Spritsail (square-rigged)

{{Short description|Type of sail}}

{{about|sails carried on the bowsprit|fore-and-aft main sails on smaller vessels|Spritsail}}

Image:De BATAVIA voor de film onderweg als de NIEUW HOORN (03).jpg setting a spritsail (lower right) and a sprit-topsail]]

On large sailing ships a spritsail is a square-rigged sail carried on a yard below the bowsprit.{{Cite book

|title=Ship Modeling Simplified: tips and techniques for model building from kits

|first=Frank |last=Mastini

|year=1990

|publisher=McGraw-Hill

|isbn=0-07-155867-5

|page=63

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ELmjigjyF6QC&pg=PA63

|accessdate=2011-01-14}}{{Cite book

|first=Alexander|last=Jamieson

|title=A Dictionary of Mechanical Science

|volume=II

|year=1829

|publisher=Henry Fisher, Son & Co|location=London

|page=956

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KgmqQgApdq8C&pg=PA956

|accessdate=2011-01-14}}

In some languages (such as German) it is known as a "blind" (German, (eine) Blinde) because it effectively blocks forward vision when set.{{cite web

|author=E. T. Dankwa

|title=The Development of Square-Rigged Ships

|year=1999

|url=http://www.in-arch.net/Sqrigg/carrack.html

|accessdate=2011-01-14}}

Spritsails were commonly used on sailing vessels from the first carracks until about 1800. Until the mid-18th century, most ships also set a sprit-topsail from the short sprit topmast that rose vertically above the fore end of the bowsprit.

The full-rigged ships of the golden age of sail had no spritsails, as the area under the bowsprit was instead occupied by rigging (martingales and dolphin striker) that reinforced the bowsprit and jib-boom against the forces of an increasing number of jibs.