Posted by Terence McManus on October 30, 2000 at 07:56:15 from 211.101.149.65:
In Reply to: Re: SY Swallow and SY Amazon - rig. posted by Mike F. on October 28, 2000 at 12:32:53:
One very minor point on the very full answers above. Stuart Wier's drawing of Swallow's rig suggests that the boom is fixed to the mast by jaws or a gooseneck. As Andrew said above in a lug rig the boom normally extends foreward of the mast. I have a feeling that AR does say somewhere (either SA or Swallowdale?) that there were jaws on the end of the boom and these were held against the mast. I don't have my SA books with me here in Beijing so can't check. If this was the case Swallow set the most sophisticated lug rig, only one step away from the gunter rig.
As an aside Mike F. refers to the disadvantages of the sprit sail rig. I remember some years ago one of the yachting magazines published the results of a series of tests, made (I think) by the University of Southampton, comparing the overall efficiency (upwind, downwind and reaching) of different traditional and native rigs. Of all the rigs tested the sprit sail had highest overall efficiency. The modern high aspect ratio Bermudan rig was, overall, an also run - especially for gentlemen who, we are told, don't sail to windward.