What sail is this?

[Jonathan Stuart]

Hi,

While sailing off Falmouth the other day I saw a lovely 5-sail ketch cutter with a Bermudan main. But it had a sail I haven't seem before and I'm hoping someone can tell me what it was. It was between the main and mizzen. It's head was attached high on the main mast, tack to the base of the mizzen mast and it furled on a roller along its luff, which was parallel with the man's leach. The outhaul was attached the the clew and ran to a block on the mizzen. At first glance I thought it was a mizzen staysail, but it wasn't and was more like the Bermudan equivalent of a gaff's topsail and was very roughly a mirror image of the main (with the line of symmetry being along the main's leach). It made for a very fetching sail plan and a lot of lust from yours truly.  Anyone know the name if this sail?

[Graham W]

I saw a furled one on a vast ketch off Greece.  I think that the furling version is a bit of a speciality of Perini Navi, who call it a 'fisherman'. Image below.

Bunga Bunga Berlusconi has, or had, a Perini ketch (with a fisherman) called 'Morning Glory'.

[Michael Rogers]

We set one on Trinovante, a three-masted gaff-rigged fore-and-aft schooner, cruising off Norway. My recollection is a bit hazy, I think it was between the main and mizen masts instead of hoisting the mainsail. The skipper called it a fisherman. The rig and sailing practice was based on the Portugese fishing fleet which used to go across to the Grand Banks after cod.

I must say it looks very neat with bermudan rig.

[Jonathan Stuart]

Thanks, that's interesting. My daughter took a photo of the boat we saw - see attached. It's not great quality but shows what an elegant sail plan this is. The boat beneath the sails was rather attractive too!

If this storm ever passes then hopefully we'll see her again!

[Tony]

Is it called a mizzen stays'l?
Quite a lot of largish cruising yachts have 'em, set on a roller furler.  I've seen a schooner rigged with all the sails on roller furlers. I'll post a sketch when I get a minute..