Sail up the Backstay ?

[alec]

I was looking at a tablemat the other day that I have of Dutch Barges and Botters.

It shows a Botter having a sail hoisted up the backstay and boomed out. Anyone tried this ? Looks like a nifty way to increase sail area .


Regrads,

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Sounds a bit painful to me!

 

[William_H]

Probably best if you want to sail backwards. Seriously the backstay would have to be well forward of the stern to allow for something to sheet the boom onto and would be of most use when hove too. I sggest this is the imagination of an artist not reality. olewill

 

[StugeronSteve]

I believe that this sail is known as a suppository and is only to be used for making an a**e of yourself during berthing manoeuvres. As previously mentioned, there might be a little artistic licence at work here.

 

[DanTribe]

I think that sail is called an "aap" because it's thought to resemble an ape hanging from the rigging. I'm sure our Dutch contributors can elaborate.

I once raced against a classic yawl, and during a long reaching leg, they kept attaching more sails to every available bit of wire and spar. They romped away from us, but we caught them at the next mark while they were untangling the laundry.