BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS.
To bend a course. To send up a topsail by the halyards--by the
bunt-lines. To bend a topgallant sail--a royal--a jib--a spanker--a
spencer. To unbend a course--a topsail--a topgallant sail or royal--a
jib. To send down a topsail or course in a gale of wind. To bend a
topsail in a gale of wind. To bend one topsail or course, and send down
the other at the same time.
TO BEND A COURSE.--Stretch the sail across the deck, forward of the
mast and under the yard; being careful to have the after part of the
sail aft. Seize the clew-garnet blocks to the clews; also the tack and
sheet blocks, unless they go with hooks or clasps. Reeve the buntlines
through the thimbles of the first reef-band forward, if they are made
to go so, and toggle their ends to the foot of the sail, or carry them
through the eyelet-holes and clinch them to their own parts. Reeve the
clew-garnets and leechlines; carry the bights of the buntlines under
the sail, and rack them to their own parts; stop the head of the sail
to the buntlines below the rackings; put robands to each eyelet-hole in
the head of the sail; fasten the head and reef earings to their
cringles, reeving the end of the reef-earings through the head-cringle
and taking a bowline with them to their standing parts, and hitching
the head-earings to the buntlines. Sway away on the buntlines,
leechlines and clew-garnets; when the sail is up, pass the
head-earings, reeving _aft_ through the straps on the yard, and
_forward_ through the head cringle. Haul out on the earings, making the
sail square by the glut, and pass the earings round the yard, over and
under, through the head-cringle at each turn, and make the end fast
around the first turns. If the sail is new, ride down the head rope on
the yard, and freshen the earings. Make fast the head of the sail to
the jack-stay by robands, and cast the stops off the buntlines.
TO BEND A TOPSAIL.--Make fast the head and reef-earings to their
cringles, passing the end of each reef-earing through the cringle above
its own and making it fast by a bowline to its own part. Put robands to
each eyelet-hole in the head. If the sail is to be sent up by the
topsail halyards, lay it on deck abaft the foot of the mast, make it up
with its head and foot together, having the head and first reef
cringles together and out, and also the bowline cringle and the clews
out. Bight the sail in three parts on a pair of slings, having the end
of the sail that belongs on the opposite yard-arm on top. Have the
fly-block of the topsail halyards above the top, and rack the runner to
the topmast backstay or after shroud. Hook the lower block to the
slings around the sail, hoist the sail up into the top, cast off the
slings, unhook the halyards, and pass the upper end of the sail round
forward of the mast, ready for bending. (If the vessel is rolling or
pitching, with a stiff breeze, the sail may be guyed and steadied as it
goes up, by hooking a snatch-block, moused, to the slings around the
sail, passing the hauling part of the halyards through it, and through
another snatch-block on deck.) Get the clewlines, buntlines, sheets,
bowlines, and reef-tackles ready for bending, the clove hooks of the
sheets being stopped to the topmast rigging. Hook or clasp the sheets
to the clews, reeve the clewlines and reef-tackles, toggle the
bowlines, clinch or toggle the buntlines to the foot of the sail, and
stop the head to the buntlines. Hoist on the buntlines and haul out on
the reef-tackles, bringing the sail to the yard, and then pass the
head-earings and make fast the robands as for a course. If the sail is
to be sent up by the buntlines, lay the sail on the deck and forward of
the mast, overhaul the buntlines down forward of the yard, on each side
of the topmast stay and on the same side of the lower stay. Clinch the
ends to the foot of the sail, bight them around under the sail and rack
the bights to their standing parts, and stop the head of the sail to
the standing parts below the rackings. Bend one bowline to the centre
of the sail, to guy it in going aloft. Have the earings bent and
secured as before described, and the bights of the head-earings hitched
to the buntlines. Sway it up to the top, and haul the ends in on each
side of the mast; reeve the clewlines and reef-tackles, make fast the
bowlines and sheets, the ends of which, if chain, should be racked to
the topmast rigging, ready to be made fast to the clews. The gear being
bent, hoist on the buntlines, haul out on the reef-tackles, pass the
head-earings, cut the stops of the buntlines, and make fast the
robands. Middle the sail on the yard by the glut, or by the centre
cringle.
TO BEND TOPGALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS.--These are generally bent to their
yards on deck; the royals always. After being bent to the yard, they
are furled, with their clews out, ready for sending aloft. If the
topgallant sail is to be bent aloft, send it up to the topmast
cross-trees by the clewlines, or by the royal halyards; and there bend
on the sheets, clewlines, buntlines and bowlines, and bring the sail to
the yard as with a topsail.
TO BEND A JIB.--Bend the jib halyards round the body of the sail, and
the downhaul to the tack. Haul out on the downhaul, hoisting and
lowering on the halyards. Seize the tack to the boom, the hanks to the
luff of the sail, and the halyards to its head. Reeve the downhaul up
through the hanks and make it fast to the head of the sail. Seize the
middle of the sheet-pennant to the clew.
In some vessels the hanks are first seized to the sail, and the
jib-stay unrove, brought in-board, and passed down through the hanks,
as the sail is sent out, rove in its place and set up. This is more
troublesome, and wears out the jib-stay.
TO BEND A SPANKER.--Lower the gaff, and reeve the throat-rope through
the hole in the gaff under the jaws, and secure it. Sometimes the head
of the luff fits with a hook. Then haul out the head of the sail by the
peak-earing, which is passed like the head-earing of a topsail. When
the head-rope is taut, pass the lacings through the eyelet-holes, and
round the jack-stay. Seize the bights of the throat and peak brails to
the leech, at distances from the peak which will admit of the sail's
being brailed up taut along the gaff, and reeve them through their
blocks on the gaff, and at the jaws, on each side of the sail. The foot
brail is seized to the leech just above the clew. Seize the luff of the
sail to the hoops or hanks around the spanker mast, beginning with the
upper hoop and hoisting the gaff as they are secured. The tack is
hooked or seized to the boom or to the mast. Hook on the outhaul
tackle. This is usually fitted with an eye round the boom, rove through
a single block at the clew, and then through a sheave-hole in the boom.
Some spankers are bent with a peak outhaul; the head traversing on the
jack-stay of the gaff.
THE FORE AND MAIN SPENCERS are bent like the spanker, except that they
have no boom, the clew being hauled aft by a sheet, which is generally
a gun-tackle purchase, hooked to an eye-bolt in the deck.
TO UNBEND A COURSE.--Haul it up, cast off the robands, and make the
buntlines fast round the sail. Ease the earings off together, and lower
away by the buntlines and clew-garnets. At sea, the lee earing is cast
off first, rousing in the lee body of the sail, and securing it by the
earing to the buntlines.
TO UNBEND A TOPSAIL.--Clew it up, cast off the robands, secure the
buntlines round the sail, unhook the sheets, and unreeve the clewlines
and reef-tackles; ease off the earings, and lower by the buntlines.
A _top gallant sail_ is unbent in the same manner, and sent down by the
buntlines. A _royal_ is usually sent down with the yard.
TO UNBEND A JIB.--Haul it down, cast off the hank seizings and the
tack-lashing, cast off and unreeve the downhaul and make it fast round
the sail, and cast off the sheet-pennant lashings. Haul aboard by the
downhaul, hoisting clear by the halyards.
The rules above given are for a vessel in port, with squared yards. If
you are at sea and it is blowing fresh, and the topsail or course is
reefed, to send it down, you must cast off a few robands and
reef-points, and pass good stops around the sail; then secure the
buntlines also around it, and cast off all the robands, reef-points and
reef-earings. Bend a line to the lee head-earing and let it go, haul
the sail well up to windward, and make fast the lee earing to the
buntlines. Get a hauling line to the deck, forward; ease off the
weather earing, and lower away.
To bend a new topsail in a gale of wind, it has been found convenient
to make the sail up with the reef-bands together, the points all being
out fair, to pass several good stops round the sail, and send up as
before. This will present less surface to the wind. One course may be
sent up as the other goes down, by unbending the buntlines from the
foot of the old sail, passing them down between the head of the sail
and the yard, bending them to the foot of the new sail, and making the
new sail up to be sent aloft by them, as before directed. Run the new
sail up to the yard abaft the old one, and send the old one down by the
leechlines and the head-earings, bent to the topmast studdingsail
halyards, or some other convenient rope.
One topsail may be sent up by the topsail halyards, got ready for
bending, and brought to the yard, while the old one is sent down by the
buntlines.
[Illustration: PLATE V.]