However much it might hurt aficionados of junk, gaff, gunter, sprit and lug, there’s no doubting which rig rules in the popularity stakes.
It’s the Bermudan, of course, and the reasons for its dominance are simple. It’s relatively straightforward to manage and arguably the most efficient for upwind sailing. True, the mast is often tall, rig loads can be high, it usually calls for a winch or three and it’s not always so great downwind in the context of a typical cruising yacht. Nonetheless, all things considered it does a pretty good job.
In this article we’re going to take a look at what it is and how it came about, before moving on to more recent developments and answering some of the questions they throw up. Why, for example,…
