Posted by Alex Forbes on December 10, 2006 at 20:50:22 from 4.242.120.156 user Pitsligo.
In Reply to: Re: 'Off-wind sail' posted by David Bamford on December 09, 2006 at 21:47:45:
I don't know if this counts as being a nit-pick or as adding details, but a passage from Marino's "Sailmaker's Apprentice" nicely sums up the terminology and carries it forward:
"The Yankee jib topsail, so called because it was introduced as a racing sail on the J-boat Yankee, is distinguished by its high clew and long luff [the forward-most edge, along the stay --AF], which runs nearly the whole length of the head or topmast stay. Long-luffed, high-clewed jibs are now refered to as Yankees, and racing sailors call their full-hoist high-clewed jibs jibtops [short for jib topsail --AF]. Though neither use of the this sail is actually a topsail, Yankee or otherwise, that is the way nautical terminology sometimes evolves."
I'm surprised the Trust isn't more interested in a "balloon jib", aka "ballooner". It's similar to a Yankee in that it's long-luffed, but it's got a much lower clew and is generally cut more full, less flat, than a Yankee --somewhere between a Yankee and a spinnaker-- and is generally prefered for light-air, off-the-wind sailing.
(Sorry if that's too much info, but I've just hauled my sloop for the winter and am suffering from NNWS: nautical nuance withdrawal syndrome.)
Alex