Sloop
SLOOP describes a sail-plan (rig) of a sailboat that has: - a single mast, set about one third of the boat's length aft of the bow, - a forward triangular staysail (headsail) called a jib, or genoa, - and a rear (triangular or gaff- rigged*) mainsail controlled by a boom. The rig is simple, and optimized for upwind sailing. For downwind sailing, the staysail may be replaced (or sometimes supplemented) by a spinnaker or genaker of larger sail area. The jib foresail, which does not overlap the mast, may be replaced by a Genoa jib, which overlaps the mast by up to 50% - the mainsail and Genoa thus forming an efficient double wing. The Bermuda Sloop is a type of sailing rig (or sail-plan) based on the sloop rig. Its key feature is the mainsail, which is triangular (as opposed to square or gaff-rigged sails). In the United States, a sloop may have one or two headsails, while in Western Europe and Great Britain a sloop has only one headsail.
