A steerable wing-type sail system for a wind powered craft. The system
includes first and second secondary airfoils and that are spaced
outwardly to the sides of the plane of the main wing, and that are
positioned rearwardly of the trailing edge of the wing. The secondary
airfoils are selectively pivotable so as to steer the main wing in one
direction or the other. The main wing is also provided with a pivoting
flap at its trailing edge, which pivots simultaneously with and in the
same direction as the secondary airfoils. The secondary airfoils are
carried on elongate horizontal booms mounted near the mid-span height of
the main wing. The secondary airfoils pivot about vertical axes at the
distal ends of the booms, and are operated by control cables that are
retracted and paid out by linear actuators or similar mechanisms. The
craft may be multi-hull vessel, such as a catamaran. The control
mechanism for the secondary airfoils may operate the airfoils in response
to signals received from one or more onboard sensors. The system is
suitable for use on an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (AUSV).