sloop.pdf

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Sloop Rigged Santa Cruz 70

"Retro" off Newport Beach

California

The sail plan of a typical

"Bermuda" sloop.

SloopFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the military definition of sloop see: Sloop-of-war.

For the open learning project see: SLOOP

Project.

A sloop(from Dutch sloep, in turn from Frenchchaloupe) is a sail boat with a single mast and afore-and-aft rig. A sloop has only one head-sail andif a vessel has two or more head-sails, she istermed a 'cutter' and her mast may be set furtheraft than on a sloop. In contrast, in the USA a sloopmay have one, two or three head-sails forward ofthe mastthe term cutter not generally being used

for sailboats.

The most common rig of modern sailboats is theBermuda sloop. Typically, a modern sloop carries amainsail on a boom aft of the mast, with a singleloose-footed head-sail (a jib or a genoa jib) forwardof the mast.

Sloops are either masthead-rigged or fractional-rigged. On a masthead-rigged sloop, the forestay (onwhich the headsail is carried) attaches at the top of

the mast. The mainsail may be smaller than theheadsail, which is then called a genoa jib. On afractional-rigged sloop, the forestay attaches to themast at a point below the top, typically 3/4 of the wayto top, or perhaps 7/8 or some other fraction. Themast of a fractional-rigged sloop may be placedfarther forward, and compared to a masthead-riggedsloop, this results in a rather smaller jib relative tothe size of the mainsail.

Contents

1 Rationale behind the sloop rig

2 Sails carried

2.1 The Bermuda Sloop

2.2 Jamaican sloop

Sloop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sl

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Typical Bermuda rigged

sloop

2.3 Historic naval definition

2.4 Modern naval definition

2.5 Modern civilian connotation

3 See also

4 Notes

5 Bibliography

6 External links

Rationale behind the sloop rig

After the cat rig, which has only a mainsail, thesloop rig is one of the simpler sailing rigconfigurations. A sloop typically has two sails, amainsail and a jib; while the cutter has a mainsailand two foresails. Next in complexity are the ketch,

the yawl, and the schooner, each of which has twomasts and a minimum of three sails. A sloop has asimple system of mast staysa forestay, backstay,and sidestays.

By having only two sails, the individual sails of asloop are larger than those of an equivalent cutter,yawl or ketch. Until the advent of lightweightsailcloth and modern sail-handling systems, thelarger sails of a sloop could be a handful. So, untilthe 1950s, sailboats over 10 metres LOA would typically use a cutter rig or atwo-mast rig. After the advent of modern winches and light sailcloth, the sloopbecame the dominant sailing rig type for all but the largest sailboats.

No rig type is perfect for all conditions. Sloops, with their paucity of spars andcontrol lines tend to impart less aerodynamic drag. Compared to other rigs,sloops tend to perform very well when sailing close hauled to windward; andsloops offer a sound overall compromise of abilities on all points of sail. Cuttersand ketches and yawls are often still preferred to sloops when venturing faroffshore, because it is easier to reef small sails, as the wind increases, while stillkeeping the boat balanced.

Sails carried

To maximize the amount of sail carried, the classic sloop may use a bowsprit,which is essentially a spar that projects forward from the bow of the boat. Fordownwind sailing, the typical foresail may be replaced (or sometimessupplemented) by larger curved sails known as spinnakers or gennakers. The


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A Marconi rig (Ragtime)

designed by John Spencer

typical foresail, known as the jib, which does notoverlap the mast more than 10 to 20 percent, maybe replaced by a genoa, which overlaps the mastby some 55 to 100 percent, for racing rules, andsometimes even more. The genoa's large overlapbehind the mainsail helps to guide the airflow and

thereby makes the mainsail more effective.

The Bermuda Sloop

Main article: Bermuda sloop

The modern yachting sloop is known as theBermuda sloop, due to its Bermuda rig (also knownas theMarconi rig, due to its resemblance to thewireless towers of Guglielmo Marconi), which isthe optimal rig for upwind sailing; consequently

sloops are popular with sport sailors and yachtsmen, and for racing. The rig issimple in its basic form, yet when tuned properly, it is maneuverable and fast. Themain disadvantage is the relatively large size of the sails, especially on largervessels. It is also less successful sailing downwind; the addition of a spinnaker isnecessary for faster downwind speed in all but the strongest winds, and thespinnaker is an intrinsically unstable sail requiring continual

trimming[citation needed]

.

TheBermuda sloopis a type of fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel developed on theisland of Bermuda in the 17th century. In this sense, the term is applied to small

ships, rather than boats. In its purest form, it is single-masted, although shipswith such rigging were built with as many as three masts. Its original form hadgaff rig, but evolved to use what is now known as Bermuda rig, making it thebasis of nearly all modern sailing yachts. Although the Bermuda sloop is oftendescribed as a development of the narrower-beamed Jamaica sloop, which datesfrom the 1670s, the high, raked masts and triangular sails of its Bermuda rig arerooted in a tradition of Bermudian boat design dating from the early 17th century.Part of that tradition included long, horizontal bowsprits and large jibs. Three jibswere commonly used on Bermudian ships. Triangular sails appeared onBermudian boats early in the 17th century, a development of the Dutch bezaan, orleg-of-muttonrig, itself derived from the Lateen rig. This became the Bermuda

rig, and was appearing on Bermudian ships by the early 19th century. A largespinnaker was carried on a spinnaker boom, when running down-wind.

amaican sloop

amaican sloops were slightly different from Bermuda sloops, the most obviousdifference being that these ships were built on the shores of Jamaica. Their beams


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A three-masted Bermuda

sloop of the Royal Navy, ca.

1831. Also calledBallyhou

schooners, the RN referred to

these as sloops-of-war.

were narrower than ocean-going Bermuda sloops, and they carried gaff rig, whereBermuda sloops might carry gaff or Bermuda rig. The keel of Jamaican sloopswould usually be between 5075 feet, but could be built longer. They usually had

a speed of around 12 knots, which is equivalent to about 13.8 mph.[1]

The sloopswere built near the shore and usually out of cedar trees, since these were very

resistant to rot, grew very fast and tall, and had a taste displeasing to animals.[2]

One of the reasons Jamaican sloops were built out of cedar, and not oak, was thatoak which would normally be used would rot in about 10 years, while cedar wouldlast for close to 30 years. Another advantage of cedar was that it was

considerably lighter than oak.[2]

The lighter weight made the ships of cedar fasterand more able to maneuver quickly.

Since piracy was a significant threat in Caribbean waters, merchants sought shipsthat could outrun pursuers. Ironically, that same speed and maneuverability madethem highly prized and even more targeted by the pirates they were designed toavoid.

When the ship had to be careened, pirates needed a safe haven on which toground the ship. Sloops were well suited for this because they were able to sail inshallow areas where larger ships would either run aground or be unable to sailthrough at all. These shallow waters also provided protection from ships of the

Royal Navy, which tended to be larger and required deep water to sail safely.[2]

Historic naval definition

The naval term "sloop" referred to ships withdifferent rigs and sizes varying from navy to navy.

"Sloop-of-war" was more of a reference to thepurpose of the craft, rather than to the specificsize or sailplan. (Further confusion was caused bythe practice of redesignating a vessel simplyaccording to the rank of the commanding officer.)The Royal Navy began buying Bermuda sloops,beginning with an order for three sloops-of-war(HMSDasher, HMSDriver, and HMSHunter,which were each of 200 tons, armed with twelve24 pounders) placed with Bermudian builders in1795. They were intended to counter the menaceof French privateers, which the Navy's ships-of-the-line were ill-designed to

counter[citation needed]

.

Eventually, Bermuda sloops became the standard advicevessels of the navy, usedfor communications, reconnoitering, anti-slaving, anti-smuggling, and other rolesto which they were well suited. The most notable examples of these were HMS


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A 20th Century IOD sloop

and a 19th Century

Bermudian working sloop.

Pickle, which raced back to England with news of the British victory and thedeath of Admiral Lord Nelson at the end of the Battle of Trafalgar, and HMSWhiting(79 tons and four guns), which lowered anchor in the harbor of HamptonRoads on 8 July 1812, carrying dispatches. The American privateerDash, whichhappened to be leaving port, seized the vessel. The crew of Whitinghad not yetreceived news of the American declaration of war, and her capture was the first

naval action of the American War of 1812[citation needed]

.

Generally, a sloop was smaller than a frigate; however, in the later days of the U.S.Navy's sailing fleet, some of the largest vessels were called sloops because theycarried fewer guns than a frigate, as few as 20. The classification of sloop wassimilar to that of a corvette.

Modern naval definition

In modern usage, a sloop refers to a warship between a corvette and a frigate insize. Such vessels were common during the age of steam, but ships of this type

were becoming obsolete by the Second World War. The Royal Navy used sloops,such as those of theFlowerclass, in numerous roles, including escort duty andanti-submarine warfare, during World War I. The same was true during theSecond World War, when the Royal Navy used theBlack Swanclass. During WorldWar II, Royal Navy sloops destroyed five German submarines.

Modern civilian connotation

Sloops in their modern form were developed by theFrench Navy as blockade runners to circumvent

Royal Navy blockades. They were later adapted topilot boats (small ships that took a pilot out to aship, to guide it into a harbor). Later still, theywere adapted to smaller revenue cutters.[citation needed]

The first modern sloops were fitted with theBermuda rig, so called as a result of itsdevelopment in Bermuda, during the 17th century.This rig is also called theMarconi rigbecause ofthe resemblance of its tall mast and complex

standing rigging to Guglielmo Marconi's wireless (radio) transmission antennas.

The state of the art in racing sloops, today, may be seen in the IACC yachts sailedin the America's Cup competition. This statement is only true in that the mostmoney has been spent in this class, to build the fastest boats that meet the IACCrules. Much faster sloops have been built that do not fit the rules, using suchforbidden technology as canting keels and movable water ballast. The current


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Volvo Ocean Race is using a new class, the Volvo 70, which boasts a canting keel,carbon construction throughout, and very powerful sailplans. The 24-hourdistance record was recently broken several times, with ABN AMRO 2 setting therecord distance of 563 nautical miles (1,043 km) for a monohull (January 2006).These boats routinely sail at or above wind speeds and can sustain mid-20-knot

(37 km/h) speeds hour after hour.[citation needed]

The largest yachting sloop built to date isMirabella V, with a carbon-fiber mastthat is 289 feet (90 m) high.

See also

Spray (sailing vessel), a sloop rebuilt and used by Joshua Slocum to sail

single-handed around the world, the first voyage of its kind

"Sloop John B", a traditional song about an ill-fated trip, made famous by The

Beach Boys

"Barrett's Privateers", a song written by Stan Rogers, about a sailor on thesloopAntelope

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a traditional sloop launched in 1969 to

promote environmental awareness

Sloop Woody Guthrie, a sister ship to the Clearwaterthat helps to promote

environmental awareness

Mast aft rig, a single mast rig with a mast further back than a sloop or cutter

Notes

^ Konstam, Angus. 2007.Pirates: Predators of the Seas. 2325.1.^ a b c Evans, Amanda M. 2007. Defining Jamaica Sloops: A Preliminary Model for

Identifying an Abstract Concept.Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2 (2) (October):

8392.

2.

Bibliography

Rousmaniere, John, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, Simon & Schuster,

1999

Chapman Book of Piloting(various contributors), Hearst Corporation, 1999

Herreshoff, Halsey (consulting editor), The Sailors Handbook, Little Brownand Company, 1983

Seidman, David, The Complete Sailor, International Marine, 1995

Jobson, Gary, Sailing Fundamentals, Simon & Schuster, 1987

External links


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Hudson River Sloop Woody Guthrie (http://www.beaconsloopclub.org), a

smaller Hudson River Ferry sloop operated by the Beacon Sloop Club

Jones, Gregory O. The American Sailboat. (http://www.amazon.com

/dp/0760310025)

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