[osteoderm]

A friend and client of mine has a natty Tahiti ketch whose rig might bear description in this thread.
The main mast is of his own manufacture; hollow laminated (birdmouth) Douglas Fir, set in a burly galvanized tabernacle on deck. There is no topmast, but he carries a standing yard for a brailing forecourse. No spreaders, no runningbacks. The fore and aft lowers attach at the throat halyard crane. The aft-led uppers attach at the peak halyard/jibstay attachment point. The standing rigging is old-school: spliced galvanized with leathered softeyes over thumbs aloft and hardeyes to galvanized/painted turnbuckles alow.
He has similarly wondered aloud at the prospect of an extended bowsprit and extended polemast/topmast to set a flying jib/jibtop/masthead gennie. However, as it stands, the mast and rigging have seen a few thousand offshore miles in the North Atlantic and Carib without incident or complaint.