Yawl Yawl A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast). Compared to a similar sized ketch, a yawl's mizzen mast is set further aft and its mizzen sail is smaller. Historically, the yawl was a commercial working vessel, but today, the yawl is a fore-and-aft rigged pleasure yacht. In Europe yawls are much less common than the more popular ketch. The yawl was originally developed as a rowboat with two small masts to assist the oarsmen. (When adding a sailing rig to a rowboat, the masts must not interfere with the rowers;
Ketch set on a ketch. The "Scarlet Queen" was a 78-foot ketch with a white hull, teak decking, brass bright-work, and sporting the "Scarlet Queen" herself, on the bowsprit, naked as the day she was born, "a fresh, young body... looking forward, ... bold, teasing... dressed in only a crown, and painted brilliant red." A William Garden–designed Formosa 51 ketch named "Wanderer" was the main setting in the 1992 film "Captain Ron". Three Formosa 51s were used in filming. A Formosa 51 ketch named "Viking Spirit" was used in the 2004 romantic comedy "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler and Drew