Question Sails In A Gale

[Staiduk]

'Allo!

Does anyone here know about the Age of Sail - or specifically the Tall Ships that plied the Atlantic two hundred years ago?

I have a question about something I saw in a favourite music video; I'm not sure if it's realistic. It's a very minor point; just something that twigged my interest.

The video is Followed The Waves by sensational Canadian bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur. It shows - several times - a square-rigged Tall Ship: probably an 1800s-era Grand Banks Fisherman - powering her way bravely through an Atlantic gale - undoubtedly the ship Melissa's unnamed man is crew aboard. It's a very dramatic image: a lonely vessel plunging through heavy seas and screaming wind. But my eye was drawn to her rigging - as an experienced small-boat sailor; it caught my eye.

The unnamed vessel is driving bravely along under close-reefed fore- and main Courses, the single-reefed Main top-Gallant and Storm Jib. These sails make perfect sense given the heavy weather - enough sail to provide movement but not enough for the canvas to be ripped apart by the savage wind. But the ship's Sprits'ls are furled; which causes me to question. In weather like that; a Tall Ship needs strong rudder response to face the oncoming seas; which the Sprit Sails aid. I'm sure this particular ship is entirely CG-generated, but if it was real; wouldn't it have at least one of it's Sprits'ls deployed; at least in Gull-wing set?

Just a curious question.

 

[Urwumpe]

Depends on the course of the ship relative to the wind. The sprit sail would create a stronger moment turning the ship into the wind ("weather helm"), but if that is too strong, you have no longer control over the ship as well.

But in this case, it seems to be rather CGI. The sail plan of the ship in the video is no storm sail plan as far as I can tell during the fast cuts.

I had a PDF somewhere from Orbiter-Forum, where the sail plans of a full-rigged ship had been explained.

 

[Staiduk]

Thanks, I agree this particular shot is pretty fake - though quite well done, I must admit - quite sets off the video. I'd forgotten about the wind direction; she seems to be reaching but its pretty hard to tell. (Shrug) It was just one of those things that make me curious

 

[Urwumpe]

Thanks, I agree this particular shot is pretty fake - though quite well done, I must admit - quite sets off the video. I'd forgotten about the wind direction; she seems to be reaching but its pretty hard to tell. (Shrug) It was just one of those things that make me curious

Well, it is very uncommon to see a fully-rigged ship with a sprit sail anyway today, they had been obsolete already by 1810. The German name of such a sail is "Blinde" - translated into english "Blinding sail": It blocks the view to the front. it was less useful than hindering, all modern ships used the more effective stay sails since.


Also, there could be another very simple reason, why the sprit sail is reefed: It could get into the waves at such winds.

That artistic drawing shows a typical storm sail plan for a fully rigged ship:

http://www.marine-niemeyer.com/prints/8380_e.php

I still haven't found the paper about the sail plans for a training ship.