Foremast rigging question

[Maury S]

In the following illustration from American Fishing Schooners by Chapelle ...

the top two (standing rigging) lines shown go to the main topmast head and the main topmast shoulder.  I assume the head is where the fitting for the topmast fore stay is and the shoulder is where the diameter narrows for attaching the topmast shrouds.  In some photographs of 19th C. schooners I detect two lines running from near the top of the topmast to the top of the foremast and they are separated by only about a foot on the topmast.  Why would there be two lines, almost parallel?  Thanks for any input.  (btw, my model of the C. Chase schooner does not have a fore topmast as illustrated above).

Maury

[jhearl]

This image of the main topmast from Ronnberg's Smuggler plans may be of some help:

 

Ronnberg calls the lower line the "main top mast stay" and the upper line he calls the "main topgallant stay." In the notes he says that "At this period, "topgallant stay" was a colloquial term for "topmast spring stay" on fishing schooners." Smuggler dates to 1877. Note that the main top mast stay terminates in an eye that is seated over the shrouds and backstays. The upper line also terminates in an eye that is seated over the topsail halyard band.

 

The forward ends of both those lines terminate at eyestraps on the topmast cap - topgallant stay on the port side, topmast stay on the starboard side - as Chapelle shows in his illustration.

 

Hope that helps some.

John

[Maury S]

John, Quite helpful.  Thanks

Maury

[popeye2sea]

It helps to look at the rigging plan as an entire system.  If you look at the point where any stay is attached its pull is directly opposed by another line or lines.

 

Regards,