Foresail
Encyclopedia
A foresail is one of a few different types of sail
set on the foremost
mast
(foremast) of a sailing vessel
:
Sails set forward of the foremast, such as jib
s and staysail
s, are sometimes referred to as foresails, although "headsail
s" is a more common term.
Foresails set on foremasts between midships and bow
were the first type of sail to appear after the mainsail
which had been the sole standard rig on sailing vessels for millennia, down to classical antiquity
. The earliest foresail, or two-masted ship, has been identified on an Etruscan pyxis from Caere
, Italy
, dating to the mid-7th century BC: a warship with a furled mainsail
is engaging an enemy vessel, deploying a foresail. A two-masted merchant vessel
with a sizable foresail rigged on a slightly inclined foremast is depicted in an Etruscan tomb
painting from 475–450 BC. An artemon (Greek
for foresail) almost the same size as the galley's mainsail can be found on a Corinthian
krater
as early as the late 6th century BC, but apart from that Greek
longships of the 8th–5th century BC are uniformly shown without it.
The foresail became fairly common on Roman war galleys
, where it seems to be used rather for steering than as a driver. Its size was reduced and the now strongly raked foremast made it more appear like a bowsprit
sail. While most of the evidence is iconographic, the existence of foresails can also archaeologically
be deduced from slots in foremast-feets located too close to the prow
for a mainsail. Artemon, along with mainsail and topsail
, developed into the standard rig of seagoing vessels in imperial times
, complemented by a mizzen on the largest freighters. Throughout antiquity
, both foresail and mizzen remained secondary in terms of canvas size, but still large enough to require full running rigging
. In late antiquity
, the foremast lost most of its tilt, standing nearly upright on some ships.
By the onset of the Early Middle Ages
, rigging had undergone a fundamental transformation in Mediterranean navigation: the lateen
which had long evolved on smaller Greco-Roman craft replaced the square rig, the chief sail type of the ancients, which practically disappeared from the record until the 14th century (while it remained dominant in northern Europe). The dromon
, the lateen-rigged and oared bireme
of the Byzantine navy
, almost certainly had two sails, a larger foresail and one midships. The length of its foremast has been estimated at about 12 m, somewhat smaller than that of the Sicilian war galleys of the time.
Multiple-masted sailing ships were reintroduced into the Mediterranean by the Late Middle Ages
. Large vessels were coming more and more into use and the need for additional sails to control these ships adequately grew with the increase in tonnage. Unlike in antiquity, the foresail was adopted on medieval two-masters after the mizzen, evidence for which dates to the mid-14th century. To balance out the sail plan the next obvious step was to add a mast fore of the main-mast, which first appears on an Catalonian vessel from 1409. With the three-masted ship established, propelled by square rig
and lateen
, and guided by the pintle
-and-gudgeon
rudder
, all advanced ship design technology necessary for the great transoceanic voyages
was in place by the onset of the 15th century.
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
set on the foremost
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
(foremast) of a sailing vessel
Sailing vessel
Sailing vessel can refer to:*Sailing ship*Sailboat*Ice boat*Land yacht...
:
- A fore and aft sail set on the foremast of a schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
or similar vessel. - The lowest square-sail on the foremast of a full rigged shipFull rigged shipA full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....
or other vessel which is square-rigged.
Sails set forward of the foremast, such as jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
s and staysail
Staysail
A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast....
s, are sometimes referred to as foresails, although "headsail
Headsail
A headsail of a sailing vessel is any sail set forward of the foremost mast. The most common headsails are staysails, a term that includes jibs and the larger genoa...
s" is a more common term.
History
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
were the first type of sail to appear after the mainsail
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
which had been the sole standard rig on sailing vessels for millennia, down to classical antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
. The earliest foresail, or two-masted ship, has been identified on an Etruscan pyxis from Caere
Caere
Caere is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of Southern Etruria, the modern Cerveteri, approximately 50-60 kilometres north-northwest of Rome. To the Etruscans it was known as Cisra and to the Greeks as Agylla...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, dating to the mid-7th century BC: a warship with a furled mainsail
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
is engaging an enemy vessel, deploying a foresail. A two-masted merchant vessel
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
with a sizable foresail rigged on a slightly inclined foremast is depicted in an Etruscan tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
painting from 475–450 BC. An artemon (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for foresail) almost the same size as the galley's mainsail can be found on a Corinthian
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
krater
Krater
A krater was a large vase used to mix wine and water in Ancient Greece.-Form and function:...
as early as the late 6th century BC, but apart from that Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
longships of the 8th–5th century BC are uniformly shown without it.
The foresail became fairly common on Roman war galleys
Roman Navy
The Roman Navy comprised the naval forces of the Ancient Roman state. Although the navy was instrumental in the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean basin, it never enjoyed the prestige of the Roman legions...
, where it seems to be used rather for steering than as a driver. Its size was reduced and the now strongly raked foremast made it more appear like a bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
sail. While most of the evidence is iconographic, the existence of foresails can also archaeologically
Underwater archaeology
Underwater archaeology is archaeology practised underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras...
be deduced from slots in foremast-feets located too close to the prow
Prow
thumb|right|295pxThe prow is the forward most part of a ship's bow that cuts through the water. The prow is the part of the bow above the waterline. The terms prow and bow are often used interchangeably to describe the most forward part of a ship and its surrounding parts...
for a mainsail. Artemon, along with mainsail and topsail
Topsail
A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.- Square rig :On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a square sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried...
, developed into the standard rig of seagoing vessels in imperial times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, complemented by a mizzen on the largest freighters. Throughout antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, both foresail and mizzen remained secondary in terms of canvas size, but still large enough to require full running rigging
Running rigging
Running rigging is the term for the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering and controlling the sails - as opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and other spars....
. In late antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, the foremast lost most of its tilt, standing nearly upright on some ships.
By the onset of the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, rigging had undergone a fundamental transformation in Mediterranean navigation: the lateen
Lateen
A lateen or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction....
which had long evolved on smaller Greco-Roman craft replaced the square rig, the chief sail type of the ancients, which practically disappeared from the record until the 14th century (while it remained dominant in northern Europe). The dromon
Dromon
The dromon was a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 6th to 12th centuries AD...
, the lateen-rigged and oared bireme
Bireme
A bireme is an ancient Hellenistic-era warship with two decks of oars, probably invented by the Phoenicians. It typically was about long with a maximum beam width of around . It was modified from the penteconter, a ship that had only one set of oars on each side, the bireme having two sets of oars...
of the Byzantine navy
Byzantine navy
The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defense and survival of the state then its earlier iterations...
, almost certainly had two sails, a larger foresail and one midships. The length of its foremast has been estimated at about 12 m, somewhat smaller than that of the Sicilian war galleys of the time.
Multiple-masted sailing ships were reintroduced into the Mediterranean by the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
. Large vessels were coming more and more into use and the need for additional sails to control these ships adequately grew with the increase in tonnage. Unlike in antiquity, the foresail was adopted on medieval two-masters after the mizzen, evidence for which dates to the mid-14th century. To balance out the sail plan the next obvious step was to add a mast fore of the main-mast, which first appears on an Catalonian vessel from 1409. With the three-masted ship established, propelled by square rig
Square rig
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called yards and their tips, beyond the last stay, are called the yardarms...
and lateen
Lateen
A lateen or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction....
, and guided by the pintle
Pintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge.A pintle/gudgeon set is used in many spheres, for example: in sailing to hold the rudder onto the boat; in transportation a pincer-type device clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a...
-and-gudgeon
Gudgeon
A gudgeon is a circular fitting, often made of metal, which is affixed to a surface. It allows for the pivoting of another fixture. It is generally used with a pintle, which is a pin which pivots in the hole in the gudgeon. As such, a gudgeon is a simple bearing.-Winged gudgeons:A winged gudgeon...
rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
, all advanced ship design technology necessary for the great transoceanic voyages
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
was in place by the onset of the 15th century.