What is an Old Gaffer?
development is the “fore and aft” rig, where sails run the length of the boat rather than across. These boats can sail closer to the wind than a “square rigger”. There are numerous examples of this rig with all sorts of variations. The Thames barge is fore and aft rigged but its mainsail is a spritsail, as is the sail of the little Optimist dinghy in which thousands of youngsters have learned to sail. There is also the lugsail which was very popular with fishing vessels before being supplanted by steam. Although a powerful rig, it is rarely seen in the Solent, with the exception of the little Scows, which are to be seen nipping about locally. Since the times of King Charles I, yachts and many fishing boats favoured the gaff rig, where the mainsail has a spar at the top (the gaff, hence gaffer), and at the bottom, (the boom).
