The gaff is the pole, or spar, for spreading the top, or head, of the sail ([Fig. 125]).
The sail is a big canvas kite, of which the boom, gaff, and masts are the kite-sticks. You must not understand by this that the sail goes soaring up in the air, for the weight of the hull prevents that; but if you make fast a large kite to the mast of a boat it would be a sail, and if you had a line long and strong enough, and should fasten any spread sail to it, there can be no doubt that the sail would fly.
The spars are the masts, bowsprit, yards, and gaffs.
The bowsprit is the stick, or sprit, projecting from the bow of the boat ([Fig. 161], Sloop).
The foremast is the mast next to the bow—the forward mast ([Fig. 159], Ship).
The mainmast is the second mast—the mast next to the foremast.
Mizzen-mast is the mast next to and back of the mainmast ([Fig. 159], Ship).
