Gaff rig is a

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the

sail A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...

is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shape of the sail, a gaff rig will have running backstays rather than permanent backstays. The gaff enables a fore-and-aft sail to be four sided, rather than triangular. A gaff rig typically carries 25 percent more sail than an equivalent

Bermuda rig Bermuda rig, Bermudian rig, or Marconi rig is a type of sailing rig that uses a triangular sail set abaft (behind) the mast. It is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats. Whilst commonly seen in sloop-rigged vessels, Bermuda rig is ...

for a given hull design. A sail hoisted from a gaff is called a gaff-rigged sail.

Description

Gaff rig remains the most popular fore-aft rig for

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

and barquentine mainsails and other course sails, and spanker sails on a

square rig Square rig is a generic type of sail plan, sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing ship, sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spar (sailing), spars that are perpendicular (or wikt:square#Adjective, square) to t ...

ged vessel are always gaff rigged. On other rigs, particularly the sloop, ketch and yawl, gaff rigged sails were once common but have now been largely replaced by the

sail, which, in addition to being simpler than the gaff rig, usually allows vessels to sail closer to the direction from which the wind is blowing (i.e. "closer to the wind"). The gaff is hoisted by two halyards: Mainsail-edges

* The '' throat halyard'' hoists the throat of the sail (the end closer to the mast) at the forward end of the gaff and bears the main weight of the sail and the tension of the luff. * The '' peak halyard'' lifts the aft end of the gaff and bears the

leech Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...

tension. Small craft attach the peak halyard to the gaff with a wire span with eyes at both ends looped around the gaff and held in place with small wooden chocks, larger craft have more than one span. Peak halyards pull upwards, approaching the gaff at right angles. Rose Dorothea-1907-broke topmast racing-won Lipton Cup

Rose Dorothea-1907-broke topmast racing-won Lipton Cup

Additionally, a gaff vang may be fitted. It is a line attached to the end of the gaff which prevents the gaff from sagging downwind. Gaff vangs are difficult to rig on the aft-most sail, so are typically only found on schooners or ketches, and then only on the foresail or mainsail. A triangular fore-and-aft sail called a jib-headed topsail may be carried between the gaff and the mast. Gunter-rigged boats are similar, smaller vessels on which a spar (commonly, but incorrectly called the gaff) is raised until it is nearly vertical, parallel to the mast and close adjacent to it. Topsails are never carried on gunter rigs. The

spritsail The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A ...

is another rig with a four-sided fore-aft sail. Unlike the gaff rig where the

hangs from a spar along its edge, this rig supports the

of the sail by means of a spar named a ''sprit''. The forward end of the sprit is attached to the mast but bisects the face of the sail, with the after end of the sprit attaching to the peak and/or the

clew Sail components include the features that define a sail's shape and function, plus its constituent parts from which it is manufactured. A sail may be classified in a variety of ways, including by its orientation to the vessel (e.g. ''fore-and-a ...

of the sail.

Sailing characteristics (small craft)

For a given sail area a gaff rig has a shorter mast than a Bermudan rig. In short-ended craft with full body, heavy displacement and moderate ballast ratio, it is difficult to set enough sail area in the Bermudan rig without a mast of excessive height and a centre of effort (CE) too high for the limited stability of the hull. Because of its low

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

, the gaff rig is less prone to stalling if oversheeted than something taller and narrower.

Reaching with gaff sails

Whilst reaching, the CE being set further back, will encourage a small craft to bear up into the wind, i.e. strong weather helm. The boat builder can compensate for this at design stage, e.g. by shifting the keel slightly aft, or having two jibs to counter the effect. The gaff-cutter is in fact a very popular sailplan for small craft. The helmsman can reduce weather helm significantly, simply by sheeting out the mainsail. Sheeting out may appear to create an inefficient belly in the sail, but it is often a pragmatic alternative to having a heavy helm. A swing keel lifted halfway is the perfect treatment for weather helm on a gaffer. The usual adjustments to mast rake, or even bowsprit length may be made to a gaffer with persistent heavy weather (or lee) helm.

Running with gaff sails

On a gaff-rigged vessel, any heading where the wind is within 20 degrees of dead aft is considered a run. When

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

with a gaff rig, the CE of the mainsail may actually be overboard of the hull, in a stiff wind the craft may want to broach. Running goose winged with a balloon staysail poled out to windward will balance the CE; Nick Skeates circumnavigated ''Wylo II'' with this configuration. In light winds, or when racing, a watersail may also be set.

Gaffers Day

Since 1972, the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club has regularly hosted a Gaffers Day for any classic sailing boat that can "hoist a spar". Up to 90 vessels from around Australia take part in sailing on Sydney Harbour in a practical demonstration of the skills and technology used in the nautical past.

Gallery

File:J&ERiggin.jpg, Gaff rigged schooner '' J. & E. Riggin''. Her sails, from left to right, are: jib,

staysail A staysail ("stays'l") is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit, or to another mast. Description Most staysails a ...

, gaff foresail, gaff mainsail, and, above that, a main gaff topsail File:Partridge 1885 - Sails.jpg, Gaff rigged Cutter Partridge 1885 File:18-04-20 ASTRID - MMSI 230998670 11-06-10.jpg, Gaff rigged ketch, ''Astrid'', off Helsinki, Finland File:Bermudianised Gaff Rig.jpg, A near-vertical gaff allows this Gunter-rigged boat to carry a triangular sail that is similar to the

File:Schotel Gaffelaar.jpg, ''Gaffelaar'', by Johannes Christiaan Schotel, depicting both gaff and square-rigged boats File:Sloop Carmita-2.jpg, ''Carmita'', racing cutter File:Governor Ames.jpg, '' Governor Ames'', five-masted

File:Victory Chimes.jpg, ''Victory Chimes'', National Historic Landmark File:Errol Flynn's Zaca.jpg, ''Zaca'', owned by

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

File:IJsselmeerTraditionalBoat.JPG, Traditional Dutch sailing barge File:Jacob van Strij - Het Jacht van de kamer Rotterdam.jpg, The yacht of the VOC-Chamber of Rotterdam, by Jacob van Strij File:Rose Dorothea-Lipton's Cup-1907 Fishermen's Race.jpg, The schooner ''Rose Dorothea'' in 1907 File:Galway hookers, Belfast, June 2010 (06).JPG, Traditional Galway hooker, Ireland, June 2010 File: Bluenose sailing 1921.jpg, Original iconic Canadian schooner Bluenose

Description

Sailing characteristics (small craft)

Reaching with gaff sails

Running with gaff sails

Gaffers Day

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading