Sloop A sloop ( from Dutch " sloep " , in turn from French " chaloupe " ) is a sail boat with a single mast and a fore - and - aft rig . A sloop has only one head - sail and if a vessel has two or more head - sails , she is termed a ' cutter ' and her mast may be set further aft than on a sloop . In contrast , in the USA a sloop may have one , two or three head - sails forward of the mast — the term cutter not generally being used for sailboats . The most common rig of modern sailboats is the Bermuda sloop . Typically , a modern sloop carries a mainsail on a boom aft of the mast , with a single loose - footed head - sail ( a jib or a genoa jib ) forward of the mast . Sloops are either masthead - rigged or fractional - rigged . On a masthead - rigged sloop , the forestay ( on which the headsail is carried ) attaches at the top of the mast . The mainsail may be smaller than the headsail , which is then called a genoa jib . On a fractional - rigged sloop , the forestay attaches to the mast at a point below the top , typically 3 / 4 of the way to top , or perhaps 7 / 8 or some other fraction . The mast of a fractional - rigged sloop may be placed farther forward , and compared to a masthead - rigged sloop , this results in a rather smaller jib relative to the size of the mainsail . Rationale behind the sloop rig . After the cat rig , which has only a mainsail , the sloop rig is one of the simpler sailing rig configurations . A sloop typically has two sails , a mainsail and a jib ; while the cutter has a mainsail and two foresails . Next in complexity are the ketch , the yawl , and the schooner , each of which has two masts and a minimum of three sails . A sloop has a simple system of mast stays — a forestay , backstay , and sidestays . By having only two sails , the individual sails of a sloop are larger than those of an equivalent cutter , yawl or ketch . Until the advent of lightweight sailcloth and modern sail - handling systems , the larger sails of a sloop could be a handful . So , until the 1950s , sailboats over 10 metres LOA would typically use a cutter rig or a two - mast rig . After the advent of modern winches and light sailcloth , the sloop became 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 and control lines tend to impart less aerodynamic drag . Compared to other rigs , sloops tend to perform very well when sailing close hauled to windward ; and sloops offer a sound overall compromise of abilities on all points of sail . Cutters and ketches and yawls are often still preferred to sloops when venturing far offshore , because it is easier to reef small sails , as the wind increases , while still keeping 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 . For downwind sailing , the typical foresail may be replaced ( or sometimes supplemented ) by larger curved sails known as spinnaker s or gennaker s . The typical foresail , known as the jib , which does not overlap the mast more than 10 to 20 percent , may be replaced by a genoa , which overlaps the mast by some 55 to 100 percent , for racing rules , and sometimes even more . The genoa ' s large overlap behind the mainsail helps to guide the airflow and thereby makes the mainsail more effective . The Bermuda Sloop . The modern yachting sloop is known as the " Bermuda sloop " , due to its Bermuda rig ( also known as the " Marconi rig " , due to its resemblance to the wireless towers of Guglielmo Marconi ) , which is the optimal rig for upwind sailing ; consequently sloops are popular with sport sailors and yachtsmen , and for racing . The rig is simple in its basic form , yet when tuned properly , it is maneuverable and fast . The main disadvantage is the relatively large size of the sails , especially on larger vessels . It is also less successful sailing downwind ; the addition of a spinnaker is necessary for faster downwind speed in all but the strongest winds , and the spinnaker is an intrinsically unstable sail requiring continual trimming . The " Bermuda sloop " is a type of fore - and - aft rigged sailing vessel developed on the island 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 ships with such rigging were built with as many as three masts . Its original form had gaff rig , but evolved to use what is now known as Bermuda rig , making it the basis of nearly all modern sailing yachts . Although the Bermuda sloop is often described as a development of the narrower - beamed Jamaica sloop , which dates from the 1670s , the high , raked masts and triangular sails of its Bermuda rig are rooted 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 jibs were commonly used on Bermudian ships . Triangular sails appeared on Bermudian boats early in the 17th century , a development of the Dutch " bezaan " , or " leg - of - mutton " rig , itself derived from the Lateen rig . This became the Bermuda rig , and was appearing on Bermudian ships by the early 19th century . A large spinnaker was carried on a spinnaker boom , when running down - wind . Jamaican sloop . Jamaican sloops were slightly different from Bermuda sloops , the most obvious difference being that these ships were built on the shores of Jamaica . Their beams were narrower than ocean - going Bermuda sloops , and they carried gaff rig , where Bermuda sloops might carry gaff or Bermuda rig . The keel of Jamaican sloops would usually be between 50 – 75 feet , but could be built longer . They usually had a speed of around 12 knots , which is equivalent to about 13 . 8 mph . The sloops were 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 . One of the reasons Jamaican sloops were built out of cedar , and not oak , was that oak which would normally be used would rot in about 10 years , while cedar would last for close to 30 years . Another advantage of cedar was that it was considerably lighter than oak . The lighter weight made the ships of cedar faster and more able to maneuver quickly . Since piracy was a significant threat in Caribbean waters , merchants sought ships that could outrun pursuers . Ironically , that same speed and maneuverability made them highly prized and even more targeted by the pirates they were designed to avoid . When the ship had to be careened , pirates needed a safe haven on which to ground the ship . Sloops were well suited for this because they were able to sail in shallow areas where larger ships would either run aground or be unable to sail through 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 . Historic naval definition . The naval term " sloop " referred to ships with different rigs and sizes varying from navy to navy . " Sloop - of - war " was more of a reference to the purpose of the craft , rather than to the specific size or sailplan . ( Further confusion was caused by the practice of redesignating a vessel simply according to the rank of the commanding officer . ) The Royal Navy began buying Bermuda sloop s , beginning with an order for three sloops - of - war ( HMS " Dasher " , HMS " Driver " , and HMS " Hunter " , which were each of 200 tons , armed with twelve 24 pounders ) placed with Bermudian builders in 1795 . They were intended to counter the menace of French privateer s , which the Navy ' s ships - of - the - line were ill - designed to counter . Eventually , Bermuda sloops became the standard " advice " vessels of the navy , used for communications , reconnoitering , anti - slaving , anti - smuggling , and other roles to which they were well suited . The most notable examples of these were HMS " Pickle " , which raced back to England with news of the British victory and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the end of the Battle of Trafalgar , and HMS " Whiting " ( 79 tons and four guns ) , which lowered anchor in the harbor of Hampton Roads on 8 July 1812 , carrying dispatches . The American privateer " Dash " , which happened to be leaving port , seized the vessel . The crew of " Whiting " had not yet received news of the American declaration of war , and her capture was the first naval action of the American War of 1812 . 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 they carried fewer guns than a frigate , as few as 20 . The classification of sloop was similar to that of a corvette . Modern naval definition . In modern usage , a sloop refers to a warship between a corvette and a frigate in size . 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 the , in numerous roles , including escort duty and anti - submarine warfare , during World War I . The same was true during the Second World War , when the Royal Navy used the . During World War II , Royal Navy sloops destroyed five German submarines . Modern civilian connotation . Sloops in their modern form were developed by the French Navy as blockade runner s to circumvent Royal Navy blockade s . They were later adapted to pilot boats ( small ships that took a pilot out to a ship , to guide it into a harbor ) . Later still , they were adapted to smaller revenue cutters . The first modern sloops were fitted with the Bermuda rig , so called as a result of its development in Bermuda , during the 17th century . This rig is also called the " Marconi rig " because of the 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 sailed in the America ' s Cup competition . This statement is only true in that the most money has been spent in this class , to build the fastest boats that meet the IACC rules . Much faster sloops have been built that do not fit the rules , using such forbidden technology as canting keels and movable water ballast . The current 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 - hour distance record was recently broken several times , with ABN AMRO 2 setting the record distance of for a monohull ( January 2006 ) . These boats routinely sail at or above wind speeds and can sustain mid - speeds hour after hour . The largest yachting sloop built to date is " Mirabella V " , with a carbon - fiber mast that is 289 feet ( 90 m ) high .