An Improved Safety Clip or Catch for holding Boat Sails in position with the Wind.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 15th Apr.,
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Clip or Catch for holding Boat Sails in position
with the Wind.
I, HORATIO SHEAF, of The National Schools, Wanstead, in the County of
London, Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved safety clip or catch for holding boat sails
in position with the wind and has for its object to permit of such clip or catch
being automatically disconnected should the pressure of the wind on the sail
exceed a certain amount thus freeing the sail and preventing the overturning of
the boat.
For this purpose my improved clip or catch consists of a metal holder or
bracket formed with two arms between which are pivoted two curved arms or jaws
forming a clip or catch engaging the device with the boom to which the lower
part of the sail is secured.
To one of the said jaws is pivoted a screwed rod or pin passing through a hole in
the other jaw and surrounded by a coiled spring bearing at one end against the
latter jaw and at the other end against a nut screwed on the rod or pin. By this
means the jaws are kept in their closed or gripping position the amount of pressure
exerted by the spring being regulated by the said nut.
The other end of the holder or bracket is provided with a swivelled hook to which
the fastening rope is attached.
In applying the invention the device is clipped on to the hook or ring in con-
nection with the boom of the sail and the rope secured in the usual manner the
pressure of the spring having been previously regulated by the nut in order to
permit of the clip being automatically forced off or detached from the boom when
the pressure of the wind against the sail exceeds a certain amount or poundage.
In order to accomplish this regulation one side of the screwed rod or pin may be
flattened and lines marked thereon indicating the pounds pressure.
15th Joof Annil 1897
An Improved Safety Clip or Catch for holding Boat Sails in position
with the Wind.
I, HORATIO SHEAF, of The National Schools, Wanstead, in the County of
Essex, Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
077

page_text: manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an improved safety clip or catch for holding boat sails
and has for its object to so construct the said clip or catch that the same will be
automatically disconnected from the boom of the sail should the pressure of the wind
on the latter exceed a certain amount thus freeing the said sail and preventing the
overturning of the boat.
For this purpose my improved clip or catch consists of a metal holder or bracket
formed with two arms or extensions between which are pivoted two levers having
curved jaws forming the clip or catch for engaging the device with the boom to
which the lower part of the sail is secured.
To one of the said levers is pivoted a screwed rod or pin passing through a hole
in the other lever and surrounded by a coiled spring bearing at one end against
the latter lever and at the other end against a nut screwed on the rod or pin.
By this means the jaws are kept in their closed or gripping position the amount
of pressure exerted by the spring for this purpose being regulated by the said nut
The upper end of the holder or bracket is provided with a swivelled hook or ring
to which the fastening rope is attached. And in order to clearly understand my
invention reference is had in the following description to the accompanying..sheet
of drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of my improved device
and Fig. 2 is a view at right-angles to the same.
Fig. 3 shows to a smaller scale the device attached to a boom.
a is the holder or bracket between the arms a¹ of which the levers b, b¹ are
pivoted on the hinge pin the lower ends of the levers being curved to form the
jaws 63.
c is the screwed rod or pin pivoted by the pins c¹ to the upper end of
the lever b its other end entering the hole 64 in the lever b¹ and d is the coiled
spring surrounding the rod or pin c and bearing at one end against the upper arm
of the lever b' and at the other end against the nut e screwed on the pin c. f Fig. 3
is the sail fastening rope which is attached to the hook or ring g swivelled to the
upper end of the bracket a and the device is attached to the boom h by means of
the ring which is gripped between the jaws 63.
1
In applying the invention the device is clipped to the ring i connected to the
boom h and the rope f is secured to the swivelled ring g. The pressure of the
spring d is then regulated by screwing the nut e for which purpose the upper ends
of the levers are turned outwards from the bracket a. Should the pressure of the
wind on the sail exceed the amount or poundage to which the spring d is set the
pull on the device will cause the jaws 63 to be opened out and forced out of contact
with the ring i by the compression of the said spring thus freeing the boom and
preventing the overturning of the boat.
In some cases I may dispense with the upper arms of the levers as shown in
Fig. 4 and pivot the screwed regulating pin c to one of the lower arms or jaws
the said pin passing through a hole 6 in the other jaw and through a tube or
guide on the said jaw.
This tube encloses the coiled spring d which bears at one end against the jaw
and at the other end against a thumb or other nut e screwed on the outer end of
the screwed pin which extends beyond the tube.
The screwed pin may also carry a sliding disc or washer 7 placed between the
end of the spring and the nut and formed with a small pin passing through a
slot m in the tube and the latter may be marked with lines indicating in conjunction
with the sliding motion of the said pin the pounds pressure to which the spring is
set or the outer end of the screwed spindle may be formed on one side with a flat
surface upon which the said lines may be marked.
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) An improved clip or catch for holding boat sails comprising a holder or

page_text: bracket secured to the sail fastening rope and provided with pivoted levers or jaws
caused to grip a ring or hook attached to the boom by means of a spring whose
pressure is regulated by a nut screwed on a pin pivoted to one of the said levers
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(2) In clips or catches for holding boat sails the combination of the holder or
bracket a carrying pivoted levers 6, 61 formed with jaws 63 the screwed rod or
pin e pivoted to one of the levers by pins c and passing through a hole 6* in the
other lever the coiled spring & nut e rope f swivelled hook or ring g boom h and
ring i substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
3 The improved clip or catch for holding boat sails substantially as described and
shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of January 1808
J. B. FLEURET,
5, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, London, EC.,
Agent for the Applicant.