To place the yacht of Holland in true relation to the vessels of her time, the portrait of a Dutch trading-craft, not constructed especially for speed, is here given. It is called a Damlooper, the type existing to the present day.
At this period, the yachts of Holland, whose portraits are reproduced, with the exception of the ship, are all of the Sloepe rig, from which is derived the English word, sloop, together with the American sloop and British cutter-rig. This subject is one of interest to yachtsmen, hence we will trace the evolution of these rigs under the different conditions and requirements which existed in America and England. For the present we will take up the rig as it first appeared in Holland.
The sloop was originally a boat carried by a vessel. An illustration of one of them is here given. By degrees, sloops were built larger, until the sloop became a sea-going vessel of considerable tonnage.
The Dictionaire de Marine, published in 1702, and previously referred to, gives the following description of the various kinds of sloops then in use:
"Sloop: This is a sea-going vessel, used for the service of and communication between large ships; it also is used to make short trips to sea; although some of them make long trips, and even ocean voyages. Every sloop, used for the service of large ships, has a crew of at least six: the officer, who is at the helm, and five oarsmen, one at each oar. Commonly it is a boatswain who is in command."
