The article explains different types of sails on sailing ships, including tin sails, square-rigged sails, fore-and-aft sails, and headsails. It also mentions variations in sail types and their attachments, such as the genoa sail and Fisherman’s Sail.
On a sailing ship, a sailboat is a sail rigged from stem to stern in lines running diagonally downward from a mast. These lines help support the weight of the mast and are called supports. The candles attached to them are called stay candles. A single large vessel may have a large number of tin sails, although it would be rare for all of them to be set at once. If the sail is forward of the mainmast, it may also be called a headsail or headsail.
On a square rigged boat, tin sails are usually the only sails rigged from head to stern. Square-rigged sails are set at right angles to the line of the boat, while fore-and-aft sails get their name from their position on the poles that run fore and aft from the masts along the line. of the keel The largest sails on a square rigged boat are generally four-sided sails, such as courses and topsails. The largest and most prominent of the headsails and sternsails is the jib.
On head and stern rigged vessels, especially smaller craft such as yachts and sloops, the tailsail is a very important part of the rig and can be among the largest sails on the vessel. On the cutting deck, for example, two or more large tailsails are fitted between the single mast and the bowsprit. The innermost of these is simply called a pond sail, while the outermost is the gable.
The gable, found on both square rigged and fore and aft ships, is a tall sail ahead of the mainmast. On a boat with a bowsprit, the bracket on which the jib is attached runs between the forechest and bowsprit, while on others it runs between the forearm and bow or deck. A boat may have several spotlights, each positioned at a different point along the bowsprit. On square rigged boats, four jibs are common. These are called, from the outside in, the flying gable, the outer gable, the inner gable, and the fore-mast fore-sail.
There are a number of variations in sail types, both in shape and how the sail is attached. For example, in the case of the genoa sail, often simply called a genoa, the ball, or lower corner of the sail, is located aft of the mast. The Fisherman’s Sail is a rare example of four sides. This large sail sits high between the bow and main masts of vessels such as schooners and brigs to catch lighter breezes.
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