Editing Yawl (section)

== The sailing rig ==
=== Origins ===
Yawl rigs appear to have originated in the early 19th century. Working craft of this type include the later versions of the [[Falmouth Quay Punt]]. [[Dixon Kemp]], an authority on yacht racing, became interested in this local type in 1875. Yachts were rigged as yawls as early as 1814. [[John MacGregor (sportsman)|John MacGregor]] had his 1867-built ''Rob Roy'' designed as a yawl. (MacGregor had a number of boats, all of the same name.) British and European racing yachts were rigged as yawls from the second half of the 1870s, with a resurgence in popularity from 1896, when a change to the handicap rating system gave advantages to yawls. They remained prominent in [[Handicapping|handicap classes]] through the 1920s, with yachts like ''Rendezvous'' (built 1913) measuring {{convert|74|feet|abbr=off}} and setting {{convert|5,500|sqft|abbr=off}} of sail.{{sfn|Leather|1970|pp=202{{en dash}}212}}

=== Rig characteristics ===
[[File:Drascombe Lugger sailboat 3912.jpg|thumb|The Drascombe Lugger is rigged as a yawl with a gunter mainsail and a leg o'mutton mizzen, sheeted to an outrigger.]]
A  yawl is often considered a suitable rig for a short handed or single handed sailor. This is because the mainsail is not quite so big to handle and the [[mizzen]] (before the days of modern [[Self-steering gear|self steering gear]]) could allow the sails to be trimmed to keep a boat on the same course. Also, handing (taking down) the mizzen is a quick and easy way of reducing sail, often thought of as the equivalent of the first reef in a [[Cutter (boat)|cutter]] or [[sloop]]. Less well known are the advantages of setting a mizzen staysail when reaching, which can give a considerable amount of extra drive not available to a single-masted rig. [[Alec Rose]] (single handed circumnavigator) used a mizzen staysail on his yawl ''Lively Lady'' but did not set a mizzen, feeling it was of little value and would interfere with the Hasler self-steering gear.{{sfn|Rye|2017}}{{sfn|Leather|1970|pp=24{{en dash}}25, 155}}

=== Current examples ===
Yawls are currently popular in cruising dinghies. The [[Drascombe Lugger]] is a good example of this type.{{sfn|Barnes|2014|p=38}} With the mizzen sheeted to an outrigger or boomkin and a jib set on a bowsprit, the rig extends a lot horizontally. This allows the sail area to have a lower [[Center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|centre of pressure]] than, for example, a [[Bermuda sloop|Bermudan sloop]]. This gives a lower heeling moment.