Sailboat control apparatus

Claim 1

In a sailing vessel, a centerboard, a mainmast, a mainsail boom, said mainsail boom extending radially outwardly from said mainmast and aftermost therefrom, the improvement comprising a centerboard pivot means for pivotably rotating said centerboard about a line, said line extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said mainmast, said line being disposed along the fore and aft centerline of said sailing vessel and aft of said longitudinal axis of said mainmast, linkage means for pivotably linking the angular position of the trailing edge of said centerboard to said mainsail boom, said trailing edge being disposed in an outboard direction opposite to the outboard direction assumed at a sternmost point of said mainsail boom when said mainsail boom is skew to said fore and aft centerline of said sailing vessel, said linkage means including a flexible adjustable linkage element between said centerboard and said mainsail boom for adjusting said angular position and for permitting said mainsail boom to assume diverse positions along the height of said mainmast, said centerboard pivot means including a centerboard pivot axle and a centerboard pivot arm and disengagable joining means for selectively connecting one end of said pivot arm to the uppermost end of said centerboard pivot axle, a flexible line element, the other end of said pivot arm releasably engaged to a point along the length of said flexible line element, one end of said flexible line element being disposed in releasable engagement with said mainsail boom at a joining point intermediate said mainmast and said stermost point, said joining point being substantially intermediate said longitudinal axis of said mainmast and said line when said mainsail boom extends along said fore and aft centerline, a quick release cleat, a snap ring, a snap, said other end of said pivot arm being fixedly secured to said quick release cleat, a portion of the length of said flexible line element releasably engaged with said quick release cleat, one end of said flexible line element fixedly secured to said snap, said snap being removably engaged with said snap ring, said snap ring being fixedly secured to said mainsail boom at said joining point.