Small-boat sailors are always worried about being run down by great big ships that can't see them on radar, as a small boat doesn't give much of a return, especially in bad weather.

British scientists in WWII developed "window" - the code name for bunches of aluminium foil, cut into strips of a certain size and shape. When thrown out of aircraft, they formed huge radar echos which totally fooled the German anti-aircraft radars and made it impossible to track them.

Sooo ... why don't we make our sails and weave window strips into the sailcloth (or stick 'em onto the outside of it)? That way, a sailboat with sails set might have a huge radar echo which could easily be spotted by big-ship radar.

Just an idea. An since Mudcat posts are timed and dated, I claim intellectual property rights on it!