When we speak of a vessel's rigging we mean everything that supports
the spars and is employed in setting and trimming the sails. Rigging
is divided into two classes--standing and running. The first is the
portion that remains stationary, and whose office is to hold and
strengthen the spars. The second is rove through blocks and moves; its
office is to hoist, lower and trim the sails.
Rigging has been much simplified of late years owing to the use of
better proportioned fittings and stronger materials. The use of wire
rope in place of hemp has reduced the size and weight of standing
rigging, and what is of more importance, given a stable factor.
In the old days when hemp was used, the shrouds and stays had to
be constantly watched, as they varied in length every time there
was a large change in the atmosphere. This was a frequent cause of
dismasting. A vessel before leaving port would have her rigging set up
in dry, cold weather; going to sea she would run into a warm region and
everything would slack up. As it is now, the expansion and contraction
of wire rigging is so small that a few turns of a screw will take it
up or give it back. The only danger from wire is in setting it up too
taut when at its full stretch, but this, in such length as go to make
the shrouds of a yacht, is little to be feared. But the funnel guys of
steam-yachts should be frequently looked to, as the expansion of the
iron is liable to pull out the deck eye-bolts.
I am not going to tell you how to rig a yacht, because you can learn
that better and quicker by doing as the Yankee did who wanted to learn
how to make clocks--took one apart and put it together again. Just
strip a yacht, then re-rig her, and you will be in a fair way to learn
all about it. What I am going to do, is to point out to you a few
things in regard to rigging that may aid you in taking better care of
what you have, and in making more secure and simple its use.
The one axiom of the business is this, and I want you to engrave it on
your memory, for the violation of its truth is the cause of nine out
of ten breakdowns: The weakest part of any shroud, stay or tackle is
its strongest part. If you take two pieces of chain capable of lifting
a ton, and join them with a piece of rope capable of lifting five
hundred pounds, your combination is only as strong as the rope, and
will only lift the smaller weight. This is why shrouds so frequently
give way; the wire rope is strong enough, the splice is firm, but the
rigging-screw is only capable of bearing half the strain of those
parts. Same with halliards; the tackle will lift a ton, the pin in the
block or shackle not five hundred pounds. All parts of any tackle must
be proportionately strong.
The most unreliable portion of a yacht's rigging is the ironwork. In
the first place, much of it is badly proportioned, and in the second
place it is too light. There is no sense in making ironwork so light
as is frequently done. The amount of weight saved, especially in those
parts attached to the hull, is of no importance. Another source of
weakness, especially in chain plates, is in making the straps too
short; not giving room for the fastenings. Chain plates should be
carried right down and be secured to the frame.
The kingpin of the whole structure erected above the deck of a yacht
is the bobstay. If that goes you are liable to lose everything, and
it does go frequently. The principal cause of its parting is the over
setting up of the headstays. Sometimes the bobstay itself is set up too
taut, at other times the jib stay is strained. One way or another the
spring of a spar is brought on it, and the vessel, getting into a head
sea, begins to pitch; this causes a back-lashing and away goes a bolt
or a plate.
Not long ago we were trying to insure a yacht that was to go South.
The underwriters refused the risk on the ground that the yacht would
get dismasted, and be obliged to put back or be lost altogether.
At the same time they willingly took a risk on two small topsail
schooners bound to the West Indies. We all sailed within four days. The
yacht went through all right, but both the schooners lost their fore
topmasts, bowsprits, jib booms and other headgear, and had to return to
New York for a refit. They ran into a high head sea, and the foremast,
being set up on the bowsprit, the bobstay parted under the strain and
away everything went.
I have seen a small racing boat with a bronze rod of 3/8 inch diameter
for a bobstay, and this secured to the stem with two one-inch screws.
You cannot make your bobstay too strong or fasten it too securely. It
was formerly a custom to fit two bobstays, a regular one and a smaller
one, called a preventer. This latter was set up slack of the heavier
one. For many reasons this was a poor practice, it being far better to
put the strength of the two in one. In another chapter I have told you
how to rig a tackle preventer for use when going to sea.
Bowsprit shrouds should be made heavy, and carried as far aft as
possible to get a spread. Care should be taken to set them up evenly.
Foot ropes under a bowsprit are unsightly, and are not needed unless
the spar is long. If your jib stay is carried through the spar and made
fast to the stem, it should render freely in the bee hole. Unless it
does it is liable to strain the spar. I nearly lost a mast once by the
jib stay sawing into the wood and sticking. It parted in a sea-way, and
the shock broke the bobstay shackle. Every cruising boat should have
two shrouds to a side. On pole-mast boats one of these should run to
the hounds and the other to the masthead. Don't set them up to bands;
eye-splice and put them over the spar. You never can trust the eye in
a band. The rigging screws should be just twice as heavy as what the
average man will tell you to use. The screw is the weak part. Cutting
the thread destroys the strength of the metal. The extra weight is
nothing to speak of; the extra strength is everything. Although they
are more trouble to care for I prefer lanyards.
Always keep your shrouds set up bar-taut; the old notion that a mast
should have play is a fallacy. The stiffer your spar the better it
will carry sail. In our modern boats a mast should be kept plumb. From
what I have seen all boats sail better with their masts plumb. Another
thing, don't cut your sheer-poles too short; they are so cut on half
the boats I have seen; the consequence is they are always working loose.
On many yachts the rope used in the running rigging is too small. It
may be plenty strong enough, but a man gets tired of picking up and
pulling on shoestrings. This is a frequent fault with main-sheets;
another is not having enough parts. A sheet tackle should be powerful
enough to give one man control of the sail at any time. Weak travelers
is another defect. This should be doubly strong, as it is frequently
used to tow or make fast to. Every boat should have a strong ringbolt
on each side in the quarters for boom lashings, etc.
There are plenty of good blocks and plenty of bad ones. The modern
metal blocks are good, but should be of a big passage, as the gear
when wet is apt to jam in them. This is a fault with all blocks having
small sheaves. The weak part of a block is either the pin or the
shackle.
On small boats a single topping lift is all that is needed, but on
yawls and ketches, where the main boom is inboard and short, two lifts
are better. Boats with heavy spars should have a jig fitted to the
lift. Lazy jacks are useful on cruising boats, especially if you are
sailing short handed, but they are a nuisance when reefing. The ends
should be made fast in such a way as to allow of their being slacked
up, but not so as to permit of their getting adrift. I have got into
trouble several times through the lazy jacks getting adrift. The
ends blew across the peak halliards, and fouled them in such way as
to prevent the sail from coming down. If this happens at night when
reefing you are liable to be in a fix. I may as well say here that the
ends of all running gear should be made fast.
If you have a pin-rail this is easily done. Take out the pin and slip
the socket through the rope between the strands, shove it on the collar
of the projection and put the pin back. If your halliards are belayed
to cleats, marl them to the cleat. At night or in a blow the crew will
let go one halliard to pick up another, and away goes the end flying
out. If it is dark it can't be found, as more than likely it is wrapped
round a shroud or lift, or is flying out from aloft like a pennant.
I have had some anxious times hunting the ends of gear of a dark,
windy night. When sailing in the dark or in bad weather make the end
of your mainsheet fast; always keep a knot in it. Jib's sheet should
be endless, running right round the cockpit. Then you can always find
them, and the end won't wash overboard.
It is the custom now to put bridles or spans on gaffs and booms in
order to distribute the strain. They are good things if used in
moderation, but it is extremely foolish to put a rig of this kind on a
twenty-footer carried out in the lavish fashion of a cup defender. I
have seen little boats knocking about with spans on the boom that would
pretty nearly have held the Columbia's spar. Some of our designers have
an especial fad for loading down boats with all kinds of gear, and seem
to glory in bridling everything that offers the least excuse for such
fittings. The first thing that a good racing man has to do when he
gets one of these boats is to strip off about half the stuff and change
leads all round.
Complicated running rigging is a nuisance; it cannot be too simple so
long as it is effective. The less strings you have to pull the quicker
you can work. This is just as true on a cruiser as it is on a racer.
A lot of line is also a nuisance round the decks; a clear deck is a
sailor's blessing.
One of the things I have helped to simplify is the gear on spinnakers.
Long ago I pointed out that this sail could be used on small boats
without outhauls and lifts, and that without them the sail was easier
set and easier taken in. This method of handling that sail has since
been practiced on the majority of our racing craft. Half the spinnaker
poles are too heavy for their length, and the sails too big to be
effective in anything but extremely light weather. All gear belonging
to the pole should be snap-hooked, so that it can be attached or
detached at once.
Snap-hooks and sister-hooks are excellent contrivances, but beware of
them. They have a trick of giving out just at the wrong time, and are
to blame for many a lost spar. They should be extra large and strong
if they are to be subjected to heavy and continued strains.
All gear, especially the iron work, should be constantly examined, not
only when at anchor, but while under way. Many men never look at their
boat's gear from the time she is put overboard until she is hauled out.
Here is a case that fell under my notice: A boat was being stripped
for hauling out, when we noticed that her mast was shaky; on examining
the step it was found that the heel of the spar was just in it and no
more, allowing the mast to play. Taking her under the shears, we raised
the spar, and found lying in the step a cold chisel that prevented the
heel from dropping home. This boat had been sailed about all summer,
and the owner admitted that he noticed something was wrong with the
mast, but that he had never examined the step. Another time I was on a
cutter that carried away her mast-head. When we examined the break it
was found that the stick was completely rotted through. The damage was
caused by hollowing of the wood above the upper band, which allowed the
rain water to stand and soak into the grain.
If I have a boat in charge I make it a duty to go aloft at least once
a week when she is under way and take a careful survey of all the
ironwork, blocks and splices. I also examine the bowsprit rigging
thoroughly. The ironwork should be sounded with a hammer or heavy knife
blade, just as railroad men sound carwheels. Blocks should be looked
to and kept well oiled. Turnbuckles should also be kept oiled, and if
you are out in much rough water they should be covered with a false
parceling of painted canvas. If this is done they won't freeze, and
when you want to tauten or slack the rigging you will be able to do so
without using a lot of kerosene and hard twisting.
On cruising boats with outboard booms reef-pendants for the two lower
reefs are generally kept rove, but they are much of a nuisance. This
can be obviated in a measure by having them in two lengths, keeping one
part in the sail and the other in the locker when not in use. If the
sail is heavy a small tackle is handy. Such a tackle should be carried
on all boats; it saves a lot of hard labor, especially if you take
ground and have to haul off.
[Illustration: AUXILIARY CRUISER FOR SOUTHERN WATERS]
_ON STRANDING_
_Borne o'er a latent reef the hull impends,
And thundering on a marble crag descends;
Her ponderous bulk the dire concussion feels,
And o'er upheaving surges wounded reels--
Again she plunges! hark! a second shock
Bilges the splitting vessel on the rock._
--FALCONER