A four-sided fore-and-aft sail whose upper edge is attached to a
Yard which extends ahead of the mast. The Dipping lug has no boom, and the yard
has to be ‘dipped’ and passed round the mast when the boat tacks. The Standing lug has a boom whose forward end pivots
at the mast. The Balance lug has a boom which projects forward of the mast but is not
attached to it: the boom is Bowsed down with a lanyard. The Chinese lug has a boom and a number of battens
ex­tending from luff to leech, all of which, like the boom, extended forward of
the mast. These boomed lugsails are not dipped. Some say it’s the best choice for a sailing dinghy: the balance lug
for boats up to ten or eleven feet, the standing lug for anything bigger. It is
the ideal sail for pleasure boating as opposed to formula racing. (See Gunter
lug, and the sketch of the Balance lug, which names the parts of the sail.)