What is "stunsail"

Usage examples of "stunsail".

Her stunsail had been torn to tatters and her front yards and rigging were ruined, pulled apart and blackened to ashes.

Now she heeled slowly broadside in the channel entrance, firmly jammed in the floating gate while her stunsail and mizzen rigging became entangled in the tall mangrove that marked the far side.

The stunsail booms would have to be run out and the stunsails themselves manhandled up from the sail room.

Western Ocean, stunsails set and all canvas to the royals rap full with a brisk Trade wind, the only men visible a couple of men at the wheel, three officers at the quarterdeck rail, and a couple of lookouts aloft.

Now the men were busy cutting away the torn stunsails and halyards and clearing the booms.

Suddenly the head of the Furet's maintopgallant stunsail dropped a few feet and then streamed forward along the starboard side, flogging and twisting like the tail of a kite, and a moment later the rest of the stunsails were cut adrift, canvas and rope threshing in unison.

Her stunsail had been torn to tatters and her front yards and rigging were ruined, pulled apart and blackened to ashes.

At least, he had stunsails and all plain sail set to the topgallants when he had to fight, because the Furet suddenly bore up .

By now the courses had been trimmed, the studdingsails (in effect long strips of canvas to be hoisted up alongside each of the squaresails to make them wider, the tops held out by the stunsail booms, which slid out to form extensions of the yards) had been brought up on deck from the sail room and the special halyards were ready.

Mama mia, with stunsails set and running almost dead before the wind it was hard to see forward.

During the night he had expected the stunsails to carry away at times as occasional but brief gusts came up astern without warning.

Ramage had not set the topgallants or stunsails, but apart from that the Jocasta showed no sign of the assault by the caldereta.