Skip to content
topsail
EntityQ1452598· pop 13· linked from 286 articles

thumb A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail. On square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, topsail is referenced by 286 other articles, and connects out to mast, Parts of a sail and gaff.

It is catalogued under the topic Sailing rigs and rigging.

Its subject is documented across 13 Wikipedia language editions.

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
sail
Image
Krusenstern topsails.jpg
Show 1 more fact
Commons category
Sails
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Square rig
  • Gaff rig
  • Other fore-and-aft topsails
  • Other uses
  • Roman navigation
  • References

thumb A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail. On square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.

== Square rig == right|thumb|USS Constitution|USS Constitution sailing under (bow to stern) [[jibs, topsails, and spanker.]] On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried, on any mast (i.e., a fully rigged ship would have a foremast topsail, a mainmast topsail, and a mizzen topsail). A full rigged ship will have either single or double (i.e., "split" upper and lower) topsails on all masts, the single or lower topsail being the second sail above the deck and the upper topsail where so rigged being the third.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “topsail” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)

Connections

Categories