The fore and aft rigged sail is the second most popular style of rigging a sailing ship. The sail is attached so it runs parallel to the keel and is mounted perpendicular to it as well. When mare than mast is used they are placed in line with one another, but this does not have to be the case. Fore and aft rigging is said to be mainly a British term.

There are several different styles of sails associated with this type of rigging. These include staysails, Bermuda rigged sails, gaff rigged sails, gunter rig, lateen sails, lugsails and the spanker sail on a square rig. AS mentioned before a square rigged ship will use one or more fore and aft rigged sails.

The types of ships associated with fore and aft rigging include, catboats, sloops, ketches, cutters, and schooners. All of these types are known for another attribute, speed. Fore and aft rigging makes for a better sail arrangement for utilizing wind in propulsion.

Alright now that we know the difference in the overall rigging of a ship, we shall go deeper into the specific areas.