Sloop

:For the warships of the 1800s to World War II, see Sloop-of-war.

Sails carried

To maximize the amount of sail carried, the classical sloop may use a bowsprit, which is essentially a fixed boom that projects from the front of the boat. For downwind sailing, the staysail may be replaced (or sometimes supplemented) by a spinnaker or gennaker of larger sail area. The jib foresail, which does not overlap the mast, may be replaced by a genoa jib, which overlaps the mast by up to 50%, the mainsail and Genoa thus forming an efficient double wing.

Related Topics:
Bowsprit - Boom - Staysail - Spinnaker - Gennaker - Jib - Foresail - Genoa

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History

The term sloop referred to boats with different rigs and up to 3 masts until the 17th century.

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Sloops in their modern form were developed by the French to run British blockades. They were later adapted to pilot boats (small ships that take a pilot out to a ship to guide it into a harbor). Later still, they were adapted to smaller revenue cutters.

Related Topics:
French - British - Blockade - Harbor

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In the 1920s, racing sloops were developed into extremes in the amount of sail they would carry. The "J-boats" became infamous for capsizing, although in good weather they were very fast. These excesses led racing authorities to establish rules for racing yachts, intended to make them fully seaworthy. The first modern sloops were called "Marconi rigs" because their tall masts and complex standing rigging reminded people of Guglielmo Marconi's new wireless (radio) transmission antennas.

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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 rule. Much faster sloops have been built that don't fit the rule, using such forbidden technology as canting keels and movable water ballast.

Related Topics:
IACC - America's Cup

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The largest sloop ever built is the Mirabella V, with a carbon-fibre mast that is 289 ft/90 m high.

Related Topics:
Mirabella V - Carbon-fibre

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