Ketch facts for kids
Swan 65 ketch flying a spinnaker
A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), generally in a 40-foot or bigger boat. The name ketch is derived from catch. The ketch's main mast is usually stepped in the same position as in a sloop.
The sail-plan of a ketch is similar to that of a yawl, on which the mizzen mast is smaller and set further back. The addition of headsails can make a cutter-ketch. In New England in the 1600s the ketch was a small coastal craft. In the 1700s it disappeared from contemporary records, apparently replaced by the schooner.
Staysails can also be hoisted between the top of the mizzen mast and base of the mainmast to help downwind performance.
See also
In Spanish: Queche para niños
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