A rig present in Bermuda for centuries
Today, the vast majority of recreational sailboats are equipped with a Bermuda rig. Composed of a triangular mainsail with a strong elongation and, most often, a headsail, it progressively supplanted in Western countries at the beginning of the 20th century the auric and houari rigs, which dominated there with their trapezoidal sails. But this efficient sail plan was known for several centuries in the American archipelago of Bermuda, which gave it its name. Its origins date back to the 1600's, an evolution of the lateen sail rig, whose antenna would have been fixed directly on the deck by eliminating the mast.
Simultaneous development of sailing and radio
But what is the link between the Italian Marconi and the Bermuda archipelago? Nothing! But nevertheless Marconi rigging and Bermuda rigging have become almost synonymous.
Guglielmo Marconi was born on April 25, 1874 in Bologna into a wealthy family. He was fascinated by developments in physics and in 1895 he began experiments on the waves discovered by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz in 1888. As his experiments progressed, he developed wireless communication techniques, filing various patents and achieving the first transatlantic radio transmission on 12 December 1901. This performance allowed him to obtain with Karl Ferdinand Braun the Nobel Prize in 1909. His name and that of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company became famous, associated with the antennas that flourished for radio communication.
At the same time, sailboats and regattas experienced a golden age of innovation, driven by wealthy owners. Rigs became longer and Bermuda mainsails appeared in the yachting world. Because of their lengthening, the mainsails required higher masts than those of their Houari counterparts. In order for them to resist without requiring too large sections, the designers used the same techniques as on land to hold the radio antennas. Guyed spreaders appeared on the boats, recalling the silhouette of the radio towers. This was enough for some to call these "new" Marconi rigs.
If his support to the fascist regime of Mussolini have tarnished his glory, the name of Marconi is now well anchored in the vocabulary of boaters.
