Big Steel Windjammer Upper Topsail Sheets

[Ian_Grant]

I'm busy adding eyebolts all over the place on the masts and spars of a Heller Preussen. I bought a fair amount of 42lpi chain (finest I could find) for the chain sheets which I planned to rig on the three lower yards at least. Upper spars are too fine to add eyes large enough for even this chain which is a bit large for the scale.

 

Anyway my question is this:

 

I'm rigging without sails. In the case of upper topsail and upper topgallant, there are no clewlines since the respective yards are lowered to take in the sail as opposed to hauling the sail up to the yard. But this leaves me with nothing to attach the chain sheet after it comes out of the sheave in the yard below. Is there a customary way to handle this or must I omit these sheets? For example, in the case of HMS Victory I also rigged without sails but I included the bowlines which were hitched along the yards about where they would be were there a furled sail.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Jim Lad]

Ian, if necessary, the sheet can simply be shackled to any convenient spot nearby.

 

John