What is this rig called

[catalac08]

Seen in Falmouth, Cornwall recently a 50-60ft sailing boat with two masts in Schooner format but both the masts rather than booms to the rear of the masts and "normal" mainsails had boomed staysails set in front of the masts and reefing arrangement as conventional foresails. I saw a similar mast setup on a part fitted out boat in Douglas IOM some years ago but there were no sails or booms set and the way the mast rigging was set up I could not conceive at that time how sails could be fitted. I now understand a little more about this unusual rig but I would be interested in what it is called and who/where it was invented and also does it work?

 

[Daydream believer]

Not sure of the name but i have seen pictures of a number of such rigs
In one such picture there was an "upside down jib" attached behind the leading mast & sheeted from the top of the aft mast
This was in the triangle left by the jib on the aft mast. & the fore mast
This effectively filled in the entire rectangle between the 2 masts

 

[prv]

I might call it a staysail schooner, although that's sometimes taken to mean a boat with a boomed sail on the mainmast and the arrangement you describe between the masts.

Pete

 

[tadr]

It's got a name... the Luna rig. Developed by designer Dick Carter in the 1970's and first seen in 3 masted version on the 128' single-hander Vendredi Treize. A few builders offered it as an option, either 2 or 4 sails all on furlers. It was long before in boom or even in-mast furlers worked well. I think Tayana offered it on their big Beeldsnijder 55'. Also it was standard I think on the Surprise 45, also a Beeldsnijder design. No that's wrong, the Surprise had a real level masted schooner rig.......

And if you want an argument about it, there's this.....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?145754-What-on-Earth-is-this-rig

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Club Med 2 has a similar - but much larger - arrangement. A spectacular sight.