I changed Britannia from a ketch to a brigantine schooner that is a two masted vessel having at least one squaresail on the foremast. The sail-plan is that of a staysail schooner of which the manufacturers made only two, but I changed masts to make a taller than normal foremast to accommodate the squaresail.
All sails are roller furled including the squaresail that rolls up inside the yard. Roller furling sails considerably reduce the deck work and time in hauling them up and down and it also allows for infinite reefing, even including the squaresail. Roller furling also removes the need for sail stowage and covers. The small downside is that a roller furled sail has to be cut flat so that it can roll up without bunching. This type of sail does not “pull” as well as one that has bunt, (curvature) built in. However, most cruising sailors are prepared to accept the slight loss of drive for the other advantages. This loss does not apply to a squaresail when the wind is blowing directly into the back of the canvas and basically pushing the boat along.
A staysail schooner rig is well known for its beam reaching power, i.e. when the wind is from the side. Also when all sails are sheeted hard a schooner makes quite well to windward and having both staysails on booms means the jib is the only sail to tack all others being self-tacking. Altogether it is a very workable rig for a blue water cruising boa, which is why it was favored by the New England fishermen where it was basically invented. Bermudian sails do not work very well with the wind aft because the sail is triangular and the wind is not pressing evenly into the sail causing it to easily loose its wind and collapse then fill again with a loud crack that imposes great strain on sails and lines. To avoid this a whisker pole can be rigged, (which is actually a form of yard), to keep the sail boomed out and flat. Even so constant attention to steering is needed on a run, especially in big following seas. A squaresail set on the foremast has none of these problems and steering is very easy by both helmsman or autopilot - hence the age-old combination of fore and aft and squaresails on a brigantine. Britannia’s headsails are cutter rigged, i.e. with both a jib and boomed staysail and self tendering.
THE SAILS.
The additional height that I added to the nfew foremast was not only to give greater height for the squaresail, but to create a 4-foot wide slot between the jib and staysail to allow the jib to easily pass through when tacking and another way to make sailing the boat easier. The fore staysail is fitted with a boom that basically lets it look after itself when tacking.
The next sail aft is the main staysail also known as the ‘tweenmast staysail because it is between the two masts. This is set on a hefty stay that also acts as the main brace for the mainmast. Because the sail is roller furled I had the foot made 6-feet longer than its 9-foot long boom. When on a reach or broad reach the sheet is detached from the boom and sheeted further aft to become a much more powerful sail, similar to a mizzen staysail on a ketch. When on the wind the sail is hitched to its boom where it becomes self-tacking like the fore staysail.
Next, the large mainsail rolls in and out of a slotted tube attached all the way up the back of the mast. It is made by the French Facnor system. This is extremely well engineered reasonably priced compared to others and with good boating magazine reports and personal recommendations. The mainsail is the largest of the four fore-and-aft sails yet it is easily controlled from the cockpit and can be reefed or completely rolled up in a matter of minutes.
There is a possibility on a staysail schooner for two more sails to help her along a bit faster. One of these is called a Raffee and is a triangular sail that is hoisted above the squaresail on the foremast. This sail has no boom and is sheeted to the ends of the squaresail yard with the two sheets coming back into the cockpit like all the others. The raffee is basically a light airs sail for when a breeze comes from the stern and works well because it is the highest sail on a boat.
Another sail is called a Fisherman and looks like an upside-down jib run up the rear of the foremast on a track and sheeted to the front of the mainmast. This sail is also a light airs sail and self-tendering when tacking.
A third sail is called a gollywobbler. It is a quadrilateral sail that is set flying between the masts and sheets to the mainmast in two places. This is a very large light airs sail which virtually fills the space between the masts. This is essentially a reaching sail for when the wind is steady.
All these sails are particular to a schooner and gives infinite sailing possibilities to the experienced mariner. When the wind is on the beam or even blowing at 45 degrees aft it is possible to fly five sails on a schooner and there will be few sloops or ketches that would be faster.
Britannia is a unique sailing yacht that looks complicated to the untrained eye. Yet she is easy to handle in any wend conditions because of the options available with the various sails and the ease of handling them. She is registered as a British ship in the Isle of Man and when sailing I hoist the large Isle Of Man civil ensign on the flag halyard. This ensign is also unique and is the well-known “Red Duster” defaced with The Three Legs of Man. The three legged Triskelion is a very old heraldic device that has been the emblem of The Isle of Man since the 13th century.