Beautiful Square Rigger! Flying her “studding sails”.

A studding sail, or stun'sl, is an extra sail on a square rigged vessel for use in fair weather. It is set outside the square sails, using stun'sl booms which run out along the yards.

The task of the differently attached sails

Square-rigged means the rectangular sails that are set symmetrically across the masts. Square rigged sails catch the wind on one side only. They are highly suited for sailing downwind on the open sea, but are clumsy and inefficient when sailing into the wind.

Fore-and-aft rigged sails are asymmetrical and set behind the mast on booms. They can be swung from one side to the other, depending on the wind. Thus fore-and-aft sails can work the wind on both sides of the canvas.

The Royal Clipper at Piran by Hvala Brane B. Vrankar and a scheme (x) (x)

Square- rigged

Square-rigged ships have predominantly rectangular sails set symmetrically across the masts. Square-rigged sails catch the wind on one side only. They are highly suited for sailing downwind on the open sea but are clumsy and inefficient when sailing into the wind. Fortunately, all the navigable oceans have predictable patterns of air circulation – huge gyres which rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and the opposite in the southern.

The gaff-rigged schooner Effie M. Morressey, 1894 and a scheme (x) (x)

Fore-and-Aft- rigged