locking mechanism before moving the ends of the pre-feeder; applying a force to a pin to disengage the locking mechanism before moving the ends of the pre-feeder; and feeding the top of the luff into a groove on the forestay before raising the sail.  
           [0031]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the referenced drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 is a top view of a prior art pre-feeder for use in raising a jib sail;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 is a top view of another prior art pre-feeder for use in raising a jib sail;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pre-feeder according to the present invention being used to hoist a jib sail;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 a  is a top view of a first embodiment of a pre-feeder according to the present invention in the closed position;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 4 b  is a top view of the pre-feeder shown in FIG. 4 a  in the open position;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5 a  is a bottom view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 4 a;    
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 5 b  is a bottom view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 5 a  in the open position;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 4 a  taken along line  6 - 6  showing the locking pin in the locked position;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 4 a  also taken along line  6 - 6  showing the locking pin in the unlocked position;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 8 a  is a top view of a second embodiment of a pre-feeder according to the present invention showing the feeder in the open and closed position;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 8 b  is a bottom view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 8 a;    
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary detail  9 - 9  of the locking mechanism of the pre-feeder of FIG. 8 a;  and  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 10 is a left side view of the pre-feeder of FIG. 8 a.   
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0045]    Several preferred embodiments of the invention are described for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings. Although the invention is described with reference to a forestay pre-feeder associated with a jib sail, other uses of the invention, such as a feeder attached to a mast or foremast or a device for loosely encircling a rope (i.e., a line feeder), are also fully contemplated. Moreover, while the invention of the pre-feeder is described for use in connection with guiding and hoisting a jib sail, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the term jib sail is synonymous with other commonly used terms for jib sails including, but not limited to, “headsail” and “Genoa sail.” Furthermore, forestay is meant to include other similar terms for the same device including, but not limited to, a “headstay” and “jibstay.” 
         [0046]    Referring first to FIG. 1, a top view of a prior art pre-feeder  100  for use in guiding and raising a jib sail is shown. The pre-feeder  100  is made of a single piece of plastic or other material having an eyelet  102  at the top and two members  104   a ,  104   b  forming a circular opening  106  for loosely encircling the luff of a jib sail (not shown). The gap  108  between the ends of the two members  104   a ,  104   b  is large enough to allow the luff tape portion of the sail to slide between them. The edges of the pre-feeder are beveled or rounded to prevent damage to the jib sail.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 2 shows a top view of another prior art pre-feeder  200  for use in guiding and raising a jib sail. The pre-feeder  200  is metallic (e.g., metallic wire). The two sail contact rollers  204   a ,  204   b  may be metallic, such as bronze, or plastic. The sail contact rollers  204   a ,  204   b  are attached at the free, confronting ends of members  202   a ,  202   b , which together with the support arm  206 , form a generally triangular opening  210  for loosely encircling the luff of a jib sail (not shown). The gap  208  between the sail contact rollers  204   a ,  204   b  is large enough to allow the luff tape portion of the sail to slide between them. The members  202   a ,  202   b  and support arm  206  form another generally triangular opening  212  that can be used like the eyelet  102  of the pre-feeder of FIG. 1 (i.e., to attach a rope).  
         [0048]    Now referring to FIG. 3, a pre-feeder  302  according to the present invention is being used to guide a jib sail  304  into a grooved track  308  on a forestay  306 . One end of the forestay  306  is attached to the bow B of the boat  300  and the other end is attached to the top of the mast (not shown). The forestay  306  has a C-shaped or V-shaped grooved track  308  in which the luff  310  is held. In FIG. 3, a feeder  312  is used to guide the luff  310  into the grooved track  308 . In some situations, the feeder  312  is not required to accomplish the task of guiding the luff  310  into the grooved track  308 . Pre-feeder  302  aligns the luff  310  so that it is nearly parallel to the feeder  312  and the grooved track  308 . The pre-feeder  302  is attached to the boat using an attaching arm  314 , in this case a rope. As shown in FIG. 3, the pre-feeder  302  loosely encircles a portion of the luff  310 . The luff tape portion  316 , which consists of a wide strip of polymeric tape, woven nylon, or other material encapsulating the luff  310  on both sides of the jib sail  304 , slides between the jaw members of the pre-feeder  302 .  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 3 illustrates a common application of the pre-feeder  302  on a boat  300  in accordance with the present invention. Many alternative applications are also contemplated without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the attaching arm  314  may be attached directly to the forestay  306  or another portion of the bow B. The attaching arm  314  may be a rope, line or cable made of natural or synthetic strands of fibers or metal wires. It may also be a metallic or plastic arm that is universally attached to the boat so that the arm rotates about its longitudinal axis and flexes at one or more articulatable elbows to allow the pre-feeder  302  to move relative to the jib sail  304  as it is being hoisted.  
         [0050]    Now referring to FIG. 4 a , a top view of the first embodiment of pre-feeder  400  according to the present invention is shown. The pre-feeder  400  includes oppositely facing jaw members  402   a ,  402   b , pivotally connected at pivot  410 . When the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are in a closed position (as shown in FIG. 4 a ), they form a circular opening  406  and a V-shaped throat  420  at the apex of which a gap  407  between jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  is formed. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the two oppositely facing jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  may be shaped to form other than a circular opening between them. Regardless of its shape, the opening  406  should be slightly larger than the luff  310  (FIG. 3) of a jib sail  304  (FIG. 3) so that the pre-feeder  400  can easily slide along the luff  310 . Because different manufacturers of jib sails use slightly different sized beads or boltropes for the luff, the opening  406  should be large enough to accommodate a range of different luff sizes. In addition, the gap  407  is slightly larger than the thickness of the luff tape portion  316  of the jib sail  304  to permit the pre-feeder  400  to slide along the luff tape portion  316 . Preferably, the gap  407  should be about 1 millimeter when the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are in the closed position.  
         [0051]    The oppositely facing ends  403   a ,  403   b of the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  form the throat  420  and are inclined with respect to one another at an angle of about 20-30 degrees. It is contemplated that the throat angle, and thus the maximum width of the opening of the throat  420 , can be significantly larger than 20-30 degrees without altering the performance of the pre-feeder  400 . It is also contemplated that the ends  403   a ,  403   b may be contact rollers (a single roller or multiple rollers on each side) and they may be rounded instead of flat.  
         [0052]    In the first embodiment, the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are pivotally attached to each other at pivot  410 . The pivot  410  in FIG. 4 a  is a cylindrical tube or eyelet extending through both jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  as best seen in FIG. 6. This is, however, not the only mechanism contemplated for pivotally connecting the two jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  together. For example, the pivot  410  could be similar to the hinge of a piano or door, in which each jaw member  402   a ,  402   b  includes a hinge plate connected to the other by a cylindrical pin passing through interleaved members of the hinge plates. A spring may be arranged around the hinge pin or between the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  to bias the members to a closed position.  
         [0053]    Furthermore, the pivot  410  could be replaced with a cylindrical pin attached to the members  402   a ,  402   b , such that the longitudinal axis of the pin is parallel to the plane of the pre-feeder  400  of FIG. 4 a , and where the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are circumferentially rotatable about the axis of the pin. Thus, the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  would pivot relative to each other about the axis of the cylindrical pin. A torsion spring may be arranged around the pin and attached to the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  to bias the members to a closed position.  
         [0054]    Moreover, the pivot  410  could include a torque ratchet axially aligned with the pivot  410 . In this configuration of the pivot  410 , the notched ratchet wheel would be attached to one of the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b , and the pawl and catch arms would be attached to the other member. The ratchet would allow the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  to be opened in discrete intervals corresponding to the configuration of the notched ratchet wheel. A torsion spring could be used to bias the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  to an opened or closed position when the catch is disengaged from the notched ratchet wheel.  
         [0055]    In an alternate embodiment, the pivot  410  could be replaced with one or more pins slidably attached to the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  such that the longitudinal axis of the pin is parallel to the plane of the pre-feeder  400  of FIG. 4 a . The jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  would move axially along the length of the pin in opposite directions. Thus, the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  would slide apart rather than rotate about the pivot  410 . A spring may be used to bias the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  to a closed position.  
         [0056]    In a further alternate embodiment, a screw, with one end attached to the jaw member  402   a  and the other end engaged in a receiving device in the jaw member  402   b , could be used to move the two jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  along the axis of the pin, thereby adjusting the distance between the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  very precisely.  
         [0057]    In the first embodiment, the pivot  410  also forms an opening or eyelet  408  through both members  402   a ,  402   b . The opening  408  may be used to attach the pre-feeder  400  to a sailboat as described above in connection with FIG. 3. Other means for attaching the pre-feeder  400  to a sailboat will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.  
         [0058]    The outer surfaces of the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  include two gripping portions  422 ,  423  that are outwardly extending from the surface of the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b , respectively. An operator of the pre-feeder  400  could, for example, grip the pre-feeder  400  using the gripping portions  422 ,  423 .  
         [0059]    The pivot  410  may be positioned approximately near the center of the pre-feeder  400 , that is, above the gripping portions  422 ,  423  (FIG. 4 a ) thereby forming a pre-feeder that operates much like a pair of scissors. By applying opposing forces on the gripping portions  422 ,  423 , the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b , would open.  
         [0060]    The locking mechanism for the pre-feeder  400  includes an arcuate groove  412 , stop  414 , cutout  416 , threaded pin  418  threadably engaged in stop  414 , and spring  602  (FIG. 6). The groove  412  is formed through the member  402   a  as shown in FIG. 4 a . It has a constant radius relative to the center of the pivot  410 . When the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are pivoted about the pivot  410 , the pin  418  travels along the groove  412 . The two ends of the groove  412  define the extent to which the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b , and hence the gap  407 , can be opened to receive the luff  310  (FIG. 3). When the pre-feeder  400  is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 4 a , the stop  414  engages in the cutout  416  by the force of the spring  602  as best seen in FIG. 6, thereby securely holding the two jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  locked together. To disengage the stop  414  from the cutout  416 , the head  504  (FIG. 5 a ) of the pin  418  is urged against the bias of the spring  602  in the direction of the arrow a seen in FIG. 7.  
         [0061]    Now referring to FIG. 5 a , a bottom view of the pre-feeder  400  of FIG. 4 a  is shown.  
         [0062]    The threaded pin  418  (FIG. 4 a ) includes a screw head  504  for adjusting the tension in spring  602  (FIG. 6). By adjusting the tension, the force required to disengage the stop  414  from the cutout  416  (FIG. 4 a ) can be changed. A boot or cover not shown may be used to cover the screw head  504  to prevent it from snagging or tearing the jib sail  304  (FIG. 3).  
         [0063]    [0063]FIGS. 4 b  and  5   b  show the pre-feeder  400  of FIG. 4 a  in the open position with the stop  414  disengaged from the cutout  416 . In the fully opened position, the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  allow the luff  310  to be readily inserted in the opening  406  after which the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are pivoted to the closed position of FIG. 4 a  and locked in that position by the engagement of the stop  414  in the cutout  416 .  
         [0064]    Referring to FIG. 6, the threaded pin  418  and screw head  504  are shown with the threaded pre-feeder  400  in the closed and locked position such that the stop  414  is engaged in the cutout  416  and held in place by the force of spring  602 .  
         [0065]    Now referring to FIG. 7, the stop  414  is shown disengaged from the cutout  416  by application of a force to the screw head  504  in the direction of the arrow. The force required to disengage the stop  414  is a function of the spring constant, k, of the spring  602 . Preferably, a spring is selected that will require a relatively large force to disengage the stop  414  and prevent the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  from opening inadvertently during operation. However, the required force should not be so great that an operator cannot disengage the stop  414  by pressing a thumb or finger of one hand on the screw head  504  and pushing in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0066]    Several types of marine-compatible materials are contemplated for fabricating the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  and may be used without deviating from the scope of the invention. One such material is Delrin (DuPont), which is a machinable plastic with an acceptable combination of strength, stiffness, dimensional rigidity, and solvent and fuel resistant properties and is ideal for marine environments. Other suitable materials contemplated for the invention that are compatible with a marine environment include, but are not limited to, carbon fiber, titanium, stainless steel, aluminum and bronze. Carbon fiber and titanium are preferred in situations where strength and weight are important factors.  
         [0067]    Similarly, several different marine-compatible materials are contemplated for the pivot  410 , the stop  414 , the pin  418 , and the spring  602 . These include, but are not limited to, titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze. The metallic surfaces may be metal-plated or coated with a non-metallic coating.  
         [0068]    Now referring to FIGS. 8 a ,  8   b ,  9 , and  10 , a second embodiment of a pre-feeder  800  according to the present invention is shown. Pre-feeder  800  comprises oppositely facing jaw members  802   a ,  802   b  pivotally connected by pivot  810 . In the closed position, they form a circular opening  806  and gap  807  at the apex of V-shaped throat  820 . As in the previous pre-feeder embodiment, the gap  807  should be no smaller than the thickness of the luff tape portion  316  of the jib sail  304  (FIG. 3) and in any event should be no smaller than about 1 millimeter.  
         [0069]    The oppositely facing end surfaces  803   a ,  803   b of the jaw members  802   a ,  802   b  form the throat  820  and are inclined about 20-30 degrees. It is contemplated that the angle can be significantly larger than 20-30 degrees without altering the performance of the invention and, as in the first embodiment, the ends  803   a ,  803   b may be contact rollers (a single roller or multiple rollers on each side) and may be rounded instead of flat.  
         [0070]    The pivot  810  is a cylindrical pin disposed through both jaw members  802   a ,  802   b . The pivot  810  could alternatively have the same form as the alternate pivot arrangements described above in connection with the first embodiment.  
         [0071]    The locking mechanism for the pre-feeder  800  is also similar to that described previously in connection with FIG. 4 a . In this embodiment, the locking mechanism includes an arcuate groove  812  cut in jaw member  802   b , stop  814 , cutout  816 , threaded pin  818 , and a spring  815  (FIG. 10). These elements operate in substantially the same manner as previously described. As shown in dash-dot lines in FIG. 8 a , jaw member  802   b  can be pivoted about pivot  810  relative to jaw member  802   a  to the open position when the stop  814  is disengaged from the cutout  816 . When the jaw member  802   b  is pivoted about the pivot  810 , the pin  818  travels along the arcuate groove  812 . The two ends of the groove  812  define the extent to which the jaw members  802   b , and hence the gap  807 , can be opened to receive the luff  310  (FIG. 3). An opening  808  is formed through jaw member  802   a  and may be used to attach the pre-feeder  800  to a sailboat as described above in connection with FIG. 3.  
         [0072]    [0072]FIG. 8 b  shows a bottom view of the pre-feeder  800  of FIG. 8 a . The threaded pin  818  includes a screw head  904  for adjusting the tension in spring  815  (FIG. 10). By adjusting the tension, the force required to disengage the stop  814  from the cutout  816  (FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b ) can be changed. A boot or cover (not shown) may be used to cover the screw head  904  to prevent it from snagging or tearing the jib sail  304  (FIG. 3).  
         [0073]    Now referring to FIG. 9, an enlarged view of a portion of the pre-feeder  800  of FIG. 8 a  is shown. Specifically, the stop  814  is shown engaged in the cutout  816  (i.e., the jaw members  802   a ,  802   b  are in the closed position).  
         [0074]    Now referring to FIG. 10, a side view of the pre-feeder  800  of FIG. 8 a  is shown. Here is shown the spring  815  associated with the threaded pin  818  and screw head  904 . By applying force in the direction shown by the arrow, the stop  814  may be disengaged from the cutout  816  (FIG. 8 b ) and jaw member  802   b  may be pivoted to the open position.  
         [0075]    The pre-feeders  400  and  800  are operated essentially as follows (with reference to FIG. 3 and the elements of the pre-feeder  400 ). First, a crewmember, standing near the bow B of the boat  300 , grips the pre-feeder  400  in one hand. If the jib sail  304  has not been raised, the head of the jib sail with the leading edge of the luff  310  is inserted in the feeder  312  (if present) or the grooved track  308 . The pre-feeder  400  is opened by pressing on the screw head  504  to disengage the stop  414  from its position in the cutout  416 . The jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are then pulled apart by applying opening force to gripping portions  422 ,  423 . The jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  are placed around the luff  310  at a point on the luff  310  below the point where the luff  310  enters the feeder  312  or grooved track  308 . The crewmember then presses the jaw members  402   a ,  402   b  together thereby partially encircling the luff  310  within the opening  406  until the stop  414  re-engages the cutout  416 . Then, a halyard connected to the head of the jib sail  304  is used to hoist the jib sail  304  while the pre-feeder  400  guides the luff into the feeder  312  or directly into the grooved track  308 .  
         [0076]    Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law.