WordNet
n. a sail set on a yard of a topgallant mast [syn: topgallant]
Wikipedia
On a square rigged sailing vessel, a topgallant sail (topgallant alone pronounced "t'gallant", topgallant sail pronounced "t'garns'l") is the square-rigged sail or sails immediately above the topsail or topsails. It is also known as a gallant or garrant sail.
Later full rigged ships split the topsail (and often the topgallant sail) for easier handling. They thus fly two topsails (and possibly two topgallant sails) per mast. The lower topgallant sail is immediately above the upper topsail. The upper or only topgallant sail is set from the top of the topgallant mast, if there is a lower topgallant it is set from midway down the topgallant mast. A staysail set on a stay running forward and downwards from the top or midpoint of the topgallant mast is called a topgallant staysail.
Usage examples of "topgallant sail".
Then that night, standing in with a fine topgallant sail breeze, we raised Cape Gooseberry and bore away for the signal-station: we landed a couple of miles from it and proceeded across the dunes to take it from behind, for just as I suspected its two twelve-pounders were so placed that they could only fire out to sea or at the most sweep 75 of the shore, if traversed.
Ellison, McCoy, and Williams had run aloft to loose the fore-topgallant sail.
They had to lay aloft, timed by a log-glass, loose and furl a topgallant sail, then traverse and point a great gun, fire a musket at a bottle hanging from the foreyardarm, and tie a crowned double wall-knot before the eyes of a crowd of thorough-going seamen.
He collapsed the telescope and put it into a pocket, then, for the first time, climbed from the maintop up above the main topsail to the crosstrees, a much smaller platform than the maintop, where he perched beneath the main topgallant sail.
It took time to get out a new topgallant sail-Hornblower felt that the stouter the canvas the better-and to set a party to work cutting lengths of line, threading them through, and unravelling them.
It took time to get out a new topgallant sail Hornblower felt that the stouter the canvas the better and to set a party to work cutting lengths of line, threading them through, and unravelling them.
A mainsail, topsail, and topgallant sail on each mast, and a spritsail on the bowsprit.
He heard a shot, perhaps two, and looked up as a ball punched a hole through the main topgallant sail.
The fore topgallant sail was taken in and reset in the brief space while the Diamond was passing.