a bermuda rig, also called a marconi rig, is a fore-and-aft rig that uses a triangular mainsail. the sail is usually attached to a boom at its foot. it has a number of variations. due to the physics of the wind, the tall thin sails of the bermudian rigs have more power sailing into the wind than other types. this is why it is such a popular rig with modern sailboats. it was called a marconi rig after the inventor guglielmo marconi because its system of mast stays that looked like the early wireless masts. however, the name bermuda rig was in use two centuries earlier. it came from the late 1600s when european sailors noticed how well the small sloops in bermuda worked.