Bermudan rig

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 700+ words | Copyright

Bermudan rig, or Bermudian rig, a sail plan, in which, unlike the gaff rig, a triangular-shaped mainsail is attached to a track on a single pole mast. The Bermudan rig, or leg o' mutton rig as it was initially sometimes called, was commonly used by sailing craft in and around the West Indies from as early as the 17th century, and doubtless got its name from the island of Bermuda. It was first adopted for a racing boat by one of the contenders in the Seawanhaka Cup in 1896 and its popularity soon spread to small racing craft in Britain and elsewhere. Encouraged by the introduction of the International Metre Class, the first of which appeared in 1907, it gradually replaced the gaff rig of racing yachts and most cruising yachts. It soon proved much easier to handle and was far more efficient, its high aspect ratio allowing a boat to sail much closer to the wind, though its aerodynamics was not properly understood for some time.

See also marconi rig.

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