Ketch

For other uses, see Ketch (disambiguation). A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts. The distin-

A Bermuda-rigged ketch

guishing characteristic of a ketch is that the forward of the two masts (the “mainmast”) is larger than the after mast (the “mizzen”). Historically the ketch was a square- rigged vessel, most commonly used as a freighter or fish- ing boat in northern Europe, particularly in the Baltic and 2013 Ahmanson Cup Regatta yacht Zapata II Classic Calkins North seas. In modern usage, the ketch is a fore-and-aft Ketch[1]sailing, hard on the wind with the mizzen furled on the rigged vessel used as a yacht or pleasure craft. rear boom

1 Varieties of modern ketch

To assist going to windward, a ketch may carry one or more jibs or foresails. If a ketch has no jibs, it is called a cat ketch or a periauger. On older, larger ketches the main mast may in addition carry one or more square rigged topsails. The large fore-and-aft sail on the mainmast is the mainsail, while the sail on the mizzen mast is the mizzen. These sails may be any type of fore-and-aft sail, in any combination. Most modern ketches are Bermuda rigged, but other possible rigs on a ketch include gunter rigs and gaff rigs. The Scots Zulu, for example, had a dipping lug A double-gaff ketch with a Bermuda-rigged main topsail and a main with a standing lug mizzen. lug-rigged mizzen topsail In northern Europe and among long distance cruisers, the ketch is often preferred to a sloop, since the additional sail allows a better balance, and a smaller more easily handled mainsail. An advantage of the ketch is when sudden in-

1 2 4 HISTORY creases in wind strength require a rapid reefing: the main- by virtue of having two masts rather than one, though sail can be dropped, reducing sail and leaving a balanced a ketch with two foresails is sometimes called a “cutter- sail-plan with jib and mizzen set. The ketch rig also al- rigged ketch”. lows sailing only on the mizzen and jib, without introduc- Both the ketch and the yawl differ from the two-masted ing excessive lee helm, and in an emergency can be quite schooner, whose aft mainmast is taller than the fore- well steered without use of the rudder. When running mast. (It follows that a schooner does not have a mizzen before the wind or reaching across the wind, a ketch may mast.) If a vessel has two masts of approximately the set extra sails such as a spinnaker on the main mast, and same height, the rig with the larger sail forward is called a spinnaker or mizzen staysail on the mizzen mast. An- a ketch, while the rig with the larger sail aft is a schooner. other advantage of a ketch is at anchor, where the mizzen The American two-masted schooner is rare in Europe, sail may be used to hold the boat steady in the wind; this where the ketch rig is preferred. reduces roll in an otherwise uncomfortable anchorage.

2 Similar rigs 3 Derivation of “ketch”

2.1 Historical Ketch was a “catch” or fishing boat (ketch from Middle English cache, from cacchen, “to catch”).[4] The mizzen is bigger than seen on a yawl in order to hold the bow (front) of a boat toward the wind and oncoming waves. The mainsail at the front of the boat would have been dropped and the mizzen trimmed tight on the centreline. Set up this way most boats will point directly into the wind in a reliable way. It is also possible to ease the mizzen slightly to allow the boat to move slowly forward. In a fishing boat this attitude allows the nets to be handled without the boat becoming “broadsides” to the waves al- lowing them to break over the sides of the boat. Fishnets can then be handled without putting the boat at risk. For enough sail area to propel a fishing boat the mizzen mast has to move forward toward the middle of the boat which allows its sail to be bigger without upsetting the sail balance or distribution.

Square-rigged ketch A “Ketch Rig” is simply the rig that matches the function of a “Ketch” or “Catch” or fishing boat. The square-rigged ketch was largely supplanted by the brig, which differs from the ketch by having a forward mast smaller (or occasionally similar in size) than the af- 4 History ter mast, and by the hoy, which was fore-and-aft rigged. Other similar craft include the snow and the pink. In the year 1775, various ketches were utilized as warships by the Sultanate of Mysore during the rule of 2.2 Modern Hyder Ali. During the 17th and 18th centuries, ketches were com- Both the ketch and the yawl have two masts, with the main monly used as small warships, until superseded in this mast foremost; the distinction being that a ketch has the role by brigs during the latter part of the 18th century. mizzen mast forward of the rudder post, whereas on a The ketch continued in use as a specialized vessel for car- yawl, it is aft of the rudder post.[2][3] Compared to a ketch, rying mortars until after the Napoleonic wars, in this ap- a similar size yawl’s mizzen sail is much smaller than the plication it was called a bomb ketch. main, because of the limitations of the mizzen sheet. So The original Atlantis, the seagoing research vessel of the on a ketch, the principal purpose of the mizzen sail is to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute commissioned in help propel the vessel, while on a yawl, the smaller mizzen 1931, was a steel-hulled ketch.[5] In 1989 Bruce Farr de- mainly serves the purposes of trim and balance. Yawls signed the Maxi ketch Steinlager 2, the first maxi yacht tend to have mainsails almost as large as those of compa- built of composite carbon construction. This revolu- rable sloops. tionary lightweight design went on to win the Whitbread A ketch may be distinguished from a cutter or a sloop Round the World Race in 1989/90. 3

5 Popular culture

In 1947 a radio program called Voyage of the Scarlet Queen was set on a ketch. The Scarlet Queen was a 78- foot ketch with a white hull, teak decking, brass bright- work, and sporting the “Scarlet Queen” herself, on the bowsprit, naked as the day she was born, “a fresh, young body... looking forward, ... bold, teasing... dressed in only a crown, and painted brilliant red.” A William Garden–designed Formosa 51 ketch named Wanderer was the main setting in the 1992 film Captain Ron. Three Formosa 51s were used in filming.

6 See also

• Sail-plan

7 References

[1] http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1964/ Calkins-Ketch-2625611/Newport-Beach/CA/ United-States#.VKBCnAwA

[2] Maloney, Elbert S. (2006) Chapman Piloting & Seaman- ship 65th Edition, page 30. Hearst Communications. ISBN 978-1-58816-232-8.

[3] Rule F.1.2 of International Sailing Federation (ed.), Equipment Rules of sailing (PDF) (edition valid from 2009 to 2012 ed.), retrieved 13 June 2009

[4] “ketch – definition of ketch by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia”. Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.

[5] “History of WHOI Ships: Woods Hole Oceanographic In- stitution”. Whoi.edu. Retrieved 29 April 2013.

• Jones, Gregory O. (2002). The American Sailboat. St. Paul, Minn.: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 9780760310021. OCLC 49315350. 4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

• Ketch Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketch?oldid=694071087 Contributors: Dreamyshade, Mav, PierreAbbat, William Avery, GrahamN, Topory, Infrogmation, Stan Shebs, Andrewa, Andres, TonyClarke, Tjdw, Robbot, Seglea, Hemanshu, Modeha, Vincivinci, DocWatson42, Leonard G., Gdr, SpookyMulder, Bobo192, Brim, Kooma, Couperman, BanyanTree, Danaman5, Shoefly, Capneb, Pol098, Eirikr, E090, Boatman, FlaBot, YurikBot, Gaius Cornelius, Smartskaft, Tony1, Curpsbot-unicodify, D'n, Chris the speller, Gadren, Wille Raab~enwiki, Robofish, Dl2000, CmdrObot, Neelix, Cydebot, Aaron headly, Thijs!bot, J Clear, AMittelman, Jeff.Hull, Lynwood, Greg Grahame, Rif Winfield, Arrivisto, VolkovBot, Dwight666, RiverStyx23, EmxBot, Skipperjeru, Ufinne, Moletrouser, Binksternet, Piled- higheranddeeper, Alexbot, Eastcote, BrettFairbairn, Dthomsen8, Addbot, MartinezMD, Zorrobot, Leovizza, AnomieBOT, KDS4444, The High Fin Sperm Whale, B. Fairbairn, MauritsBot, Xqbot, D'ohBot, Oalp1003, Jonesey95, Lotje, WPPilot, Jcomet, Pincoya44, Ramesh Ramaiah, Kendall-K1, Gorobay, BattyBot, Khazar2, Bobcolby, Pvpoodle, ZeroMunis, KetraWooding and Anonymous: 31

8.2 Images

• File:2013_Ahmanson_Cup_Regatta_yacht_Zapata_II_b_photo_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/7/7a/2013_Ahmanson_Cup_Regatta_yacht_Zapata_II_b_photo_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: WPPilot • File:A_Ketch1.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/A_Ketch1.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: KDS444 • File:Ketch.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Ketch.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: Original uploader was user:Infrogmation at en.wikipedia • File:Question_book-new.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Question_book-new.svg License: Cc-by-sa-3.0 Contributors: Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist: Tkgd2007 • File:Rigging-ketch-berm.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Rigging-ketch-berm.svg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Tomasz Rojek

8.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0