Headsail

As headsail those sails are called, which are driven in front of the main mast of a sailing ship, or in front of the mast of a sailboat or a sailing yacht slupgetakelten.

Molding

A headsail may be a staysail, which means that it is posted on a Stag ( forestay, usually a wire between the bow and the upper end of the mast ). Classically such a headsail with many small "hook", so-called hanks, or Lögeln is hooked to the stay. After the sail to be the case at the Stag along pulled up ( set).

Another possibility is to use a furler, with the now especially many cruising yachts are equipped, in which emphasis is placed on ease of use. With the jib furling headsail may be set from the cockpit, that is unrolled. To recover the headsail, it is rolled with the furler back to his Stag. With a jib furling the sail can be reefed continuously even in high winds. The disadvantage of a furler is that the profile of a partially furled sail in the wind is not optimal. It usually brings speed advantages, instead, to set a smaller sail that is designed for higher wind strengths and can make full use of their profile. On racing yachts will therefore largely dispense with furling.

Larger vessels often have more than one headsail. They are therefore on weather conditions, especially the fact that they use more or less of the headsail. In tall ships with four headsails are identified:

• Jager or flyer: The Jager as the largest headsail is moved to the front of a ship Stag, its leading edge is pulled along the outermost Stags; this Stag ranges from the far end of the jib boom to near the top of the uppermost extension ( topmast ) of the foremost mast. Due to its size, the Jager is set only in light winds. With moderate wind, a flier can be set in the same place instead. This is, however, not attached to the Stag, but excited "free" between the jib-boom end and the topmast. Because the plane is shorter than the distance between the bowsprit and topmast, the model is further pulled up so that the sail high above the jib boom and the majority of the remaining sail "flies".
• Outer jib: The outer jib is set on the second front Stag, the lower end of the bowsprit (usually at some distance from the foremost Stag ) and the upper end at the top of the foremost mast (but not the topmast ) is attached.
• Inner jib: The internal jib is run on third front Stag, from the jib-boom (again with the distance from the second front Stag ) extends to the tip of the foremost mast.
• Fock or Vorstengestagsegel: The jib is set on the inner forestay, which runs roughly from the bow of the ship to tip the bottom of the front spar mast. The Stage for outer and inner jib and foresail run at some ships on the mast about together at the same point. As a rule (even with historic ships ) but divided into several spars and masts each Stengenspitze is supported by at least one Stag forward ( for example Vorstengestag, Bramstengestag, Royalstengestag )

Vorsegelwechsel on ships with foil

Especially on ships regatta the headsail is not attached to the forestay with hanks, but in a profile forestay made ​​of plastic ( which surrounds the forestay wire or cold-drawn steel = Rod ) threaded. You will have 2 slots available to the sail change not to have to carry the old sailing first before the new can be set. This would allow you some time without headsail go, what it would cost time and affect control of the ship.

For the Vorsegelwechsel on ships with foil, there are different strategies:

Up inside - outside down: The new sail is hoisted within ( the ship towards the center ) of the already standing sail, which is relatively simple. The mountains on the outside, however, is very difficult.

Up outside - inside down: Conversely to up inside - outside down the new sail is pulled out of the sail set up, which is very tedious. In return, however, the old sailing can be salvaged on the inside.

Up inside - inside down ( with reverse ): Here, the new sail is first pulled up to the inside of the old sail, then turned and then salvaged the old sail. This method makes it easy to hoist the sail and mountains easier, but requires space and time for a change.