Bermudanrigged

Bermudan rigged describes a vessel fitted with a Bermuda rig, a fore-and-aft sailplan characterized by a triangular mainsail mounted on a single mast with a boom and a jib or genoa on a forestay. The configuration emphasizes upwind efficiency and ease of handling, and is the most common rig on modern sailing craft.

Within the Bermuda rig family, there are masthead and fractional variants. In a masthead Bermuda rig, the forestay attaches to the top of the mast, giving a larger headsail relative to the mainsail. In a fractional Bermuda rig, the forestay attaches at a point below the masthead, allowing more precise mainsail shaping and easier depowering. A cutter rig is a related Bermuda-based setup with two or more headsails on separate stays.

Originating in Bermuda in the 17th or 18th century, the Bermuda rig was gradually adopted across commercial and leisure vessels and became the dominant fore-and-aft rig for many sailboats by the late 19th and 20th centuries. Its combination of lightweight sails, simple rigging, and strong performance on reaches and upwind points of sail contributed to its wide adoption.

Today, Bermudan rigs are standard on most modern sailboats, from small dinghies to large sloops and cruisers. Advances in sail materials, furling systems, and flexible rigging have further enhanced their efficiency and ease of use, maintaining the Bermuda rig as the default choice for many contemporary designs.