The young sea officer's sheet anchor; or, A key to the leading of rigging, and to practical seamanship - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1853 Excerpt: ...the sheet pendents of the fore stay-sail, having a throat-seizing clapped on both parts, and is made fast to a fore top-mast shroud on each side. The upper tack, when the sail is triced up, is seized to the strap of the thimble or block (a), through which the stay is reeved. The DOWN-HAULER (g) is reeved up through a thimble, or a small block, stepped to the upper tack of the sail, through a few hanks, or a thimble seized to the head-rope, and bent to the peak (h). The SHEETS (d) are middled, bent to the clew as before, and led clear over the middle stay-sail stay (k), belaying to a pin in the fife-rail. When this sail is hauled down, Fig. 342, the halliards are let go, the sheet eased off, and the downhauler is hauled upon, till the peak comes to the thimble or block (e), through which the stay is reeved: the upper tack is then cast off, the stay (f ) eased away, and the down-hauler being again hauled upon, brings the sail and the bight of the stay (f ) into the top, where it is stowed away. Some ships carry no middle stay-sail, but have this sail considerably larger, coming low down the fore top-mast rigging: and the main top-gallant mast is made stouter than is commonly the case. The MIZEN STAY-SAIL, Fig. 343, (if there be no spring-stay) is seized to the hanks on the mizenstay. A strong cloth, or an additional one for a lining, is sewn to the bunt or fore leech. Sometimes a patch (h) is stuck on the middle of the sail, having an eyelet-hole worked in it: through this a short span is reeved, a thimble being spliced in each end; but it is now seldom used. A cringle (i) is worked in the after leech. The HALLIARDS are reeved through a block lashed round the mizen-mast head, or to the mizen tressle-trees, through the block (k) at the peak, and the end is cli...