page_title: Sail plan
section_title: Types of sail
hierarchical_section_title: Sail plan / Introduction / Types of sail
caption_attribution_description: English: Thames Barge
context_page_description: A sail plan is a description of the specific ways that a sailing craft is rigged, as discussed below. Also, the term “sail plan” is a graphic depiction of the arrangement of the sails for a given sailing craft.
context_section_description: Each form of rig requires its own type of sails. Among them are:
  A staysail (pronounced stays'l) is a fore-and-aft sail whose leading edge (or luff) is hanked to a stay.
  A headsail is any sail forward of the foremost mast on a sailboat. It is usually a fore-and-aft sail, but on older sailing ships would include a square-sail on a bowsprit. 
  A jib is a headsail that flies in front of the foremost vertical mast and attaches to a stay or roller furling gear, whether that be the mainmast or a somewhat shorter foremast.
  A genoa is a large jib that increases area by extending rearward of the mast.
  A spinnaker is a full sail of light material for use when sailing downwind in light airs. When in use, the jib or genoa would be lowered.
  A gennaker  is a sail that is a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker.
  A  mainsail ("mains'l") is a sail attached to the main mast. The principle types include:
  (1) A square-rig mainsail is a square sail attached at the bottom of the main mast.
  (2) A Bermuda-rig mainsail is a triangular sail with the luff attached to the mast with the foot or lower edge generally attached to a boom.
  (3) A gaff-rig mainsail is a quadrilateral sail whose head is supported by a gaff.
  (4) A spritsail-rig mainsail is a quadrilateral sail whose aft head is supported by a sprit.
  A lug sail is an asymmetric quadrilateral sail suspended on a spar and  hoisted up the mast as a fore-and-aft sail.
  A mizzen sail is a small triangular or quadrilateral sail at the stern of a boat.
  A steadying sail  is a mizzen sail on motor vessels such as old-fashioned drifters and navy ships (such as HMS Prince Albert). The sail's prime function is to reduce rolling rather than to provide drive.
caption: Spritsail-rigged Thames sailing barges.
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