Why Use a Triangular Sail?
To get a better idea of what triangular sails are, it is best to look at it as an airplane's wing, as in, the triangular shape helps create a force that in turn pushes the boat forward in the water. Shipbuilders first started using the triangular sails fore and aft of the mainsails because they were more efficient in catching trade winds while out at sea. With the addition of the triangular sails, the sailboat's sails could then utilize the winds from many angles. The advantage of the triangular sails is that it allows the ship to work upwind more easily, as it can be braced around to face more forward. Also, since it causes less drag, the lateen sail is also effective in lighter winds.
One of the reasons why many sailors prefer using triangular sails is that boats with triangular sails can move a lot faster than those using just square sails. As far as blue water cruising sailboats go, square rigs are usually more difficult because of the "push-button" system installed. This is mainly because, unfortunately, square fits have not been developed yet to make smaller cruisers a more viable option.
Most cruisers are sloops or ketches, which is an easy rig to deal with, especially for beginners. Also, while almost anybody who has spent some time on the water can learn how to make a loop move forward, in comparison, square-rigger people are often baffled when it comes to sailing this type of boat.
How Do Triangular Sails Work?
As the lateen inflates with wind, it creates an airfoil shape. As wind passes around the airfoil, negative pressure is induced out front of and on the leeward side of the sail. This causes surrounding air to rush into the sail, which helps propel the boat. That being said, triangular sails aren't always the best idea when it comes to sails.
What Is a Lateen?
Sails are divided into two main groups, each with several subcategories. Square and triangular sails are the two main types. To exploit wind pressure to power the boat, square sails are placed across the main axis. Only the rear, or after side of square sails, is exposed to the wind.
As the name implies, triangular sails are triangular in shape and follow the same axis as the boat, with fore sails at the bow and aft sails at the stem. Triangular sails are employed for forward propulsion on both sides, and they may be modified to take advantage of the wind's force.
A lateen sail is a triangular sail. Lateen sails were first developed by the Arabs and were then adopted by sailors in the eastern Mediterranean. Because they were used in the Mediterranean, they were called "lateen" by Northern sailors. A Caravel, a light sailing ship, was used by the Spanish and Portuguese for long voyages during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. A caravel had up to three masts, and these were equipped with lateen sails. The lateen sail proved to be much more efficient than earlier sail designs, as in, this type of boat made it easier to sail very close to the wind, which completely revolutionized the way sailors used these boats to sail rough seas.
The Bermuda Rig
This is by far the most prevalent kind of sailing rig and one that mostly uses triangular sails. It comprises a single huge sail that, in most circumstances, extends to the top of the mast. Here, a single headsail is used on the Bermuda rig.
A Marconi Rig or a Sloop is another name for this sort of rig. A Bermuda rig provides a number of benefits over older square-rigged sailboats. First, depending on the size of your sailboat, a single mainsail is more efficient to maintain with only one or two people - however, most recreational sailboats aren't much bigger than 45 feet, with most being in the 20-35 foot range. A small crew can easily hoist and trim the single headsail, and multiple sizes of headsails may be employed for varying weather situations.
The Bermuda rig excels at sailing upwind (close-hauled) and allows for sailing in practically any direction other than straight into the wind. Because the original boats were only able to sail with the wind behind them, trade routes were established utilizing the seasonal "trade winds," which were more consistent, especially during certain parts of the year.
The Bermuda rig can be seen on sailboats ranging in size from 12 feet to 100 feet or larger. This is a highly popular and easily identifiable sailing arrangement in most modern sailboats. The Fractional Sloop is a typical Bermuda rig variation, distinguished by the fact that the headsail does not extend all the way to the top of the mast but just approximately 2/3 of the way. On the other hand, a Bermuda rig features one large triangular sail aft of the mast and a smaller triangle sail in front of the mast.
