Sloop
Asloopis asailboatusually with onemastandfore-and-aft riggedsails.[1]It can also describe asquare riggedsailing ship of two or more masts which is sometimes called asloop of war.[1]TheFrenchcalled themcorvettes.[2]Originally the definition of a sloop wasvague.A 1750 book said sloops "are sailed and masted as men's fancies lead them, sometimes with one mast, with two, and with three."[2]Modernrecreationalsloops are almost always one-masted sailing ships with fore-and-aft sails.[3]Their simple layout makes them popular withamateursailors.[3]The sloop is amanageablesailboat layout up to a length of about 45 feet (14 m).[3]
History[change|change source]
The sloop design dates back to the early part of the17th century.[3]By the20th centurythey became very popular. Their main advantages are their ease of handling and ability to sailupwind(into the wind).[3]
An early 17th century design was the Bermuda sloop, so-named for the Bermuda trade withNorth America.[4]It was designed to be fast and could sail in both directions.[4]They needed to be fast to outrun Frenchprivateers.Thehullwas made from Bermudacedar.[4]Thewoodwas light and resistedrot.[4]They had from one to three masts.[4]
Most modern sailboats are based on the Bermuda sloop design.[4]The Bermuda rig replaced the earliergaff rigwhich used a four-cornered sail (instead of a triangular sail) and aspar.[5]A gaff rig design allows more sail on a mast. Another advantage is the gaff rig and other early designs can spill wind faster in a blow (heavy wind).[5]
The sloop of war was the most numerous design in theRoyal Navyby the end of theNapoleonic Wars.[6]Yet very little has been written about them or their French counterpart, the Corvettes.[6]Later, theUnited Statesused sloops of war.[6]The Royal Navy used the class of "sloop" right up until the end ofWorld War II.[6]The sailing sloop, like its larger cousin thefrigate,were fast and used in a variety of roles.[6]They were not usually used in battle, but were more often used for support inreconnaissanceand for carrying messages.[6]They were probably the best of the Royal Navy sailing ships for maneuverability and could function in all but the roughest sea conditions.[6]
Related pages[change|change source]
- Frigate
- Schooner
- Brig
- Brigantine
- Cutter (boat)
- J-class yacht
- Lugger
- Keelboat
- Yacht
- Skerry cruiser
- Smack (ship)
- Yawl
- Thames sailing barge
- Pocket cruiser
Reference[change|change source]
- ↑1.01.1Concise Oxford English Dictionary,eds. Angus Stevenson; Maurice Waite (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 1359
- ↑2.02.1Romola Anderson; R. C. Anderson,A Short History of the Sailing Ship(Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2012), p. 109
- ↑3.03.13.23.33.4Pat Reynolds (May 20, 2015)."What's in a Rig? The Sloop".American Sailing Association.RetrievedDecember 25,2016.
- ↑4.04.14.24.34.44.5"Strange Love Craft: The Bermuda Sloop".The Scuttlefish. August 15, 2011.RetrievedDecember 25,2016.
- ↑5.05.1John Rousmaniere; Mark Smith,The Annapolis Book of Seamanship,Third Edition (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), p. 42
- ↑6.06.16.26.36.46.56.6Ian Mclaughlan,The Sloop of War: 1650-1763(Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2014), p. 6