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>>My 2 cents worth: >> >>There are many examples of Mediterranean ships with >>the foremast raked forward. >> >>The era from 1450 to 1650 has many examples of >>Atlantic coast vessels with forward raked masts. The >>masts are stepped as far forward as possible, with >>some fore rake and the bow having a large rake. >>(Harlan, p 56; Wheatley, Plates 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28 >>(Mary Rose), 35, 36, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, >>49, 66 (Sovereign of the Seas 1637), 73), (Marsden), >>(Anthony Roll). Also pictures of early flutes and VOC >>ships display forward raked foremasts too. All have >>square sails on the foremast and most with a spirit >>sail and some also with a spirit top sail. >>The Spanish Atlantic vessel also display forward raked >>fore masts. Columbus re-rigged the Nina in the Canary >>Islands, placing square sails on the fore and main >>masts, she being too slow. The Pinta’s rig was changed >>before departure when Columbus convinced Martín Alonso >>Pinzón to do so (Gay, Ciano p 206). >>The reason the rakes are not as great is that the more >>a mast is raked forward, the less the yards can be >>braced around, so the rake in Atlantic vessels is less >>(Harlan). >> >>In the Atlantic, the distances are long without land >>interfering and voyages are carried out with the >>prevailing winds astern if possible. This leads to the >>use of square sails with their large area and higher >>efficiency with the wind astern and the frequency of >>tacking is greatly reduced. Also “large lanteen sails, >>slackened to the maximum extent to catch the wind, dip >>their sheet points into the water during a lunge >>(roll), and their height puts stress on the ship, with >>the prow tending to sink deeper(. . ). Finally, a >>change of tacks implies the exhausting work of >>shifting the yard (“making the car”), whereas with a >>square sail one needs only to brace the yards a >>different way” because of the roll the helmsman is >>forced constant compensation, thus slowing the vessel >>(Gay, Ciano p 188). >>In the Mediterranean the distances are small. Here >>also the prevailing winds govern voyages with square >>sails used on longer voyages with winds astern (see >>Roman wheat ships, and Braudel). >> >>The placing of the fore sail as far forward as >>possible has two purposes: >>Balancing the sails to help steer the ship (Harlan) >>and tacking. >>Tacking, the early vessels did not have jibs and >>depended on the foresail (The spritsail was probably >>not used as it was liable to fill with water in a sea. >>The spritsail topsail could be used but available >>manpower required to manoeuvre it may be a problem on >>merchant ships. Harlan discusses tacking using them on >>Page 89 and the tacking evolution of p 181). >>With only square sails the ship is easier to tack. The >>yards are to braced around through the wind to obtain >>leverage (maximum 4 points) on the other side to bring >>the bow around. Thus I think the large rake of the >>bows and the fore rake of the mast is to maximise this >>leverage (“because it was believed that it helped the >>foresails catch aback more readily when tacking” >>(Harlan p 56 from Liardet). >> >>The jib sail starts to appear around 1650 and with its >>use, the rake of the bow is reduced (the keel becoming >>longer) and the fore mast moves aft and stands >>vertically. >> >>The fore rake on some ships was such that when the >>vessel was trimmed aft, the fore mast was vertical. >> >>References: >> >>Anderson, R. C.; The Rigging of Ships in the Days of >>the Spiritsail Topmast, 1600 – 1720; Dover >>Publications, Inc.; 1984; 0 486 27960 X >>- ; Seventeenth Century Rigging; Model and Allied >>Publications Ltd.; 1969. >>- ; Seventeenth Century Rigging; Percival Marshal & >>Co., LTD..; 1955. >>Braudel, Fernand; The Mediterranean and the >>Mediterranean World in the Age of Rhillip II Volume I >>& II; University of California Press; 1995; >>0-520-20308-9 - 0-520-20330-5 >>Gay, Franco; Ciano, Cesare; The Ships of Christopher >>Columbus Volume VII; Instituto Poligrafico e Zecca >>dello Stato; 1996; 88-240-3768-2. >>Greenhill, Basil, Ed.; The Evolution of the Sailing >>Ship 1250-1580; Conway Maritime Press Ltd.; 1995; >>0-85177-655-8. >>Harland, John; Myers, Mark R.; Seamanship In The Age >>Of Sail; Conway Maritime Press Ltd.; 1985; >>0-85177-179-3. >>Landstrom, Bjorn; The Ship; Allen and Unwin Pty. Ltd. >>1976; >>Laszlo, Veres; Woodman, Richard - The Story of Sail - >>Illustrated with 1000 Scale Drawings; Chatham >>Publishing; 1999; 1 86176 075 2 >>Marsden, Peter, Ed.; Mary Rose Your Noblest Ship >>Anatomy of a Tudor Warship; The Mary Rose Trust Ltd.; >>2009; 978-0- Martin, Lillian Ray; The Art And >>Archaeology Of Venetian Ships And Boats; Chatham >>Publishing; 2001; 1-86176-173-2. >>9544029-2-1 >>Wheatley, Joseph; Howarth, Stephen; Historic Sail - >>The Glory of the Sailing Ship From the 13th to the >>19th Century; Greenhill Books; 2000; 1 85367 399 4 >> >>Bob Legge > >Thanks Bob, > >2 cents goes a long way sometimes! I think that you >have just about covered everything for me as >exhaustively as possible and answered all of my >lubberly questions. I had assumed that the differences >between Mediterranean and Atlantic rigs had pragmatic >rather than simply stylistic roots and this settles >the matter entirely. > >I am also presuming that the much more horizontal >positioning of the yards on other varieties of >fore-and-aft rigging would reduce many of the >labor-intensive problems with lateens. > >John Tredrea

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