A wishbone rig, sometimes also known as fishbone ketch, is a type of rigging on
sailboats. This rigging is most popular on heavy two-masted vessels. The rig gets its name from the
wishbone
Wishbone commonly refers to:
* Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs
Wishbone may also refer to:
* Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company
* Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football
* Wish ...
, a V or Y shaped bone similar to the rig's gaff. A
ketch rigged in this fashion is called wishbone ketch. Examples of wishbone-rigged boats include the ''
Zawisza Czarny
}), he was revered as a brave knight. A monument to Zawisza at Golubac Fortress bears the inscription: "In Golubac, his life was taken by the Turks in 1428, the famous Polish knight, the symbol of courage and honor, Zawisza the Black. Glory to the ...
'' and the ''
Norda''.
Definition
A wishbone ketch rigged vessel is a vessel that is rigged as a
ketch where a permanent splitting gaff is mounted between two masts. Contrary to the
gaff rig (where the gaff is hoisted together with the sail) the gaff stays in the mast. The gaff is typically fixed on the first mast (the one closer to the front) and fixed via a line to the aftmost mast. These lines allow the sail to be trimmed to suit the wind.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
* Easier to hoist the sail than with a
gaff rig
* Offers a large sail area (advantageous in light winds) - the entire area between the masts can be covered
Disadvantages:
* Potential dangerous situation in case of unplanned
jibe, therefore difficult to use in broad reach (see
points of sail
A point of sail is a sailing craft's direction of travel under sail in relation to the true wind direction over the surface.
The principal points of sail roughly correspond to 45° segments of a circle, starting with 0° directly into the wind. ...
)
* Puts significant strain on the top of the aft most mast
* Additional weight high in the mast (although this rig is generally used only on heavy boats)
See also
*
Sail-plan
A sail plan is a description of the specific ways that a sailing craft is rigged. Also, the term "sail plan" is a graphic depiction of the arrangement of the sails for a given sailing craft.>
In the English language, ships were usually describe ...
*
Ketch
{{Sailing Vessels and Rigs
Sailing rigs and rigging
Ship types
Sailboat types