FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING.
Fore braces. Main braces. Cross-jack braces. Fore, main, and mizzen
topsail braces. Fore, main, and mizzen topgallant and royal braces.
Trusses. Topsail tyes and halyards. Topgallant and royal halyards. Peak
and throat halyards. Spanker brails. Fore and main tacks and sheets.
Topsail, topgallant and royal sheets and clewlines. Reef-tackles.
Clew-garnets. Fore and main buntlines, leechlines, and slablines.
Topsail clewlines and buntlines. Bowlines.
To reeve a brace, begin on deck, and reeve to where the standing part
is made fast. The _fore braces_ reeve _up_ through a block on the
mainmast just below the rigging, _down_ or _in_ through the brace-block
on the yard or at the end of the pennant, and the standing part is
brought through the cheeks of the mast with a knot inside. The neatest
way for reeving the _main brace_ is _out_ through a single block on the
brace-bumpkin, _out_ through the brace-pennant-block, _in_ through an
outer block on the bumpkin, and seized to the strap of the pennant.
Another way is _out_ through the bumpkin block, _out_ or _down_ through
the pennant block, and secure the end to the bumpkin or to the
fashion-piece below.
The _cross-jack braces_ reeve _up_ through blocks on the after shroud
of the main rigging, _up_ through blocks on the yard, one third of the
way in from the yard-arm, and are seized to a bolt in the mainmast, or
to the after shroud again.
The _fore topsail braces_ reeve _up_ through the blocks secured to the
bibbs at the mainmast-head, _in_ through the span-block at the collar
of the main stay, _up_ through the block on the yard, and are seized to
the main topmast-head; or else _up_ through a block at the
topmast-head, down through the brace-block on the yard, and are seized
to the collar of the main stay. The last way is the best. The _main
topsail braces_ are rove through span-blocks at the mizzen-mast, below
the top, _up_ through the blocks on the yard, and are seized to the
mizzen topmast-head; or else _up_ through a block at the
mizzen-mast-head, _down_ through the block on the yard, and secured to
the mizzen-mast. The first way is the best. The _mizzen topsail braces_
reeve _up_ through the leading blocks or fair-leaders on the main
rigging, _up_ through blocks at the mainmast-head, or at the after part
of the top, _up_ through the yard blocks, and are seized to the cap.
The _fore_ and _main topgallant braces_ are rove _up_ through blocks
under the topmast cross-trees, _in_ through span-blocks on the topmast
stays, just below their collars, _up_ through the blocks on the yards,
and the main are usually seized to the head of the mizzen topgallant
mast, and the fore to the topmast stay, by the span-block. The _mizzen
topgallant braces_ generally go single, through a block at the after
part of the main top-mast cross-trees. The _royal braces_ go single:
the _fore_, through a block at the main topgallant mast-head; the
_main_, through one at the mizzen topgallant mast-head; and the
_mizzen_, through a block at the after part of the main topmast
cross-trees.
HALYARDS.--The _lower yards_ are now hung by patent iron trusses, which
allow the yard to be moved in any direction; topped up or braced. The
_topsail yards_ have chain tyes, which are hooked to the slings of the
yard, and rove through the sheave-hole at the mast-head. The other end
of the tye hooks to a block. Through this block a chain runner leads,
with its standing part hooked to an eye-bolt in the trestle-tree, and
with the upper halyard-block hooked to its other end. The halyards
should be a luff purchase, the fly-block being the double block, and
the single block being hooked in the channels. Sometimes they are a
gun-tackle purchase, with two large single blocks. The lower block of
the mizzen topsail halyards is usually in the mizzen-top, the fall
coming down on deck.
The _fore_ and _mizzen topsail halyards_ come down to port, and the
main to the starboard. The _topgallant halyards_ come down on opposite
sides from the topsail halyards; though the fore and main usually come
down by the side of the masts. The fore and main topgallant halyards
sometimes hoist with a gun-tackle purchase, but the mizzen and all the
royal halyards are single.
The _throat and peak halyards_ of the spanker are fitted in the
following manner. The outer peak halyard block is put on the gaff, one
third of its length from the outer end, or a very little, if any,
within the leech of the sail; and the inner one, two thirds in. The
blocks are fitted round the gaff with grommet straps, and are kept in
their places by cleats. The double block of the peak halyards is
strapped to the bolt in the after part of the mizzen cap, and the
halyards are rove _up_ through this, _in_ through the blocks on the
gaff, the inner one first, the standing part made fast to the double
block, and the fall coming on deck. The upper block of the throat
halyards is secured under the cap, and the lower block is hooked to an
eye-bolt on the jaws of the gaff. This is a two-fold tackle.
THE SPANKER BRAILS.--The _peak brails_ reeve through single blocks on
the gaff, two on each side, generally span-blocks, and then through the
throat brail blocks, as leaders, to the deck. The _throat brails_ reeve
through two triple blocks strapped to eye-bolts under the jaws of the
gaff, one on each side, through the two other sheaves of which the peak
brails lead. Each brail is a single rope, middled at the leech of the
sail.
TACKS, SHEETS, CLEWLINES, &C.--It is much more convenient to have the
tack and sheet blocks of the courses fastened to the clews of the
courses by hooks. Then they can be unhooked when the sail is furled,
and, in light weather, a single rope with a hook, called a _lazy
sheet_, can be used, instead of the heavy tacks and sheets with their
blocks. This is also much more convenient in clewing up. The _main
tack_ is rove _aft_ through the block in the waterways, _forward_
through the block on the sail, and the standing part hooks to the block
on deck. The _fore tack_ goes through a block on the bumpkin. The
_sheets_ of the courses have the after block hooked to an eye-bolt in
the side, abaft the channels, and the forward one hooked to the clew of
the sail, the running part reeving through a sheave-hole in the rail.
The sheets of all the square sails but the courses run from the clew of
the sail, through sheave-holes in the yard-arms, through the quarter
blocks, down on deck. The _topsail sheets_ are chain, are clasped to
the clews of the sail, and are fitted with a gun-tackle purchase at the
foot of the mast. The _topgallant_ and _royal sheets_ are single. The
_topsail_ and _topgallant clewlines_ reeve through the quarter-blocks.
The _royal clewlines_ are single, and the topsail and topgallant are a
gun-tackle purchase.
The _reef-tackles_ of the topsails reeve _up_ through blocks on the
lower rigging, or futtock shrouds, _down_ through the block on the
yard, down the leech of the sail and through the block on the leech,
and are made fast to the yard on their own parts, with a clinch,
outside of everything.
The _clew-garnets_ reeve _out_ through blocks under the quarters of the
yard, then _up_ through blocks at the clew, and the standing part is
made fast to the yard, to the block, or to a strap. The _buntlines_ of
the courses reeve through double or triple blocks under the forward
part of the top, down forward of the sail, sometimes through thimbles
in the first reef-band, and are clinched to the foot of the sail. The
_leechlines_ reeve through single blocks on the yard, and are clinched
to the leech of the sail. The _slabline_ is a small rope rove through a
block under the slings of the yard, and clinched to the foot of the
sail. This is not much used in merchant vessels. The _topsail
clewlines_ lead like the clew-garnets of the courses. The _topsail
buntlines_ reeve forward through single blocks at the topmast-head,
down through the thimbles of a lizard seized to the tye, just above the
yard, and are clinched to the foot of the sail. The handiest way of
reeving the _main bowline_ is to have a single rope with the standing
part hooked near the foremast, and reeve it _out_ through a heart in
the bridle. This will answer for both sides. The _fore bowline_ may be
rove through a single block at the heel of the jib-boom and hooked to
the bridle. The bowlines to the other sails are toggled to the bridles
and lead forward. Many vessels now dispense with all the bowlines
except to the courses. This saves trouble, makes a ship look neater,
and, if the sails are well cut, they will set taut enough in the leach,
without bowlines.