Moonsail
Encyclopedia
A moonraker, also known as a moonsail, hope-in-heaven, or hopesail, is a sail
flown immediately above the skysail
(see sail-plan
) on the very top of the royal mast on large, square rig
ged sailing ship
s of the clipper
era. None of the four- and five-masted square rigged ships carried a moonsail.
This is a relatively unusual sail only used on ships built primarily for speed.
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:...
flown immediately above the skysail
Skysail
*A skysail is the uppermost sail in many old square-rigged sail-plans .It was also on the royal mast above the royal sail....
(see sail-plan
Sail-plan
A sail-plan is a set of drawings, usually prepared by a naval architect. It shows the various combinations of sail proposed for a sailing ship.The combinations shown in a sail-plan almost always include three configurations:...
) on the very top of the royal mast on large, 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...
ged sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s of the clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
era. None of the four- and five-masted square rigged ships carried a moonsail.
This is a relatively unusual sail only used on ships built primarily for speed.