EdT

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 235 – Fore Topmast Stays
 
There are three forward stays from the topmast head to the bowsprit – the topmast stay proper, the inner jib stay, and the outer jib stay.  The first is the primary structural stay, consisting of a doubled 9" rope looped over the over the shrouds and backstays at the topmast head, then down and under opposite sides of the bowsprit with the ends brought up and seized to the opposite leg.  The two lines are brought together to form a collar below the crosstrees and also at the bottom above the seizings.  The collar is served and leathered and the lower ends are served on both legs up to the seizings.  The first picture shows this stay placed over the masthead after the tissue leathering was glued to it.
 

 
The collar is clamped where it will be seized together and the glue on the leathering was left to dry in this shape.  I used straight PVA white glue for this so when dry the collar will still be flexible.  In the next picture, the two legs of the stay have been passed under the bowsprit, in position for seizing.
 

 
The next picture shows a closer view of the lower area.
 

The two legs do not cross under the bowsprit, so one short leg is seized above the stay and the other below. In the next picture, three seizings have been put on each side and the two legs have been seized together at the top of the served areas.
 

 
Excess seizing thread and stay rope have yet to be trimmed off.  Brushing the seizings and the stay where the ends will be clipped with darkened wood glue will seal the serving and the seizing knots so the excess can be trimmed off.
 
 In the next picture the inner and outer jib stays have been served, leathered and put over the masthead and are clamped where the collars will be seized.
 

 
The leather is simulated on the glued-on tissue strips using acrylic artist's color.  The lower ends of these two stays are shown in the next picture. 
 

 
These each pass through sheaves in the bowsprit, under upper cleats on the martingale and are shackled to eyebolts on the hull – the inner jib stay on the starboard side and the outer on the port side.  After seizing the upper collars, they were pulled taut through the hull shackles and seized.  These stays are served from above the sheaves to their ends at the side.  The inner jib stay attachment is shown in the next picture.
 
 
 The stay is seized to a shackle fabricated with its eyebolt before insertion into the hull. 
 
These last two pictures and the next were taken after installing the fish tackle and some of the jib/staysail running rigging, so some of this appears in the pictures.  Each of these three stays carries a head sail.  This work will be described in later posts.  The last picture shows the ship with all the forward topmast stays rigged.
 
 
 
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 239 – Revisions - Spencer and Headsail Rigging
 
The running rigging described in the last two parts has been revised.  In the case of the spencer gaff the fall of the vang was obstructed by the outer boats on the skid beams.  To correct this, I added lead blocks to the forward topmast backstay and led the fall down to its pin through a fairlead on that stay.  The first picture shows the original configuration on the port side and the revision on the starboard side.
 

 
The revised rig retains the same eyebolt for the standing leg of the vang, which then passes through the block on the shortened pendant, then through the lead block and a fairlead, both on the forward topmast stay.  The fall then belays on the same pin as before.  The next picture shows the starboard lead block and fairlead.
 

 
The old rope coils and belaying were removed as shown in the next picture.
 

 
A cotton swab soaked in isopropanol was laid on the rope for a few minutes to soften the wood glue. The rope was then easily removed.
 
The other revision involved the halyards on the three headsails.  I initially considered three typical configurations for these – no blocks, a single block whip from the deck, and a single block at the head of the sail.  I installed the first, simplest method as described in Part 238.  Shortly after installing these, I thought more about this and was concerned about no mechanical advantage on these rather large sails.  In checking (belatedly) the 1870's photo of the ship in New York, the blocks at the lower ends of the stays are clearly visible.  So, that configuration has now been installed on all three stays.  The foot of the topmast stay is shown in the next picture after revision.

This may be compared with the first photo in Part 238.  The revised lower rigging of the outer jib halyard is shown in the next picture.
 

To avoid re-rigging the downhaulers, the lower blocks were strapped to the shackle in place – a most difficult task, especially with shaky hands. The shackle eye was tied first, then the splice at the base of the block.  The inner jib stay at the left of the picture has not yet been converted. 
 
The upper ends of the stays are shown in the next picture with the standing ends of the halyards tied to the stays.
 

The last picture shows all three halyards converted.
 

So, we are now back on track after a short detour.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging
 
Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.
 

 
In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.
 

 
The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.
 

 
The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.
 

 
The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.
 

 
As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.
 

 
The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.
 

 
Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.
 

 
Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.
 
Ed
 

Although the layout of each ship was different, I gather, there has been some sort of general convention, where what was belayed in order to cope with changing crew compositions.

Thanks, Micheal.  I do feel a lot more comfortable working around these booms with the barriers up.  I actually had to replace one a couple weeks ago.  
 
Absolute familiarity with the locations of all these lines on the various rails was critical to the operation of a ship.  Crew had to be able to pick out the right line quickly, night or day.  Having to trace lines down through fairleads and the tangle of other lines would be a non-starter.  In the pictures you will see many pins along the side rails and fife rails.  When the model is finished, virtually every one of these will have a line attached.  There was a sort of logic to the placement, but no doubt there had to be a lot of memorization.  I guess on a reduced scale, its like me knowing instinctively where to find a certain drill bit or chisel in the many, seemingly dis-organized cubby spaces in my shop.  Its still kind of mind-boggling.
 
Ed

Ed I have seen lanyards rigged with ratlines before and it is not that uncommon. The one thing that got my attention in the photos of the topmast shrouds is that you did not include a stave above the deadeyes as done with the lower shrouds.  Bill Crothers shows the same setup in his plans of YA and must have had a reason for omitting it. I looked at the photo of YA that was taken showing her port side. When I enlarged the picture it kind of looks like the line just above the deadeyes on the foremast top is heavier then the rest of the ratlines. This might indicate that a stave was used, but it is inconclusive. I was under the opinion one would be used to prevent twisting of the lanyards since that is normally what I find with other vessels, but it probably was not always the case. I was just wondering if your sources indicated that was the case.
Regards, 
Scott  

Great production line you have going Ed, the results are up to your usual very high standards.  Once again, many thanks for sharing your techniques; and, the addition of the people barrier is a point well taken
 
cheers
 
Pat

Ed it is funny that you mentioned these, as I was reading through doing a bit of catching up, I kept thinking that it must be an ever present worry catching or snagging something while focused on a small detail.
Stunning work on the running rigging.
It also occurs to me that the seamen on a ship of this nature would likely spend time in one specific area for a while to become very familiar with the lines and functions, at the rails.
 
Michael

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 239 – Revisions - Spencer and Headsail Rigging
 
The running rigging described in the last two parts has been revised.  In the case of the spencer gaff the fall of the vang was obstructed by the outer boats on the skid beams.  To correct this, I added lead blocks to the forward topmast backstay and led the fall down to its pin through a fairlead on that stay.  The first picture shows the original configuration on the port side and the revision on the starboard side.
 

 
The revised rig retains the same eyebolt for the standing leg of the vang, which then passes through the block on the shortened pendant, then through the lead block and a fairlead, both on the forward topmast stay.  The fall then belays on the same pin as before.  The next picture shows the starboard lead block and fairlead.
 

 
The old rope coils and belaying were removed as shown in the next picture.
 

 
A cotton swab soaked in isopropanol was laid on the rope for a few minutes to soften the wood glue. The rope was then easily removed.
 
The other revision involved the halyards on the three headsails.  I initially considered three typical configurations for these – no blocks, a single block whip from the deck, and a single block at the head of the sail.  I installed the first, simplest method as described in Part 238.  Shortly after installing these, I thought more about this and was concerned about no mechanical advantage on these rather large sails.  In checking (belatedly) the 1870's photo of the ship in New York, the blocks at the lower ends of the stays are clearly visible.  So, that configuration has now been installed on all three stays.  The foot of the topmast stay is shown in the next picture after revision.

This may be compared with the first photo in Part 238.  The revised lower rigging of the outer jib halyard is shown in the next picture.
 

To avoid re-rigging the downhaulers, the lower blocks were strapped to the shackle in place – a most difficult task, especially with shaky hands. The shackle eye was tied first, then the splice at the base of the block.  The inner jib stay at the left of the picture has not yet been converted. 
 
The upper ends of the stays are shown in the next picture with the standing ends of the halyards tied to the stays.
 

The last picture shows all three halyards converted.
 

So, we are now back on track after a short detour.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging
 
Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.
 

 
In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.
 

 
The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.
 

 
The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.
 

 
The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.
 

 
As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.
 

 
The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.
 

 
Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.
 

 
Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging
 
Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.
 

 
In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.
 

 
The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.
 

 
The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.
 

 
The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.
 

 
As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.
 

 
The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.
 

 
Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.
 

 
Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.
 
Ed
 

Thanks, Wefalck.  That is certainly an option.  I am sure practices varied for storage/belaying of lines when sails were removed.  So we must make assumptions and consider options.
 
As a basic premise for this model, I am configuring the ship as it might appear in a docked situation that typically lasted several weeks - if not months - as the ship was unloaded and reloaded for the next voyage. 
 
In this case sails would most likely have been removed from the ship for onshore warehousing, inspection, repair, and/or replacement.  The configuration would differ in cases where sails were merely furled or removed at sea when not needed, but kept aboard for quick deployment. 
 
The possible rigging permutations, even for this limited case, are many.  I considered several options for the head sail sheets, including the one you suggested in the last post.  All involve a lot of clutter on the forecastle, since the sixteen lines (2 x 4 pair) all belay at deck level where working space for several tasks is at premium.  The one modeled assumes the sheet pendants are stored in lockers on the ship or with the sails.  It assumes that when needed, the sails would be bent to their running rigging on the forecastle, including shackling the sheet pendants and reeving the sheets.  The halyard/downhauler shackle would be brought back to the forecastle to convey the sail out on the boom using these lines.  The tack would then be secured to the lower stay and the hanks or lacing to the stay applied before/during hauling up the sail. 
 
This is, of course, one assumption based on an assumption.
 
Ed

Scott, this issue of the stave on the topmast shrouds is worth considering for the reasons you cite and to help keep the shrouds apart.  this last point is a problem when trying to make ratlines taut.  I may well add these.  Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 239 – Revisions - Spencer and Headsail Rigging
 
The running rigging described in the last two parts has been revised.  In the case of the spencer gaff the fall of the vang was obstructed by the outer boats on the skid beams.  To correct this, I added lead blocks to the forward topmast backstay and led the fall down to its pin through a fairlead on that stay.  The first picture shows the original configuration on the port side and the revision on the starboard side.
 

 
The revised rig retains the same eyebolt for the standing leg of the vang, which then passes through the block on the shortened pendant, then through the lead block and a fairlead, both on the forward topmast stay.  The fall then belays on the same pin as before.  The next picture shows the starboard lead block and fairlead.
 

 
The old rope coils and belaying were removed as shown in the next picture.
 

 
A cotton swab soaked in isopropanol was laid on the rope for a few minutes to soften the wood glue. The rope was then easily removed.
 
The other revision involved the halyards on the three headsails.  I initially considered three typical configurations for these – no blocks, a single block whip from the deck, and a single block at the head of the sail.  I installed the first, simplest method as described in Part 238.  Shortly after installing these, I thought more about this and was concerned about no mechanical advantage on these rather large sails.  In checking (belatedly) the 1870's photo of the ship in New York, the blocks at the lower ends of the stays are clearly visible.  So, that configuration has now been installed on all three stays.  The foot of the topmast stay is shown in the next picture after revision.

This may be compared with the first photo in Part 238.  The revised lower rigging of the outer jib halyard is shown in the next picture.
 

To avoid re-rigging the downhaulers, the lower blocks were strapped to the shackle in place – a most difficult task, especially with shaky hands. The shackle eye was tied first, then the splice at the base of the block.  The inner jib stay at the left of the picture has not yet been converted. 
 
The upper ends of the stays are shown in the next picture with the standing ends of the halyards tied to the stays.
 

The last picture shows all three halyards converted.
 

So, we are now back on track after a short detour.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging
 
Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.
 

 
In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.
 

 
The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.
 

 
The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.
 

 
The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.
 

 
As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.
 

 
The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.
 

 
Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.
 

 
Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 240 – Ratlines 3
 
Apart from some work on the main topmast crosstrees (described later), most of the recent effort has been to make progress on the long task of tying ratlines – the seemingly endless "rattling down".  The first picture shows work proceeding on the lower main mast ratlines on the starboard side.
 

 
There are still a lot of loose ends waiting to be lashed down or clipped off.  Work can also be seen in progress on the port lower fore mast.  The next picture shows the current state of the work on the fore mast.
 

 
The futtock shroud ratlines have been added as well as the first several on the fore topmast shrouds.  A closer view of those is shown below.
 

 
The lower two are fitted to the deadeye lanyards, something I had not seen before but which can be seen in one of the photos of the ship – barely.  Another view of this is shown below.
 

 
I finally – after some mishaps – installed some people barriers just outside the whisker booms as shown below.
 

 
These might not withstand a determined punch – but the 5/8" dowels are more than enough to deflect or stop the casual nudge when I am focused on some nearby task.
 
In a previuos post I showed a jig for putting eye splices on one end of a ratline,  A production version of the jig is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This one has plenty of pins to support "mass" production.  Also, the two-faced carpet tape is applied to the jig itself allowing me to remove the fixture from the vise without cleaning it off the vise jaw.  There is also a fence just forward of the pins so glue may be applied to each splice without welding it to the fixture.  In the last picture, one of the short legs is being sliced off the splice while held taut with tweezers.
 

 
Up to about 20 ratlines can have eyes spliced at a time – and very quickly.
 
Ed