A Primer on Sailing Rigs and Vessel Types

[Bartholomew Foulsteel]

Okay mates, due to some level of confusement, I am posting this, a basic primer on basic sailing rigs and vessel types. Now, don't get all bunched up about what's a Fluyt and what's a Pinnace, or what-have-ye; this is the BASIC sailplan and rigging of sailing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea between 1690-1720.

First off, there are TWO basic sail-plans:

1. FORE AND AFT--these sails, when flat, runs fore and aft (front to back of thee ship)
   
   
2. SQUARE SAIL--set square to the mast from a yard, a spar running across the width of the ship.

Now let's look at the vessel riggings based upon those two sailplans. First off, the fore and aft rigged ships:

• CATBOAT: A fore and aft rigged boat with one mast near the front of the boat. It has one sail (MAINSAIL) behind the mast. Limited in direction due to the single sail.
  
  
• SLOOP: A fore-and aft rigged boat with one mast further back. Sloops have two sails; one before (JIB) and one behind (MAINSAIL) the mast. Superior upwind sailing. The LIGHT SLOOP and standard SLOOP in POTCO are rigged this way.
  
  
• CUTTER: A fore and aft rigged boat with one mast nearly amidships. Cutters have three or more sails; at least two before (JIB, STAYSAIL) and one behind (MAINSAIL) the mast. Good upwind sailing, but not as good as a sloop.
  
  
• KETCH: A fore and aft rigged boat with TWO masts. The forward-most mast is the MAINMAST and the aft-most mast is the MIZZENMAST. On a KETCH, the Mizzen is located in front of the RUDDER.
  
  
• YAWL: A fore and aft rigged boat with TWO masts. The forward-most mast is the MAINMAST and the aft-most mast is the MIZZENMAST. On a YAWL, the Mizzen is located behind the RUDDER. The WAR SLOOP in POTCO is rigged this way.
  
  
• SCHOONER: A fore and aft rigged boat with at LEAST two masts, with the rear-most mast being the MAINMAST. The forward-most mast is the FORE-MAST. Schooners are EXCELLENT when sailing across thee wind and when sailing downwind.

And now, the square-rigged ships:

• BRIG: A two masted ship, square-rigged, with the rear-most mast being the MAINMAST. The Mainmast traditionally had a large fore and aft sail at the bottom called a SPANKER. This iss the ship that Will Turner and Jack Sparrow took (The HMS Interceptor). When Sparrow turned the wheel and the boom came across and took Turner out over the water, THAT was the Spanker boom. These ships sail well to windward but are horrible upwind. This is what the LIGHT GALLEON is in POTCO.
  
  
• BRIGANTINE: Like a BRIG, except fore and aft rigged on the MAINMAST.
  
  
• BARQUENTINE: A three masted vessel, square rigged on the forward mast and fore and aft rigged on the other masts.
  
  
• BARQUE: A three masted vessel, square rigged on the fore and main masts, but fore and aft rigged on the mizzenmast.
  
  
• SHIP: A three or more masted vessel, square rigged on all masts. The GALLEONS and WAR GALLEONS in POTCO are actually ships.
  
  
• GALLEON: A three of four masted vessel, square rigged on the fore and main mast, with the mizzen masts LATEEN RIGGED (a trianglular sail with one or two sides attached to a wooden spar, or pole--this still counts as a square sail, though). This is what the FRIGATE and WAR FRIGATE are in POTCO.

I hope this helps. Again, YES there are about a hundred different ship types, but the VAST MAJORITY of ships in the Golden Age of Piracy (in the Caribbean) fell within these groups.

Happy plunderin'!