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The '''Lateen Sail''' was a triangular sail mounted at an angle to the mast. The [[Europe|Europeans]] used it in the [[Middle Ages]]. It enabled their ships to sail the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
The word '''lateen''' (derived from ''latin'', meaning [[Mediterranean]]) describes a ship rigging that is one of the oldest of all. It is a triangular sail carried on a particularly long “yard” (frequently longer than the vessel itself), historically attached to a well “raked” (slanted”) mast by an easily released slip-knot. The yard (which is constructed somewhat like some archery bows so that the ends are more flexible than the middle) is well angled upward from the leading end, where the sail in some Arab versions can have a short “luff” or leading edge, making it four-sided (called seltee-lateen).
[[Category:Ships]]
It was the rigging of the early [[caravel]]s and many other craft of the Mediterranean. Even when exploration and trade across the oceans necessitated the later development of larger multi-sail square rigged vessels such as the ''[[carrack]]'' and then the ''[[galleon]]'' the lateen on the mizzen (aft-mast]] was almost standard until the development of the [[gaff-rig]]ged “spanker” during the 18th century.
Lateen rigged vessels (''feluccas'' and ''dhows'') still ply the upper [[Nile]] and coastal parts of the Mediterraean and north [[Indian Ocean]]. It is an extremely efficient sail for a small crew, but hazardous in rough weather.
[[Category: Sailing ship types]]