Polacca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the sailing vessel. For the Polish dance, see polonaise.
A polacca is a type of seventeenth-century sailing vessel, similar to the xebec. The polacca was frequently seen in the Mediterranean. It sports three single-pole masts, often with a lateen hoisted on the foremast (which is slanted forward to accommodate the large lateen yard) and a gaff or lateen on the mizzen mast. The mainmast is square rigged, after the European style.
Some polacca pictures show what appears to be a ship-rigged vessel (sometimes with a lateen on the mizzen) with a galley-like hull and single-pole masts. Thus, the term "polacca" seems to refer primarily to the masting and possibly the hull type as opposed to the type of rig used for the sails.
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|---|---|
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