Wing sail - new and revolutionary, or is it?

[Bosman]

For those of you who watch America's Cup, you most likely remember how the BMW Oracle trimaran used for the first time wing sail and won the race. It was then called "new revolutionary design"....or was it?

Take a look at this black and white video from 1938. Yes, 1938. It shows ice boat races in Eastern Prussia (now Poland). Now, fast forward to approximately 03:15...what do you see? Incredible...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA8o1x7syMU

 

[Joe]

Dennis Conner used a hard winged catamaran to defeat New Zealander Michael Fay's AC challenge over twenty years ago.

 

[zeehag]

there was a trimaran in harbor island in a marina fro many years--i got to sd in 1995, it was there then and was there when i left in 2011...even sails a lil ---

 

[rgranger]

So how do you reef one of those

 

[RichH]

So how do you reef one of those

You 'feather up', just like many class boats designed back in the late 1800s still do: Sandbaggers, log canoes, and ILYA scows, etc.; where 'reefing' is strictly for 'sissies' and for those who dont know how to 'hike out'.