The Modern Sloop

The most common type of small-to-midsize sailboat is the sloop. The rig consists of one mast and two sails. The mainsail is a tall, triangular sail mounted to the mast at its leading edge, with the foot of the sail along the boom that extends aft from the mast. In front, called the jib or sometimes the headsail, mounts on the forestay between the bow and the masthead, with its trailing corner controlled by the jib sheet.

The Bermuda or Marconi Rig

These tall triangular sails are referred to as the Bermuda rig, or sometimes the Marconi rig, named for their development over two centuries ago in Bermudan boats. Notably, due to the physics of how wind generates force when moving past a sail, tall and thin sails possess more power when sailing into the wind.

Racing Sloop

Here, we have another example of a sloop with a Bermuda rig. This is PUMA Ocean Racing’s il Mostro, known as one of the fastest monohull sailboats worldwide, participating in the 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race. The sails on this vessel are significantly larger than those found on most cruising sailboats, yet the general rig remains the same. In both cases, the jib reaches to the top of the masthead. These types of rigs are sometimes referred to as masthead sloops.

Fractional Sloop Rig

This image showcases a small racing dinghy featuring a sloop rig. Although this is still a Bermuda rig, the mainsail appears proportionally larger while the jib is smaller, allowing for easier handling and maximum power. It should be noted that the top of the jib rises only a fraction of the total distance to the masthead. Such a configuration is termed a fractional sloop.

Cat Rig

A cat-rigged boat generally has just one sail, unlike a sloop, which always has two. The mast is placed forward, almost at the bow, allowing for an extended mainsail. This mainsail may possess a traditional boom or, as demonstrated, a loose-footed mainsail connected at the aft corner to a wishbone boom.

Cat-Rigged Racing Dinghy

This image showcases another cat rig, which performs efficiently on small racing dinghies like the Laser. The simplicity of a cat rig allows for quick trimming and exceptional maneuverability during races.

Ketch

A widely favored rig for midsize cruising vessels is the ketch, characterized by its second, smaller mizzenmast positioned aft. This mizzen sail acts similarly to a second mainsail. A ketch generally carries about the same total sail area as a comparable sloop.

Yawl

A yawl closely resembles a ketch. The mizzenmast is typically smaller, set farther aft than the rudder post, unlike the ketch, where the mizzenmast is positioned forward of the rudder post. Beyond this distinction, both rigs share similar advantages and disadvantages.

Schooner

A typical schooner is characterized by having two masts, or sometimes more, positioned towards the front of the boat. Unlike a ketch or yawl, the forward mast is smaller than the aft mast, or at times the same size. One or multiple jibs may be set forward of the foremast.

Square-Rigged Tall Ship

In this illustration, you will observe a large three-masted square-rigger showcasing five tiers of square sails, several headsails, and a mizzen sail. Despite being a modern vessel, it is structurally akin to those used by early sea explorers like Columbus and Magellan.

Generating Power

Square sails are notably efficient for downwind sailing but do not generate power from their leading edge, as observed in the Bermuda rig, now dominant in modern vessels. Consequently, square-riggers are generally ineffective when sailing upwind. This limitation prompted the establishment of significant trade wind sailing routes around the globe centuries ago.