January 11

What the Rig?

9  comments


Unique Rigging, originally uploaded by krash63.

I had to a double-take when I saw this shot. Not sure what this rig is called or what he benefits would be. It's not a schooner rig as the foremast would be shorter. Maybe its easier to single-hand. One of the early singlehanders in the Golden Globe Race in 1968 had a junk rig with similarly placed and sized masts.

Anyone?


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  1. I think this is just a ketch with the foresail lowered. It isn’t a junk rig; those sails are completely aft of the masts. Just full-batten mail and mizzen. It may just be an optical illusion that the foremast appears further forward than it actually is. But I believe that’s a jib halyard to the right of the main.

  2. Yeah, the more I look at it, the more it looks like the mainmast really is right up at the bow. A cat ketch it is, then.
    I’d still like to know what that line is up front, though. Spinnaker halyard? If this is a cat ketch, then the purpose behind that configuration would be a simpler rig with no headsail to fuss with, making for an almost completely self-tacking rig. But then you’re defeating the purpose of a simple rig by adding a spinnaker, one of the most complicated sails to set and trim. And without a jib this boat won’t point as high.
    And anyway, with the two-masted rig, it would be easy enough to goosewing each sail out when running, so the spinnaker is redundant anyway.
    Seemed simple enough when I first saw it. But it is a strange affair.

  3. Aaah, the power of the nauticoblogosphere thingie. Photo on Flickr, question on a NJ based blog, part of the answer from a RI blogger, and finally some CA dude tracks down the actual yacht.
    Next question please.

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