A sailcloth including a woven fabric of a first fiber material and a second fiber material woven into it, in which the second fiber material forms a network structure within the woven fabric, with the second fiber material having a higher tearing resistance than the first fiber material and with the second fiber having a sliding ability within the woven fabric.

A woven sailcloth has groups of load-bearing yarns which extend in straight lines through tunnels without being woven. The tunnels are bordered front and back by woven layers and at the sides by crossing-over yarns. Because the load-bearing yarns extend along the tunnels there is no crimp in their longitudinal direction. The load-bearing yarns may include components for resistance to displacement along the tunnels, such as resin adhesives or wrapped-around filament.

A woven sailcloth has groups of load-bearing yarns which extend in straight lines through tunnels without being woven. The tunnels are bordered front and back by woven layers and at the sides by crossing-over yarns. Because the load-bearing yarns extend along the tunnels there is no crimp in their longitudinal direction. The load-bearing yarns may include components for resistance to displacement along the tunnels, such as resin adhesives or wrapped-around filament.

The invention relates to a wing type rigid sail fragmented into independent segments, where general principle involves diving the rigid sail into different segments that can position themselves independently from neighboring segments, depending on the wind received, with the profile of the sail controlled following two independent but complementary methods, where the segments at the front of the sail are linked together by their front flap, through a process that allows adjusting their relative freedom, playing on the angle that each segment can take compared to neighboring segments, and on the back of the sail sheet, the rope allowing sail adjustment links each segment by its back flap, top to bottom, allowing for adjustment of the opening up of the sail while keeping the desired flexibility of the sail.

An integral sail to generate a propulsion following a thrust from the wind has an integral layered structure delimited externally by a first external layer and by a second external layer, both made with a smooth layer of thin and continuous film of flexible material. Furthermore, to each of said first external layer and second external layer at least a layer of parallel fibers, adjacent to each other, is associated internally with respect to the layered structure. The whole is made solid by means of at least a layer of thermofusible glue, disposed inside the external layers and in coordination with the corresponding layers of parallel fibers.

An oblong stiffening member such as a sail batten having a tapered geometry formed by a pair of parallelly spaced apart oblique circular cones interconnected by a webbing strip. The member can be made from a unitary piece of fiber composite material such as a carbon fiber infused polymer wherein the orientations of the fibers are varied to provide both bending and torsional strength and stiffness that varies along the length of the member. Such properties can be useful in sail battens due to the rigorous dynamical forces subjected to such structures.

A process of printing an image or images on the sails of a watercraft or other wind powered objects without altering or compromising the efficacy of the sails is described. The process employs a method of printing large-scale, single or multiple panel, continuous, high-resolution photographic and graphic images on wind-catching fabrics. The dynamics and curvatures of a sail are integrated into the manufacturing process when employed for sails, though the process may be applied to any large-scaled fabric print. The process of the present invention produces printed sails providing for the highest resolution photographic, art, and graphic printing with virtually no weight gain, nor effect on the sail's original performance. Modern equipment is employed to achieve printing of realistic, high quality images directly on to the fabric of sails without compromising flexibility or durability, as well as without infringing on the speed and agility of the sailing craft.

A shipping container includes a container configured to be secured onto a vessel or a vehicle. The shipping container further includes at least one wingsail stored in the container and configured to be unfolded to deploy from the container and folded to be stowed in the container.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a passive, automatic wing-control mechanism for sailing vessels. A cam is attached to one end of a rotatable mast as part of a rotatable wing, and a tensioner is configured to exert a constant force perpendicularly against the cam. When a wing is in a no-go sailing angle with respect to an apparent wind, the cam does not exert a torque on the mast. When the wing is outside the no-go sailing angle, the cam exerts a counter-torque to a torque caused by the apparent wind acting on the rotatable wing, causing the wing to remain at a predetermined angle with respect to the apparent wind.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a passive, automatic wing-control mechanism for sailing vessels. A cam is attached to one end of a rotatable mast as part of a rotatable wing, and a tensioner is configured to exert a constant force perpendicularly against the cam. When a wing is in a no-go sailing angle with respect to an apparent wind, the cam does not exert a torque on the mast. When the wing is outside the no-go sailing angle, the cam exerts a counter-torque to a torque caused by the apparent wind acting on the rotatable wing, causing the wing to remain at a predetermined angle with respect to the apparent wind.