A modern sloop and its sails. The sailing rig of the yacht is jib, mainsail, spinnaker, gennaker, trysail

When talking about the sailing equipment of ships and ships, this is called “sailing equipment”. Has nothing to do with weapons in the usual sense of the word. Man has long realized that it is possible to use the power of the wind as a propulsion device on water - there is evidence that even in the Neolithic era (about 8-3 millennia BC) they already began to use sails. It is this age that is attributed to the canoe found in the Bay of Forth in Scotland.

It is a trapezoidal panel, with the luff attached to the yardarm, i.e. (conditionally) across the centerline of the vessel. Luffs: top, bottom, right, left. The angles of the upper luff: knock-benzel (right and left), on the lower luff - clew. The side facing the stern is the front side, the side facing the bow is the back side. The upper luff has eyelets for attaching to the yardarm. The remaining luffs are free. The sheets on the lower sails are wound onto the hull of the vessel, the sheets of the upper sails (topsails and topsails) - onto the ends (ends) of the lower yards. When moving on a close-hauled course, the windward clew of the lower sail is pulled toward the bow by a tackle called a tack. Straight sails are cut from panels of fabric located perpendicular to the yards (luff). The cut is most often flat, the lower luff is sometimes made concave upward. Somewhat later, an oblique sail appeared, of which there are many varieties.

It is so called because it was used in European countries back in the days of ancient Rome, where, as you know, they spoke Latin. But it should be said that even earlier such sails were known in the East, for example, in Egypt. They are still used there today. The leading edge of the triangular sail is laced to the batten, while the rear and lower edges are free. The lateen sail is sometimes quadrangular, see the second picture. This sail is a raked sail.

You might think that this is a gaff weapon, but this is not so. In fact, it is not a gaff, but a batten, because one end of it protrudes beyond the mast. And the leading edge of the sail is not laced to the mast; it also extends beyond it. This is also a raked sail. Just like a standing gaff happens - guari, in the lugger system it occurs - standing luger

This is also a rack sail. Another type of rack weapon: split foresail. It can be found on modern boats.

Why "split"? Because it seems as if the sail, laced to the yard, was cut along the mast. In fact, these are two sails. The front one is called jib, and the rear - forec. Gika focus It’s not supposed to, but sometimes sailors do it themselves. And sometimes they just tie the bottom edge foresail to the oar. The boom makes it easier to control the sail. This sail is a raked sail.

Gaff weapons

The sail is quadrangular. Its upper edge is laced to the gaff, the lower edge of the Bermuda sail is attached to the boom, and the forward edge to the mast. This type of sail is classified as simple. There are gaffs of a special shape. It is thin, long and placed almost vertically, usually on a low, durable mast. The sail has a quadrangular shape, but the upper rear corner is raised so high that from afar the sail can be mistaken for a triangular, Bermuda sail. This is called a standing gaff guari. That’s why this type of sailing rig has the same name. This is also a simple sail.

This type of sail is the easiest to handle and also works well on sharp upwind courses (i.e. when the boat is sailing almost against the wind). Sometimes they have a regular triangle shape, and sometimes the trailing edge is slightly rounded - to increase the sail area. In this case, special narrow pockets (lat pockets) are sewn to the canvas and flexible long plates - armor - are inserted into them. This is to prevent wrinkles from appearing on the sail. The lower edge of the Bermuda sail is attached to the boom, and the leading edge to the mast. This type of sail is classified as simple.

There are two main types of sails: STRAIGHT and OBLIQUE

There are no varieties of straight sails.

And oblique ones are divided primarily into SIMPLE and RACK

Among the simple obliques we know: 1) Bermuda 2) gaff 3) guari 4) sprint

Among the slanting racks: 1) Latin 2) luger 3) standing luger 4) split foresail

Now you can move on to combinations of sailing rigs on one and two masts.

Single mast sailing rig Most often, two sails are set with one mast, less often - three. There are single-masted rigs with only one sail. The mast of such ships is called Mainmast. One sail is installed on a sailing rig of the type kat

Kat- a type of oblique sailing rig, in which the ship (usually a yacht) has only one sail installed on the mast itself. The cat's mast is strongly shifted towards the bow. Typically, there is no standing rigging when armed with a cat. The sail can be rigid - in the form of a wing. Kat- the oldest, simplest and very effective weapon. When the operation of the mainsail is not interfered with by other sails, it produces an unusually high thrust per unit area. In addition, the cat is very easy to operate. In the past, cat had limited distribution in Europe, but was very popular in the USA and Canada. Here they were armed mainly with dinghies, and extremely wide ones at that. An American cat was 30 feet long and had a beam of 12 feet. Nowadays, this weapon is also used, as a rule, on dinghies, although sometimes small keel yachts are also equipped with it.

Tender(English tender, from tend - to serve) - a type of sailing vessel with an oblique sailing rig, having one mast and bowsprit, on which a mainsail, staysail and one or two jibs are placed.

Gaff tender 1. mainsail (mainsail trysail) 2. topsail 3. staysail 4. jib

The sailing rig of a gaff tender consists of a quadrangular mainsail sail (mainsail trysail), a staysail, one or more jibs and an upper triangular sail (topsail). At the beginning of the 20th century, a tender was described as a vessel with two or three headsails. A secondary feature, depending on the number of front sails, was the location of the mast: in the region of 1/3 - 1/2 of the length along the structural waterline (SWL) from the bow. The location of the mast and the number of headsails determined the type of bowsprit used. Tenders often had a retractable bowsprit, sloops only had a permanent one. Further, these insignificant differences between the tender and the sloop began to disappear. First, the retractable bowsprit went out of fashion, and by the 30s of the 20th century, bowsprits on single-masted yachts were generally used less and less. The spread of glued spars led to an increase in the height of the masts, and the need to compensate for the insufficient height of the mast with a large number of developed headsails on the bowsprit was no longer necessary. Tenders with three headsails have since become almost museum rarities. The tender is, first of all, one of the types of gaff weapons. Bermuda tenders were a very short-lived boat and were born out of the retention of traditional headsails during the transition from gaff rigs to Bermuda rigs. The tender's tacking qualities are somewhat lower than those of the sloop. When, with the improvement of the spar and standing rigging, it was discovered that it was possible to reliably hold the mast in the longitudinal direction with just one forestay from the bow, Bermuda tenders practically disappeared. In the era of the sailing fleet, a tender was a single-masted auxiliary vessel with a displacement of 50–60 tons, armed with 10–12 small-caliber guns. Modern tenders more often have a Bermuda sail rig: instead of a mainsail, trysail and topsail, one large triangular sail is used - a Bermuda mainsail.

Bermuda tender 1. mainsail 2. staysail 3. jib

Sloop- two-sail, single-mast rig.

Sloop(English sloop) - a type of slanting sail that was established by the mid-19th century - one mast and two main sails, the front one (staysail) and the rear one (respectively, the mainsail). They differ in the type of mainsail: Bermuda, gaff, sprint, raked, etc. Additional sails vary depending on the time and place of construction: straight topsails (XIX century), jibs (early 20th century), spinnakers (from the middle of the 20th century) . At the beginning of the 20th century, a sloop in Europe was allowed to have only one staysail, and in America - one or two staysails. A secondary feature, depending on the number of front sails, was the location of the mast in the region of 1/4 of the length along the design waterline (CWL) from the bow of the sloop. Sloops, unlike tenders, could only have a permanent bowsprit. The sloop's tacking qualities are slightly higher than those of the tender. Therefore, as the advantages of extended sails became generally recognized, tenders almost stopped being built. Since then, the Bermuda sloop has become the dominant type of weapon everywhere. In its development over the past fifty years, one should note the trend of increasing jib height. Now the vast majority of sloops have a top jib or staysail of 3/4 to 7/8 sail height. At the same time, the mast moved closer to the middle of the yacht’s length. Since the 20th century, the vast majority of small sports sailing ships have been armed with Bermuda sloops.

Two-masted sailing rig There are three main types:

1. Yol (yol)
2. Schooner

The masts of small two-masted ships are called Mainmast And Mizzen mast, if you count from the nose - this is true for Iola And Ketcha. For Schooners the front mast is called Foremast, back Mainmast

Yol (yol)- a type of oblique rig on a two-masted ship, in which the mizzen mast is located aft of the rudder head. Typical for small sports boats of the 1950s-1970s. The Iola type (Dutch jol) originated in Holland. Initially it was a coastal boat, adapted mainly for fishing. Moreover, it was a rowing boat, the sail was auxiliary, and was placed on a temporary removable mast. In cases where there were two masts, the mizzen was installed as far aft as possible in order to free up space in the pole for working with fishing gear. Over time, the iol began to be used for military purposes, especially off the coast, where its shallow draft was valued. Typical 18th century iol. had dimensions: length 15 m; width 4 m; draft 2 m. The mechanization of fishing and the commercial fleet has generally pushed the boats into recreational sports vessels. It especially developed in the 1950s. Its characteristic feature is the small mizzen, mounted far aft, often right on the transom. At the same time, the main thrust is provided by the mainsail, and the mizzen gives more maneuverability when turning and allows fine tuning on constant courses. A typical Iol of those times has a Bermuda rig and long bow and stern overhangs, which gives it the ability to sail sharp courses. Iol has become popular among yachtsmen for its ability to balance the center of sail relative to the center of lateral resistance. A yacht configured in this way is able to maintain its course without the help of a rudder. Iola was favored by such famous solo yachtsmen as Joshua Slocum and Francis Chichester. With the advent of automatic control systems (autopilots, autopilots), this ability of the ship lost its former importance, and their place was largely taken by sloops that were easier to control.

Schooner(Schooner) - a sailing ship with two or more masts and predominantly slanting sails. The schooner has two types of weapons: one for transport ships, the second for yachts; both have two masts (foresail and mainsail). A transport schooner (topsail schooner or topsail schooner) carries a topsail, sometimes two, on the foremast, and only foretail sails on the mainmast. A schooner-yacht usually has oblique rigs on both masts, but sometimes carries a topsail on the foresail.

At one time, schooners-yachts were very common and stood in the forefront of competition for the American Cup (America cup), but recently the tender has completely driven them out of the races. In addition to the schooners described above, there are also other types of transport schooners with three masts and oblique rigging. Such schooners are called three-masted schooners. When they carry topsails on the foremast, such schooners are called Jackass. They should not be confused with the Barquentines, which look similar to them from a distance. The Barquentine differs from a schooner in that it has a brig foremast.

Ketch, ketch(eng. ketch) - a type of two-masted sailing vessel with slanting sails. They appeared in the mid-17th century in England and North America as fishing and trading ships. Merchant ships of a similar design were also called gukors. Ketch differs from a schooner in that a ketch has a rear mast lower than the front one (in a ketch, the front mast is called the mainsail, and the rear mizzen, while on a two-masted schooner the front mast is called the foresail, and the rear mainsail); the difference between a ketch and a yol is the location of the mizzen mast in front of the head of the stock (axis) of the rudder. The area of ​​the sails of the aft mast is significant and amounts to about 15-20% of the total sail area. The ketch's sails are slanted and a gaff rig can be used. In light winds, an upsail can be installed between the mizzen and the mainsail. Such a sail rig and the location of the rudder axis provide advantages in controllability and propulsion in strong winds. In the 18th-20th centuries, a ketch in Britain was a small two-masted sailing ship, used mainly for coastal transportation. Usually the sailing equipment was mixed. Example - so-called Baltic Ketch, a type that imported timber and hemp from Baltic ports. A ketch is often confused with an iol, in which the mizzen is located aft of the rudder stock. With the exception of this feature, both types of weapons are similar in appearance, although the mizzen of the iol is somewhat smaller compared to the mainsail. A ketch requires more hands to operate and is usually somewhat larger in size. In most cases, the mizzen area of ​​the ketch is approximately two-thirds the area of ​​the grotto. Depending on the type of hull and the size of the overhangs on the ketches, various options for the location of masts along the length of the vessel are possible. In ketch, the tops of the masts are often connected by a karnak forestay. The mizzen mast of a ketch creates a great inconvenience for the helmsman, the only exception being ships with a cockpit in the center. Iol is free from such a drawback and, in addition, the size of her mizzen eliminates the need for reefing, and this is an advantage of Iol as a cruising yacht.

There are plenty of factors influencing the choice of sailing equipment. Here, as in any field, it is impossible to create ideal weapons. Different sails are suitable for different purposes. But due to habit and stereotype, on most yachts we see Bermuda sloops armed. If a manufacturer tries to offer a completely unusual sailing rig, even if it meets a specific request with better quality than the classics, he will simply lose his customers.

So, another of the most important reasons to start is the opportunity to choose the sailing equipment you need. 🙂

The desire to be first is an important factor in today's progress, including in yachting. Sailing syndicates of the top regattas (America's Cup, etc.) invest heavily in testing, designing and building advanced racing machines (the budgets of the participants in the 33rd America's Cup exceeded half a billion dollars). It is logical that successful ideas in the field of new sailing trends are translated into mass-produced boats. But how correct is this, because it is necessary to take into account at least two factors: racing cars initially operate in a completely different sailing mode, and not all cruisers are chasing speed.

Let's go back a little to the history of the development of sails in the Old World. Literally 100 years ago, when the steam engine had not yet gained success among merchants, it was straight sails - narrow and low - that were “in fashion”. They accelerated ships well, especially on passing courses, but were very poor maneuverers. Small fishing vessels and the first yachts pursued slightly different goals, and, moreover, due to their smaller sizes, they made it possible to use more complex designs in weapons. Gaff weapons were a classic. But soon the engine finally “defeated” the sail, which remained only on yachts used for recreation, entertainment and sports competitions. And racing yachts face a new requirement – ​​to tack flawlessly. It is tacking that today is decisive for victory at classic racing distances.

So yachtsmen abandoned the gaff, and the profiles of the sails became narrower and higher - Bermuda sails were gaining popularity.

And although in the 60s of the last century, Czeslaw Markhai proved that the shape of the Guari type sail is more effective than the Marconi sail (Bermuda on a rigid mast), it still takes time for ellipsoidal sails to replace the Bermuda. Today, technologies and materials make it possible to create spars and rigging without any problems, thanks to which the masts bend perfectly and do not create too much aerodynamic drag, but in principle, mass-produced yachts still have stiff masts and triangular, ineffective sails. True, not because technology does not allow this to be done today, as it was 40 years ago, but because it is now convenient to screw the sails into the mast, but the mast must be level.

The breakthrough came in 2000, when the Dutchman Jens Nickel proved the effectiveness of a wide mainsail. The improved aerodynamic shape with a large hump of the mainsail had more thrust, and with a larger area, surprisingly, less heeling force. The yacht's yaw rate has also decreased significantly. Nickel explains that although the CG of such a sail has become higher, the CP, on the contrary, has shifted down. And it is no coincidence that it was Jens Nickel who came to this conclusion - since ancient times, Dutch fishermen used a short curved gaff, which allowed the sailing rig to develop high thrust.

However, the evolution of the sports sail continued. Elliptical sails are no longer in fashion. The modern mainsail has a pronounced knock-benzel angle, and the uppermost through batten is very reminiscent of a gaff. At the America's Cup, such weapons were first demonstrated in 2007.

Why is this so, was the famous sail theorist Czeslaw Markhai wrong? No. The elliptical shape of the power is really the best. but only under ideal and stable flow conditions. But yachts move on rough seas, and practice makes its own adjustments.

By the way, there are small nuances, but you need to understand that modern sports weapons can no longer be correctly called Bermudian, although we continue to do so. The mainsail today has a pronounced luff and four corners.

An interesting solution to the current development of sailing equipment can be considered the Open 50 Adecco class yacht “Etoile Horizon”. This may seem strange to some, but! In a gaff sail, the center of sail is located lower, and accordingly, with the same area, there is a smaller heeling moment. Further. Ocean racers do not strive to tack at all - it is unprofitable. They need speed, and in order to find the right wind, you can make an extra detour in the ocean, not to mention the fact that in cross-country races there is initially not so much headwind. And here, again, a gaff sail pulls better than a Bermuda sail. And the Bermudian doesn’t have much of an advantage on the tack. This can be seen in the graph shown here. In general, the Bermuda “won” the gaff not so much because it is advantageous in the racing part of the distance against the wind, but due to the lighter spar, especially in its upper part. And modern technologies and materials make it possible to make not only light masts, but also gaffs :)

Let's now remember about two-masted weapons. in the 60s of the last century, armament with iol was considered ideal in many respects. This is a large sail area in the absence of the technological ability to make high masts, and lighter sails that are easier to work with, and the ability to simply remove one sail instead of taking reefs... In general, yachts over 12 meters long were all two-masted.

But evolution takes its toll, and sloops, due to the lower resistance of the sailing rig, are pushing two-masted rigging into the past. A successful renaissance of two-masted weapons was the Widbread round-the-world race of 1989-90, when Peter Blake and Grant Dalton staged a delightful duel, having an advantage on full courses due to the wide and large-area weapons. But the very next race showed the inconsistency of two-masted weapons against modern sloops going into surfing mode.

Up to this point we have examined the evolution of sailing weapons in Europe.

Brief summary: progress has moved the sail from the commercial channel to the entertainment and sports. Design considerations, plus measurement formulas, led to the result that we see today. But in the countries of Southeast Asia, the sails are completely different. They are not familiar to us, but what may seem amazing is that they are much more effective than Bermuda sails. And due to the shape of the sail, and due to the ease of control, and due to the low center of sail.

Below we introduce newcomers to the names the main elements of the yacht, standing and running rigging, sails and simply yachting (marine) terms.

Sail

A sail is a special fabric or plate that is attached to the hull of a yacht in order to convert the energy of air currents into the energy of forward motion of the vessel. From the point of view of its design, the sail is a rather complex structure. Now let’s take a closer look at such elements as "Mast" "Boom", "Shrouds", "Masail", "Spinnaker", "Stay", "Jib" and others.

Mast

A mast is a vertically standing structure on a boat that provides the sail with shape, stability and flexibility. Usually, when we talk about single-mast sailing yachts (“sloop”, “tender”), they mean the main mast.

Geek armament: 1 – boom; 2 - mast; 3 – heel with slider; 4 - sail; 5 – topenant; 6 - knock; 7 – main sheet; 8 boom guy; 9 − boom heel guy

- This is a device used to stretch the lower part (luff) of the slanting sails on a yacht. It is presented in the form of a horizontal spar and can be fixed in relation to the mast, either movably or in a non-movable manner.

Guys

Guys- these are special gear (usually galvanized or steel cables) of the standing rigging of a yacht, with the help of which the mast is strengthened. The number of shrouds directly depends on the thickness of the mast itself and the area of ​​the sails.

Stay

Stay- this is a rigid steel cable of a ship's standing rigging that keeps the mast from falling backwards

Mainsail (sail)

Usually, grotto on single-mast yachts it is called the rear sail. Actually, the mainsail is one of the most important components of a yacht’s sail, because how correctly the mainsail is configured in relation to the wind and the state of the water surface determines how the ship will behave in certain weather conditions.

Staysail

The jib is a triangular shaped sail that is placed on the forestay to support the mast at the front.

A racing sail that operates in a range of courses from halfwind to jibe. Unlike a spinnaker, it has a smaller area; in addition, it can be used not only in racing, but also in cruising voyages with a small crew on board.

Sheet

Sheet(Dutch. schoot) - running rigging gear designed to stretch the lower (clew) corners of sails along the yard or boom. Also using sheets they pull back the corners of sails that do not have a spar. Every sheet receives an additional name based on the name of the sail, for example: mainsail sheets(walk back and stretch the sail to the leeward side).

FAL

False(Dutch val (from vallen- fall, let down) - gear designed for raising and lowering sails (mainsail, staysail and others), individual parts of the spar (for example, yards, topmasts, gaffs), flags, pennants, etc. Halies, used on ships and ships, refer to running rigging.

ends

End(s)- the name of any rope or cable in the navy. For example, when mooring, the mooring end is tied with one side to the pier (pier) to a bollard and the other to a cleat on a yacht.

Fenders

Fender- a lining, which is placed between the ship and the pier, so as not to damage the side, serves to reduce contact loads on the ship’s hull. Previously, fenders were woven from ropes, but later they were replaced by rubber balls or cylinders inflated with air. Due to their cheapness and practicality, old car tires are most widely used as fenders.

Here are some more important terms

Leeward side- the side of the object facing the direction the wind is blowing.

Windward side- the side of the object facing the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Latrine- just a toilet. Previously, this was the name of the platform, in the form of a balcony, in the bow of a sailing ship, under the bow decoration. Served as a latrine for the crew.

Galley- just a kitchen

Overstay- a turn during which the ship's course crosses the direction of the wind, while the ship crosses the wind line with its bow. Turning from a southeast course to a southwest course with a south wind will be a tack. Often used when moving on tacks. Any turn of a sailing vessel (tacking or jibe[see]) is accompanied by a change of tack. Any other maneuver of a sailboat is not considered a turn.

Fordewind- 1) the ship’s course relative to the wind: the wind blows directly astern (tailwind); 2) turn the ship ( jibe, through jibe) when the wind line is crossed by the stern. Any turn of a sailing ship is associated with a change in tack. Other maneuvers of a sailing vessel are not considered a turn.

And finally - Admiral's hour

Admiral's hour- a pre-lunch break at 11 o'clock, which was announced daily in the fleet and in the Admiralty Board so that sailors and officers could "drink and eat" before lunch. Introduced by order of Peter I.

Sailing rig "Bermuda sloop".
Main and additional sails.

1. Head corner
2. Sorcerers
3. Luff
4. Tack angle
5. Main sheet
6. Staysail sheet
7. Clew angle
8. Sorcerers

Main sails - mainsail and staysail

Staysail

Bermuda rigged headsail. Genoa or genoa staysail, staysail, storm staysail are all names for the headsail.

Furling jib

Furling the jib- a mechanism, a drum, that allows you to wind the jib onto the forestay. Furling the jib allows you not to set or remove the sail every time you leave or approach the anchorage, but simply wind it onto the forestay. Its disadvantage is that it is not optimal for all weather conditions.

Staysail on carabiners The replaceable staysail is attached to the forestay with carabiners (raks). This fastening is reliable and will not allow the sail to fall during ascent or descent. It can be quickly changed to a smaller or larger sail. This sail is convenient for long journeys, but not convenient for regattas.

Staysail on the forestay pier Replaceable sail, can be furled without furling the jib. A luff cable is sewn into the luff, which is held in the luff groove of the forestay pier. Stay-pier is a plastic or aluminum strip on the forestay. This type of jib provides better dynamic performance, but is difficult to furl on yachts over 35 feet. The jib is controlled (transferred from side to side) using jib sheets tied to the clew angle of the sail, and drawn along different sides of the yacht.

Grotto

The mainsail can be retracted onto a furler located inside the mast.

Main sheet- the tackle that controls the boom and, accordingly, the mainsail.
Mainsheet carriage and mainsheet - gear for sailing the mainsail.

Sail parts

Head corner- the top one, the sail is raised behind it.

Clew angle- the sheets that control the sail are tied into the clew eyelet of the jib

Tack angle- front, shows which tack the yacht is on

Shkatorina- the edge of the sail, can be rear, front and bottom.

Additional sails

Spinnaker

Spinnaker- a light sail with a large area, made of nylon. Used for full courses - jibe and backstay.

Spinnaker carried on a special spar - spinnaker boom

Genaker

Storm sails

Trisail and storm staysail

They are sewn from very dense fabric of a smaller size compared to the main sails.

Trysail- a storm grotto, a small area made of very dense fabric. A trysail sail is used instead of a mainsail, but it is not attached to the boom, but is steered from the cockpit by two separate sheets.

The design of a classic sailing yacht consists of a hull and sailing rig. Sailing rig is the totality of all the equipment designed to move a vessel through the water using the wind. TO sailing equipment of ships include the sails themselves, the spar and the rigging.

Spar

The spar (spar tree) is the “skeleton” for the sails, which serves to tension them and transfer the force of movement to the hull of the yacht. The main part of the spar is the masts. Despite the fact that the term “spar wood” is still used among sailors, many modern yachts have masts made not of wood, but of aluminum alloys, steel, and carbon fiber composites.

The number of masts depends on the size of the yacht. The most common option is one mainmast. But ocean-going mega-yachts can have up to three masts. The size of masts can also vary greatly, depending on the size of the vessel itself. The yacht “Mirabella-5” with a carbon fiber mast, 90 m high, is included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Classic small sports or pleasure yachts have type of sailing rig with one mast (cat, tender, sloop), called the mainmast. It is also central for multi-masted ships. Two-masted vessels - ketch, iol, schooner. Mega-yachts have three masts, the front one is called the foremast, and the rear one, located behind the mainmast, is called the mizzen mast.

A boom is a part of a spar intended to stretch the lower luff of a slanting sail. It is attached to the bottom of the mast, perpendicular to it in a fixed or movable manner. In addition to the sail, a number of additional devices are attached to the boom, designed to control and impart rigidity to the structure - guys and sheets.

Gaff - used on yachts with a quadrangular sail. It is a spar tree fixed at the top of the mast at an angle to it. The luff of the sail is attached to the gaff. On small open boats, such as dinghies, the gaff is often replaced by a rake. The rake, like the gaff, is intended to attach the upper part of the quadrangular sail, but allows it to freely extend beyond the mast on both sides.

Rigging

Shrouds are special equipment related to standing rigging. It consists of galvanized steel cables. Intended for stretching and strengthening masts, giving the entire spar structure additional rigidity. The thickness and number of shrouds depends on the size of the masts and the area of ​​the sails.

Sheets are the so-called “running” rigging. It got its name because, unlike the cables, it is not fixed in a stationary form. Sheets are used to control the sails and spar; they are made from synthetic or natural materials.

Sailing rig of the yacht

The sail is the main part yacht sailing equipment. Today there are two main types of sails used on yachts - bias and straight rig. The choice of one option or another depends on several conditions: the size of the yacht and its operating conditions.

Straight rig used in most cases on large multi-masted ocean yachts. Occasionally used for yachts stylized as ancient sailing ships - brigs and brigantines. The straight sail is made in the form of a trapezoid; they are fixed to a horizontal spar tree - yards, usually in several tiers. Among the disadvantages of direct sailing rigs, it should be noted that they work well only with a tailwind and, partially, a side wind (no more than 60-70 degrees).

For sports and pleasure yachts they use oblique sail rig. In this case, the sail is located on only one, usually the rear, side of the mast. The shape of the material can be either triangular or quadrangular. Since these small vessels make up the vast majority of the world's yacht fleet, the oblique sail is the most common. Its main advantage is the ability to move in a headwind by tacking.

In some cases, you can find the combined use of sails. For example, cruising yachts, on which the main type of sailing equipment is oblique sails, can set a straight sail - a brief sail - in favorable winds. This is due to the better efficiency of straight sails on downwind courses than that of oblique sails, and gives a significant increase in speed.

Gaff sail rig

Gaff sail rig got its name from the gaff - a spar installed on the top of the mast, at an angle to it. Used to set a quadrangular oblique sail. The upper edge of the sail is attached to the gaff, the luff is attached directly to the mast, and the lower part of the sail cloth is attached to the boom, which is attached horizontally to the mast.

One of the varieties is the guari sail, in which the length of the gaff exceeds not only the boom, but often the mast itself. The guari is attached to the mast at a very acute angle, sometimes almost vertically. One of the types of gaff can be considered a rake - an option when the upper spar is attached to the mast not at its end, but extends forward beyond it. A similar option is used mostly on small boats - dinghies, pleasure boats, etc.

Another option gaff sailing rig– use of sprint. Sprints are used mainly on small dinghies and dinghies. In this case, the upper pole of the spar rests with its lower end against the mast at approximately half its height, and with its upper end it tensions the sail, resting diagonally against its upper rear corner. Half a century ago, most yachts were equipped with similar weapons.

By now, gaff sailing rigs have almost universally been replaced by triangular sails that are easier to control and more powerful, in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio. The advantage of a gaff sail, just like a straight sail, is better traction properties in a tailwind. But in headwinds and sidewinds, it is inferior in efficiency to the now classic triangular sail.

Triangular sails

The classic triangular sail is the Bermuda triangular. It does not have a gaff, since the panel itself is triangular in shape. It is equipped with pleasure and racing yachts. Among the main advantages of this type of sailing rig are:

• Excellent aerodynamic qualities, especially in sharp and counter wind directions.
• Easy to operate.
• Widely adjustable to achieve maximum performance in different situations.

The luff of a Bermuda sail is attached to the mast by means of a lisp - a longitudinal recess along which the lycrop moves, which serves to tension the panel. For more efficient use of the triangular yacht sailing equipment In addition to the mainsail, a triangular sail attached behind the mast, a staysail is widely used on modern yachts.

Staysail sail rig allows you to use the wind blowing at sharp and counter angles with greater efficiency, directing the air flow into the grotto. Thus, the jib together with the mainsail form a single system that increases the yacht’s thrust-to-weight ratio not only due to the larger sail area, but also due to the more efficient use of wind energy. According to their design features, sailboats equipped with jib sails are divided into:

• Normal Bermuda - when the jib is attached at a height of ¾ from the base of the mast.
• Top staysail - The staysail is attached to a stay that goes to the very top (top) of the mainmast.

Normal Bermuda is more often used for racing yachts, and the second type is used for pleasure and cruising vessels.