Lug Sail Melonseed

As promised, a short dissertation on the balanced lug mainsail rig is today's fare. When I designed this style of traditional rig for my faering, Saga, I'd never used one. The superlative sailmaker, Lynn Fabricant built that wing with her subtle magic and the little faering fairly flew.

It was an easy sail to set up and use. The balanced lug rigging I use is helpfully documented by Mik Storer in his rigging suggestions for the famous Goat Island skiff, a link well worth exploring for many reasons.

He says this simple and effective rigging comes from an old book, "The Dixon Kemp Manual of Seamanship". The only difference for me is that I don't lash the boom to the mast. I find the downhaul keeps the sail tensioned perfectly whether the boom rests against the mast or not.

With this set-up, I can strike the rig, bundle yard, sail and boom along the thwarts and be ready to row in a couple minutes. In Saga, I even have a long bag to contain the whole mess so it's ready to set anytime.

I use the sail/boom/yard bundle to hang my tent when needed. It's slick. Of all the traditional sail rigs, it's hand's-down my favorite.

The sprit rig on the other hand has not been friendly to me. When I designed my version of the historical melonseed, I drafted the sprit rig as the default, as documented by Howard Chapelle. That was four years ago (where the time went is a mystery). The Doryman Melonseed has been used occasionally as a row boat, for which it is particularly suited, but the sail rig has hung in suspension. Last winter I sewed the spritsail but as you all know, several other unexpected emergencies interrupted my plans. Meanwhile, in the intervening months, I did have a few educational escapades with another spritsail. Not a sail for open water in my opinion.

There, I said it.

Recently I unlaced the spritsail from the mast, fashioned an upper yard and installed grommets along the head of the sail, to lace the two together. The yard is longer than usually specified because I intend to use it in converting another sail to the same design (same type of refit, as well). Of particular concern was the placement of the sail in relationship to the hull. The balanced lug tends to set forward of the mast a bit, which could potentially create lee helm in the original design. As can be seen from the photos, this was of minimal concern in the final analysis.

A difficulty yet to be addressed is the geometry of how the new lug lowers the sail on the mast. I do not intend to carve a new mast, but the sail needs to clear the deck by an additional 4-6 inches. Obviously there will be no room for the required downhaul on the tack, but with the extra long yard, the opportunity to tension the head of the sail with a downhaul on the forward end of yard itself is apparent.

I like the way this design allows for changing the angle of the yard. The balanced lug tacks best to windward with the head peaked-up as high as allowed. Running off the wind, the yard can be set more horizontally, to provide more power.
Note how lacing the halyard from the forward end of the yard, through a block midway on the yard and thus through a sheave at masthead tensions and binds the yard against the mast. You will notice the halyard leads to the cockpit from the base of the mast (above).

Both the downhaul and the halyard are then lead through the coaming, to cleats in reach of the helmsman. This sail configuration can be set and struck from the safety of the cockpit, the solution to my concern about the sprit rig, which is a bear to strike in any kind of real wind.

 This series of shots show how easy it is to lower the yard into the boat and the halyard lacing option used allows the whole kit to be stowed on the thwarts in seconds, allowing the mariner to concentrate on other matters when necessary. Thus stowed, the sail is also ready to set at a moment's notice. When it's time to stow this rig, the yard, sail, halyard and downhaul stay together in a handy bundle. The mast is bare and easy to handle.



For now, this rig has no boom. There is no particular reason for that other than expediency. This will hamper off-wind and downwind performance, though how much remains to be seen. A test sail is in the offing.

In a small boat, simple is best. I would add, this principle applies to larger boats (and life in general), but that's a topic for another day...

The Story of a Jib and a Balanced Lug

With Musings on a Lateen.

There was once a lonely Lug who didn't know what he was missing until he met Jib. He sailed to windward, off the beam and dead down, all with apparent equanimity.

Then one day Jib came along and spiced up his life. Now he had someone to get hung up on. Jib liked to languish on his yard and get tangled in his boom. Just the life for a Lug.
Jib had many fine qualities, but fast tacking was not one of them. More like a perpetual holiday for Jib.

Doryman has gotten used to having both of them around. Jib and Lug work well together. The occasional tangle of sheets, boom, leach and yard bother no one.

"Faerings aren't suppose to have Jibs". "A balanced Lug and a Jib won't work on the same Boat.".

Let people talk. They are just jealous.

Thanks to Jamie Orr for the photos.

The inspiration for this sail combination came to me from David Oliver of the excellent blog, Lutes which celebrates the traditional fishing vessels of the Balearic Islands. The Balearic sailing rigs developed as a way to facilitate work on deck, while offering performance for navigation. David reminds us it is important to view these rigs as a tool for fishing to understand how they are used. There are types of working craft from around the world with provision for the same or similar sail combinations.

The lutes employ a lateen rig, yet by adding a jib far forward, windward performance is improved.

The addition of a mizzen on a retractable boomkin gives more sail options, not the least of which is the ability to strike that huge main, allowing more room to work. 

While the lateen can be mounted far enough forward to act as a jib and main combination, the option of a jib plus main is more versatile.


The balanced lug rig is very similar to the lateen in function. The ancient lateen is possibly the most beautiful sail in the world.


David's blog is written in Catalan, but for those of us who have trouble with that complicated language, he offers a translator and we thank him for that! He owns a beautiful lute and it's a treat to see one under sail. I recommend a long visit to Lutes.