### L2044 pros and cons of lateen vs square sails > Lateens, with their long leading edges, allow ships to sail much closer to the wind than square-sailed vessels. This was an obvious advantage for coastal merchant vessels working the light winds of the northeast monsoons close inshore. Lateens are not so efficient when running before the wind, which is why Portuguese caravels often replaced lateens with square sails in the Atlantic, with its trade winds. But the maneuverability of lateen-rigged vessels made them ideal for Indian Ocean traders, who often worked close inshore and in shallow water. The lateen has disadvantages, however. It is a large sail, which requires careful handling when tacking through the wind. The flapping yard and sail can overwhelm the crew as they wrestle with it, a potentially fatal misjudgment when altering course close to shore. Almost invariably, a dhow changes direction by turning in front of the wind rather than tacking through it, which requires laboriously bundling the sail and setting the yard on the other side of the mast. It is also difficult to reduce sail on such a craft. Many dhows used to carry two yards with different sails, the smaller one serving for rougher conditions. - [[Beyond the Blue Horizon by Brian Fagan#L2044 pros and cons of lateen vs square sails|View in Vault]]