Improvements in Sails and Rigging for Sailing Vessels and Steamers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sails and Rigging for Sailing Vessels and
Steamers.
1, HENRIC CHRISTIAN VOGT of No. 31 Holsteinsgade Copenhagen, in the
Kingdom of Denmark, Civil Engineer and Naval Architect, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
As the efficiency of a sail is greatest when it is prevented from bagging, the main
reason why the present sailing ships do not by far sail so well when close hauled as
they ought is this that the sails bag and thus lose in efficiency and that more and
more in proportion as the wind increases.
In my system there is for each mast only one sail A as shewn in Fig. 1, 6, 7,
11, and 12 (instead of two or more viz. main sail, and one or more top sails) and
the fore leach or luff of my sail goes along the length of the mast, and in it are
inserted a boom B and a number of gaffs and battens B' B2 B3 B4 B Figs. 1, and 11
to the outhaul sheaves of which the sail can be so hauled out that the force for
holding the sail taut is distributed over the boom and gaffs and battens instead of
as in ordinary fore and aft sails merely by a boom below and a gaff above. Figs. 6,
7 and 12 give a general view of the rig.
My construction also prevents the flapping or shaking of the sail when there is a
light wind and a swell.
As the speed of the wind increases from the surface of the water upward the
sail is similarly circumstanced as a propeller or a bird's wing meeting the fluid
under increasing speed from the fulcrum outward. The form should therefore be
approximately the same, and the sail should form a propeller surface with the
mast M Figs. 1 and 11 as the leading edge or directrix and the boom and gaffs and
battens as generatrices for the sail formation.
As the sail A Figs. 1, 6, 7, 11 and 12 can be stretched in its height along the
mast, and in its width along the boom and gaffs and battens bagging is rendered
almost impossible. In order to hold the sail in place so that the luff does not fall
to leeward of the mast, the afterpart of the latter is provided with two rails 1 Figs. 2
and 3 and 8 and 9 and between these the sliding blocks S slide which are fastened
to the luff of the sail. As the luff is thus kept straight there is no need to strain
the sail unduly and the sail will be rendered more durable. Instead of two rails I
may of course use one around the head of which catch suitable claw guides of
ordinary construction.
Sails of this construction are therefore merely hauled up and are simultaneously
taut, for as, as above stated, the luff of the sail is kept straight along the mast
while the boom and gaffs and battens prevent bagging; the sail is not subjected to
any further strain except from the wind. The after ends of the boom and gaffs
and battens are supported by a kind of guy or vang G Figs. 1, 6, 7, 11 and 12
avoiding the necessity of the bolt rope usually sewn along the after leach so that
the sail slips the wind so much better. Much labour is also saved because the mast
by reason of the form of the sail takes most of the pressure, and the power on the
sheet thus becomes small.
The detail side view, Figure 2, horizontal section Figure 3 and end view Figure 4
and the enlarged sections Figs. 8 and 9 shew the boom B and gaffs and

page_text: battens B B B2 etc. the fore ends of which are supported by the sliding blocks S
which all slide on the rails I. Each slide block has a T-shaped head T Fig. 8
and 9 which takes against the inner sides of the rails I and thus holds the slide
block S to the rails. The slide block has two lugs S which take over and under
and cheeks S2 fitting round the eye Qou the fore end of the boom and gaffs and
battens which are held to the slide blocks by a shackle or seizing but so that the
boom and gaffs and battens are free to move in all directions.
The luff is by means of lashings C as shewn in Figs. 8 and 9 connected to the
slide blocks so that the force on the luff is transmitted through them. The after
ends of the boom and gaffs and battens are as stated supported and carried by
the guy or vang G which is fastened by means of seizings or lashings to eyes of
the said battens and gaffs.
Those battens which merely aid in holding the sail taut are very light, while the
gaff's carried by the throat halyards K and peak halyards or topping lifts P are
stiffer. In order to prevent the guy G in pressing forward upon the battens, when
these are very long, the after ends of same must lie in a straight line or in a curve
bending in towards the mast. The sail thus supported can be hoisted by several
throat halyards K and peak halyards P. From the slide blocks S to which the
throat halyards K are fastened and whereby consequently the fore ends of the gaffs
are raised the halyards pass over sheaves at i Figs. 1 and 11 on the sides of the
mast and then down to the deck. The halyards which have about the same length
of haul may also be gathered on to one main halyard, and when a throat halyard
and a peak halyard from the same gaff are connected to one main halyard the peak
halyard must be set up a little afterwards.
The peak halyards P (by preference double having a part on each side of the
sail) also lead from the outer end of the gaff or from its sheave over the sheave
at and thence to the deck. Peak halyards should be hauled in order to, in
combination with the guy G, to spare the sail.
The small slides also shewn in Fig. 10 and to which the luff of the sail is united
consists of a back piece D to which the bolt repe D' is united and a front piece or
button D2 working inside the rails similar to the head T shewn in Fig. 8, and an
intervening cylindrical stem. The stem is a little longer than the thickness of the
rails I and works between them; it can turn freely so that the sail can fold up.
The system hereindescribed may be reefed from below or from above as
described. When reefing from below the whole sail is pulled a distance down and
the vang G is at the same time hauled upon so that the sail is considerably
shortened while the unreefed part of the sail yet remains taut because of the rails
and the gaffs and battens, so that the course may be steered and the lower loose
part of the sail be made fast to the boom B.
If the sail is to be taken in very quickly it should be done from above and
nothing is needed but to cast loose the uppermost halyard or the uppermost
halyards and by means of downhauls to haul so large a part of the sail as desired
down to a gaff provided with throat halyard and peak halyard and if the latter is
double, the reefed part of the sail will lie steady between them.
Peak-halyards and vang G should take the whole strain to keep the sail to the
wind. It is well that the sail, in order that the buttons D2 on the small slides
should not be unduly strained, be hoisted up and down with the battens in the
position which they assume when the sail is taut but if a button should tear off it
will not cause any trouble as it cannot jamb between the rails. The mast in this
system should be in one piece from deck to truck. The rails I may as shewn in
Fig. 3 be screwed fast to longitudinal chocks or flanges if the mast is of wood;
if the mast is of steel angular rails may be fixed to the same by means of angle
pieces at certain intervals as shewn in Fig. 5 and 8 and 9. One flange of each rail
is then used as rails for the slide and button: the other flange, against the mast,
should have openings at intervals for the purpose of cleaning out between the
rails. The steadying of the mast is in this system increased by one or more

page_text: cross trees partly shewn in Figs. 1, 6 7, 11 and 12, the shrouds from the top are
carried out over the cross trees and then to the ships' side or in towards the mast
so that a bow string girder is formed, whereby the mast may be made lighter than
otherwise.
It should be noted that the hoisting of the sail along the rails from deck to
sheave in no wise hinders the staying of the mast, which is a very important point;
one of the shrouds may be carried over the end of the cross tree forward so that
it will act as a fore stay. As the distance between the sails ought to be equal to
the width of the sails in order that one may not interfere with the action of the
other there is nothing to prevent stays being carried direct forward; but the gaffs
will because of the vang G exert forward pressure so that staying in that direction
is not much needed. A line G Figs. 6 and 7 may if desired be added from one
of the gaffs to the mast abaft of same and be made use of by hauling upon it
when turning before the wind. When sailing before the wind spinnakers, square
sails and the like may be hoisted; it is not difficult to make way when the wind is
aft and there is no stranding with the wind from that quarter. Steamers because
of their own propulsion have seldom any use for free wind, but with beam wind or
head wind they may make use of the wind even if their speed be as high as the
periphery speed of a windsail. As the shape of sail A is such that its greatest
dimension is along the mast the pressure on the sail will be concentrated close_by
it, so that the strain on the sheet becomes small and the sail easy to work. For
that reason I may also advantageously employ springs E Figs. 1 and 11 under the
boom B, the sheets being attached to the springs, whereby the ships' movements
become easier. The springs act as a kind of accumulators.
As regards small craft the system may also be used for them even though the
mast rails and parts belonging thereto be omitted; the sails and the boom and
batten ends below the shrouds will then be held to the mast in the usual manner
but the sail will of course not stand so well and for the topsail especially the lack
of the support of the rails will be felt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A sail for steamers and sailing ships consisting of one piece superseding
mainsail and topsails, the sail having inserted boom, gaffs and battens which at
the fore ends are supported by means of the mast and at the after ends by a guy
or vang G fastened to the said after ends; the gaffs being carried by throat
halyards and peak halyards, so that the sail may be hoisted by several halyards
instead of by one as usual, and so that the sail may be reefed down to a gaff
provided with such throat halyard and peak halyard the part of the sail beneath
remaining taut.
2. A sail of the described construction for being reefed from above or from
below in such manner that the sail in a moment is reefed from above by only
casting loose the uppermost halyard or halyards and then hauling the loosened
part of the sail down to a gaff provided with throat halyard and peak halyard, or
is reefed from below by lowering the sail on to the boom and simultaneously hauling.
upon the vang G, whereupon the loose part of the sail is folded and the reef points
tied in the usual manner.
3. A sail having boom, gaffs and battens the fore ends of which are supported
by certain sliding blocks with cheeks which partly close round an eye at the fore
end of boom, gaffs and battens and with lugs, serving to make fast the said eye to
the sliding block in such manner that the gaff and battens can freely turn as
much as the sail will permit the luff of the sail being also made fast to the said
blocks in such manner that the strain upon the luff is transferred through the
sliding blocks which furthermore run upon one or two rails along the mast and are
held to the mast in the usual manner; the luff of the sail being also supported by

page_text: small slides running upon the rails, and the after ends of the boom, gaffs and
battens being as stated supported by a guy or vang G which presses forward upon
the gaffs and thereby likewise steadies the mast forward.
Dated this 14th day of February 1894.
HENRIC CHRISTIAN VOGT, C.E.,
Holsteinsgade 31, Copenhagen.