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Square rig thoughts
Just off the top of my head, Square rig should cover: Definition (not as easy as one might think), History: so that's early Nile, the Mediterranean square rig, Arab use (probably a better descriptive term for that) prior to their adoption of lateen, Northern waters generally (Viking craft, cogs, need to check what we have before then), introduction of the full rigged ship as Mediterranean and Northern traditions merged, then steadily improving hull and rig types, increasing numbers of sails, until iron and steel rigging components change the nature of square rig to what most people experience on a surviving ship. Historical threads through this are economy in building and maintaining, including crew numbers (so that is at the end of the classical period and, for instance, with the introduction of the Fluyt or as steam took over longstanding sail trading routes (see Great Tea Race of 1866 for something that touches on this). How different versions of square rig work (through history, mostly) Current examples (not sure on this – might be opening up a whole can of worms that would overwhelm the article). High quality sources include       Other sources that may contain useful information:

Origins
Cutter rig appears to have originated in the

Rig characteristics
A yawl is often considered a suitable rig for a short handed or single handed sailor. This is because the mainsail is not quite so big to handle and the mizzen (before the days of modern self steering gear) could allow the sails to be trimmed to keep a boat on the same course. Also, handing (taking down) the mizzen is a quick and easy way of reducing sail, often thought of as the equivalent of the first reef in a cutter or sloop. Less well known are the advantages of setting a mizzen staysail when reaching, which can give a considerable amount of extra drive - which is clearly not available to a single-masted rig. Alec Rose (single handed circumnavigator) used a mizzen staysail on his yawl Lively Lady but did not set a mizzen - he felt it was of little value (and it would interfere with the Hasler self-steering gear).

Current examples
Yawls are currently popular in cruising dinghies. The Drascombe Lugger is a good example of this type. With the mizzen sheeted to an outrigger or boomkin and a jib set on a bowsprit, the rig extends a lot horizontally. This allows the sail area to have a lower centre of pressure than, for example, a Bermudan sloop. This gives a lower heeling moment.



A yawl is a type of boat. In the modern meaning it is defined by its rig: a two-masted sailing craft whose mizzen, or aft-most mast, is usually substantially shorter than the mainmast and is positioned aft of the rudderstock.

Historically, a yawl was a boat defined by its hull type, and generally was an open (or undecked) boat that could be propelled by oars or sail. Its sailing rig could be of any sort. These divided into two sub-types. One was a category of ship's boat, the other was a local type of working boat that was often launched from the beach, rather than being based in a harbour. Examples of these working boats could be found around much of the coast of Britain.

The word "yawl" is derived from the Norwegian yawl or yol, referring to the rowing or sailing boats, which are considered to have a direct link to the Viking heritage of boat construction. It is not known how this name transferred to the sailing rig, but it is suggested that the Salcombe Yawl may be example of a boat to which both meanings applied - so giving the etymological transition.

The sailing rig
A yawl is similar to a ketch; whereas the mizzen mast is forward of the rudder stock in the case of a ketch, it is aft of this point in the yawl rig. Additionally, the mizzen sail tends to be significantly smaller relative to the mainsail for the yawl compared to the ketch. about one quarter the size of the mainsail, compared to the mizzen sail of a ketch, which may be about half the size of the mainsail. A boat with a mizzen sail sized between that of the ketch and the yawl was called a dandy, although this term has fallen out of use. An advantage of the yawl's aft-positioned mizzen mast is that its boom does not swing across the deck.

While the classic looks of the rig is considered attractive, it is less efficient than a ketch, and is rarely seen on modern yachts. In the 1950s and 1960s, yawls were built for yacht racing because of a handicapping loophole where boats were not penalized for having a mizzen sail. The design became popular with single-handed circumnavigators like Francis Chichester and Joshua Slocum because the sail-plan was advantageous sailing downwind and helped keep the boat on course, although the latter function is today better performed by modern autopilot systems.

The hull type
On a warship in the 18th century, the yawl was one of the smaller ship's boats; by the 19th century they were larger, typically 26 ft long and rigged with two masts. With this increase in size, by 1867 a warship's yawl might be rowed by 12 oars. }}

The yawls that operated from Britain's beaches varied in size and, to some extent, design. They are considered to have a direct lineage back to the Viking maritime influence, and this is particularly seen with the yol or yole found in the North of Scotland, which are double ended. All are clinker built.

The largest were the now-extinct Norfolk and Suffolk beach yawls: some were over 50 ft in length. One type of these was used as a pilot boat and was reputed to be the fastest un-decked boat of any kind. The other (but broadly similar) type carried supplies to ships anchored in the Yarmouth Roads and for salvage work. Both were lug rigged, in the early part of the 19th century with three masts and later with two (but setting bigger sails on each). They carried large crews - many being rowed by 10 pairs of oars. Their crews referred to these boats as "yols" despite the English pronunciation "yawl" being used by most other people.