How are sails fixed to yards?

[Louie da fly]

OK, I'm really displaying my iggerance here, but I don't know any other way to find out. How exactly (i.e. what arrangement of ropes) is a sail fixed to a yard? All I ever see is the yard, the sail and a series of what appear to be loops of rope coming up and over the yard from the sail. But is that one continuous rope (alright, line) or a series of loops each independent of the others? And if so, how is the sail bent to the yard or unbent when it's time to replace it?

 

Yours in considerable confusion,

 

Steven

[ccoyle]

Hey, Steven.

 

This process, called "bending", varied by type of sail and era. It's very helpful to have a reference work on hand that illustrates the various practices, such as zu Mondfeld.

 

Cheers,

Chris

[Deperdussin1910]

….by a bunch of small lines called robands.  Depending on time period, the robands are tied to the yard itself or to an iron rod along the yard.  Attached is a pic of my work.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Deperdussin1910

[Mark P]

Good Evening Steven;

 

Until some time in the early 19th century, sails were bent to the yard, as outlined above, by robands, believed to be a shortened form of 'rope-bands'.

 

These were certainly in use in the 16th century, and presumably earlier. In the 19th century, the robands were no longer wrapped around the yards, but instead were made fast to jack-stays, a metal rod running the full length of the yard, fixed to it at intervals by brackets driven into the timber.

 

Another feature of a yard, rarely shown on rigged models, were gaskets. This was a longer length of rope, normally looped and tied into a hank, which was used when the sail was furled up to the yard. The gasket was passed around the gathered bundle of canvas, and the yard, and made fast. The gaskets are the narrow points on furled sails, which cause them to hang in a series of swags from the yard.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

 

 

[popeye2sea]

The method of attaching the robands to the yard as well as the method of attaching them to the sail varied according to the time period and the size of the yard.  Robands were generally fastened through grommets sewn into the head band just below the head rope two per sail cloth.  Whichever method was employed to pass them around the yard or jack stay they were finished with a simple square knot atop the yard.

 

Regards

 

 

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, people. That helps a lot.

 

Chris, I didn't think of looking at Zu Mondfeld.

 

Steven

[Gregory]

I was surprised that I couldn't find  any details in Zu Mondfeld regarding fixing sails to yards...

[allanyed]

The following may help.  Note that the reef knots indicated are in fact square knots.

Allan

[Jim Lad]

To avoid confusion for the uninitiated, 'reef knots' are called 'square knots' in America.

 

John

[Louie da fly]

Thanks again, everyone. Very much appreciated.

 

Steven

[Deperdussin1910]

Since gaskets were mentioned, here is mine on the mainyard.  I have plans to mount a small triangle of cloth to flatten the balloon shape in the center.

[Gregory]

On 3/29/2019 at 7:04 AM, Gregory said:

I was surprised that I couldn't find  any details in Zu Mondfeld regarding fixing sails to yards...

Was I ever wrong.. In Zu Mondfeld's Historic Ship Models, there is a chapter on " Bending Sails to the yards...

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Gregory

[Louie da fly]

Another question. The robands were tied up with reef (square) knots - what was done with the free ends? The diagrams above show the roband barely long enough to make the reef knot, but that seems impractical to me. Were they really that short, or were the free ends longer, and if so were they just left to flap around as in the picture below?

 

 

Note that my question specifically relates to lateeners, but I'd assume the technique would be the same whatever the rig.

 

 

[popeye2sea]

5 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Another question. The robands were tied up with reef (square) knots - what was done with the free ends? The diagrams above show the roband barely long enough to make the reef knot, but that seems impractical to me. Were they really that short, or were the free ends longer, and if so were they just left to flap around as in the picture below.

 

I really can't think of any reason that the robands would be any longer than that necessary to make the square knot.

 

Regards,

[Jim Lad]

If they're too long then you're wasting good rope, laddie!  Seriously, only use as much rope as is really needed - rope is expensive stuff and the more rope you buy the less profit to the owners.

 

John

[wefalck]

The loose ends should be long enough so that one can grab them to tuck on them. In the above drawing they seems to be rather short. Remember that your fingers become very clumsy, when it is cold, wet and the snow is blowing into your face ... on the other hand, too long loose ends are flapping around in a storm, constitute a safety hazard and add to the wear of sails and the rope itself.

[Louie da fly]

That's what I'd have thought. And there needs to be enough free end not only to grab hold of, but to stop the knot from pulling through and undoing itself. I've endeavoured to do it this way on my dromon, but I have to say it looks a little strange

 

 

- possibly because I haven't seen any other models where it's been done. And the thread (cotton sewing thread) doesn't act like rope - it is considerably stiffer and has a mind of its own - sticks up or out when it's supposed to hang down.