Rotating masts are actually quite common on multihulls. Most Corsair trimarans have a rotating mast. The reason they're less common on monohulls, is that the engineering is a bit more complicated, and PHRF regs do not allow the use of rotating masts IIRC. Also, many monohulls are designed with keel-stepped masts, which eliminates the possibility of a rotating mast for the most part.
They already make gear that does this, but it is generally reserved for the racing market, on high-performance multihulls. For instance, you can see such a piece of gear at
TackTick, which makes some nice wireless instruments for boats.
Epic- You wouldn't need to refer to the compass, but would need a sensor on the mast that tells you what the current angle of rotation of the mast is...so you could offset the wind sensor readings... this is how the gear from TackTick works IIRC.
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Sailingdog
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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