Crossword clues for mainsail
mainsail
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Mainsail \Main"sail`\ (m[=a]n"s[=a]l`), n. (Naut.) The principal sail in a ship or other vessel.
[They] hoised up the mainsail to the wind. -- Acts xxvii. 40.
Note: The mainsail of a ship is extended upon a yard attached to the mainmast, and that of a sloop or schooner upon the boom.
Wiktionary
n. (context nautical English) The largest (or only) sail on a sailing vessel.
WordNet
n. the lowermost sail on the mainmast
Wikipedia
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.
On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast.
On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest and often the only sail rigged aft of the main mast, and is controlled along its foot by a spar known as the boom. A sail rigged in this position without a boom is generally called a trysail, and is used in extremely heavy weather.
Traditional fore-and-aft rigs used a four-sided gaff rigged mainsail, sometimes setting a gaff topsail above it.
Usage examples of "mainsail".
There, indeed, was the lugger, under her foresail and mainsail, with the jigger brailed, coming down wing-and-wing, and glancing along the glittering sea like the duck sailing toward her nest.
She uncleated the mainsheet and they both worked on the knots so they could hoist the mainsail.
The Parker Sportster, it seemed, came with an aluminum mast, a mainsail, a jib, a rudder, and a centerboard.
Now the spritsail topsail followed, while to ease her plunging they hauled up the mainsail, giving all the wind to her forecourse: she sailed easier yet, with no slackening in her pace, clearly outrunning the Dutchman, although he had shaken out his foretopsail reef.
A mainsail, topsail, and topgallant sail on each mast, and a spritsail on the bowsprit.
It was black and looked like a Quegan galley, with high fore- and aftercastles, large mainsails, and a hell of a lot of beam.
It was black and looked like a Quegan galley, with high fore and aftercastles, large mainsails, and a hell of a lot of beam.
When it reached the mainsail it climbed out on the crosstree until it reached the end, where it perched.
She had no time to test the forestay before Anthony hoisted the jib and allowed it to flap while he turned the sloop head-to-wind so he could attach the mainsail.
Mr Watt, let the sailmaker and his party get to work on the square mainsail directly, and send the new hands aft one by one.
Cugel dropped the blue silk mainsail from its brails and sheeted home the clews.
But sooner or later the mainsail would go down, more vessels would catch up, and eventually the carracks would get here.
Without more ado, Farrar, calling on me to give him a hand, eased down the halliards and began to close reef the mainsail.
There were no more squalls, naught but fine weather, a fair wind, and a whirling log, with sheets slacked off and with spinnaker and mainsail swaying and bellying on either side.
Descending to the midship deck, Cugel dropped the blue silk mainsail from its brails and sheeted home the clews.