Chapter III: 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.