Everything about Sloop totally explained
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For the military definition of sloop see: Sloop-of-war.
» For the open learning project see: SLOOP Project.
A
sloop (from
Dutch sloep) is a
sailboat with a
fore-and-aft rig and a single
mast farther forward than the mast of a
cutter. A sloop's fore-triangle is smaller than a cutter's, and a sloop usually bends only one
headsail, though this distinction isn't definitive. Unlike cutters, sloops usually have only one headsail, though some sloops such as the
Friendship Sloop have more than one. Ultimately position of the mast is the most important factor.
On a gaff rigged, single masted boat, the clearest distinction between a sloop and a
cutter is the run of the
forestay. On the sloop, it runs to the outboard end of the
bowsprit, which means that spar must always stay in position and can't be retracted. On the cutter, the forestay runs to the stem head of the hull. This allows the bowsprit to be run back inboard and stowed. This can be helpful in crowded harbours or when stowing the jib in strong wind conditions.
Rationale behind the sloop rig
No design is perfect for all conditions; sloops are designed to optimize upwind sailing. However, sloops also offer an excellent overall compromise acceptable, if not optimal, to all points of sail. It is clear that the most difficult direction to sail is to the windward (known as sailing
close-hauled); this requires some specific design features. The sail should be as vertical as possible to optimize the energy of the wind.
Two forces act on a vessel to push it from vertical (also known as heeling over): (1) the weight of the rig itself will tend to heel the boat, and (2) the sideways force of the wind on the sails. The sloop is a light rig with fewer lines and spars, and the sails on a sloop tend to be flat which minimizes sideways force when well trimmed. The heeling forces are also counterbalanced by the
keel, which uses weight and hydrodynamics to offset the forces from the rigging and sails.
When sailing upwind, it's also important to minimize the drag of the wind on the sail and rig. A major cause of drag of the sail is a
vortex of
turbulent air generated by the top of the mast and sail. Secondary causes are non-optimal aerodynamic shapes of masts, stays and control lines. The sloop minimizes the drag of the tip-vortex with a high and narrow sail design (high aspect), maximizing the amount of sail for a given tip-vortex compared to a square-rigged or gaff-rigged ship. Also, the simplicity of the rig reduces the drag induced by control lines, masts and spars.
Sails carried
To maximize the amount of sail carried, the classical sloop may use a
bowsprit, which is essentially a fixed spar that projects forward from the bow of the boat. For downwind sailing, the typical
foresail may be replaced (or sometimes supplemented) by larger sails known as
spinnakers or
gennakers. The typical foresail known as the
jib, which doesn't overlap the mast more than 10 to 20 percent, may be replaced by a
genoa jib, which overlaps the mast by as much as 55 to 100 percent for racing rules and sometimes more. The mainsail and Genoa form an efficient double wing.
The Bermuda Sloop
The modern yachting sloop is known as the
Bermuda sloop, due to its
Bermuda rig (also known as the
Marconi rig, due to its resemblance to the wireless towers of
Guglielmo Marconi), which is the optimal rig for upwind sailing; consequently sloops are popular with sport sailors and yachtsmen, and for racing. The rig is simple in its basic form, yet when tuned properly it's maneuverable and fast. The main disadvantage is the relatively large size of the sails, especially on larger vessels. It is also less successful sailing downwind; the addition of a
spinnaker is necessary for reasonable downwind speed in all but the strongest winds, and the spinnaker is an intrinsically unstable sail requiring continual trimming.
The
Bermuda sloop is a type of fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel developed on the island of
Bermuda in the 17th century. In this sense, the term applied to small ships, rather than boats. In its purest form, it's single-masted, although ships with such rigging were built with as many as three masts. Its original form had
gaff rig, but evolved to use what is now known as
Bermuda rig, making it the basis of nearly all modern sailing yachts. Although the Bermuda sloop is often described as a development of the narrower-beamed Jamaica sloop, which dates from the 1670s, the high, raked masts, and triangular sails of its Bermuda rig are rooted in a tradition of Bermudian boat design dating from the early 17th century. Part of that tradition included long, horizontal bowsprits, and large jibs. Three jibs were commonly used on Bermudian ships. Triangular sails appeared on Bermudian boats early in the 17th century, a development of the Dutch
bezaan, or
leg-of-mutton rig, itself derived from the
Lateen rig. This became the Bermuda rig, and was appearing on Bermudian ships by the early 19th century. A large spinnaker was carried on a spinnaker boom when running down-wind.
Historic naval definition
The naval term "sloop" referred to ships with different rigs and sizes varying from navy to navy. "
Sloop-of-war" was more of a reference to the purpose of the craft rather than the specific size or sailplan. The
Royal Navy began buying
Bermuda sloops, beginning with an order for three sloops-of-war (
HMS Dasher,
HMS Driver, and
HMS Hunter, were each of 200 tons, armed with twelve 24 pounders) placed with Bermudian builders in 1795
(External Link
). They were intended to counter the then-extant menace of French
privateers, which the Navy's
ships-of-the-line were ill-designed to counter. Eventually, Bermuda sloops became the standard
advice vessels of the navy, used for communications, reconnoitering, anti-slaving, anti-smuggling, and other roles to which they were well suited. The most notable examples of these were
HMS Pickle, which raced back to England with news of the British victory and the death of Admiral Lord
Nelson at the end of the
Battle of Trafalgar, and HMS Whiting (79 tons and four guns), which lowered anchor in the harbor of
Hampton Roads on
8 July 1812, carrying dispatches. The American privateer
Dash, which happened to be leaving port, seized the vessel. The crew of the Whiting hadn't yet received news of the American declaration of war, and her capture was the first naval action of the
American War of 1812.
Generally a sloop was smaller than a frigate; however, in the later days of the
U.S. Navy's sailing fleet, some of the largest vessels were called sloops because they carried fewer guns than a frigate, as few as 20. The classification of sloop was similar to a
corvette.
Modern Naval Definition
In modern use, a sloop refers to a warship between a
corvette and a
frigate in size. Such vessels were common during the age of steam, but ships of this type were becoming obsolete by the
Second World War. The Royal Navy used sloops, such as those of the
Flower Class (External Link), for numerous roles, including escort duty and anti-submarine warfare, during the
Great War. The same was true during the
Second World War, when the Royal Navy used the
Black Swan class, but for many years, now, its smallest warships have been frigates (not including fishery patrol vessels and offshore patrol vessels, like the
Peacock Class (External Link)).
Modern civilian connotation
Sloops in their modern form were developed by the
French Navy as
blockade runners to circumvent
Royal Navy 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.
The first modern sloops were fitted with the
Bermuda Rig, so called as a result of its development in
Bermuda during the 17th century. This rig is also called the
Marconi rig because of the resemblance of its tall mast and complex standing rigging to
Guglielmo Marconi's
wireless (radio) transmission antennas.
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. The current
Volvo Ocean Race is using a new class, the Volvo 70 which boasts a canting keel, carbon construction throughout and very powerful sailplans. The 24-hour distance record was recently broken several times, with ABN AMRO 2 setting the record distance of for a monohull (January 2006). These boats routinely sail at or above wind speeds and can sustain mid- speeds hour after hour.
The largest yachting sloop built to date is
Mirabella V, with a
carbon-fiber mast that's 289 feet (90 m) high.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sloop'.
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