Rigging Period Ship Models: Securing of rigging running through Bitt Post sheaves

[Peter6172]

OK must be a dumb question but I have not found it asked anywhere yet.  

 

In L. Petersson's book on Rigging Period Ships I have yet to ID where running rigging which passes through the various bitts post sheaves are secured.  e.g. the various sheets shown on pages 48 and 49 of the book.  The belaying plans show the rigging running into the sheaves in the bitts posts but not to any securing point.

[Gregory]

Petersson documented the rigging of the sheets as he found  on a model, but it is interesting he didn't note the belaying point.

 

Lees says the ( fore course Petersson p.49  ) sheets rove through sheaves in the bulwarks and belayed to cleats or kevels on the inside of the bulwarks.

[allanyed]

Hi Peter,

What ship?   I know you were building Endeavour but not sure if that is the case in this post.   Petersson's book is based on one contemporary model so it may not be useful for other ships and periods of time, including Endeavour.

 

David Lees' book covers a span of time that is more useful and includes several diagrams and descriptions of belaying points for the running rigging.   I would look up what he shows but am away from my books for a week or so.  

 

Allan

 

 

 

[Gregory]

16 minutes ago, allanyed said:

David Lees' book covers a span of time that is more useful and includes several diagrams and descriptions of belaying points for the running rigging. 

I just related what Lees said about the fore course sheets, which are the lines in question.   There are no illustrations regarding the belaying points in this case.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Gregory

[Gregory]

FWIW, While Petersson may have accurately documented what he found on a model, there is no good reason to believe the model was rigged accurately.

 

Sheet lines reeving through the sheaves of those bitts is clearly wrong.  I need to look at the book again, because it may be a matter of Petersson having labeled lines as sheets, when in fact they were something else.

[Gregory]

I looked a little closer in the book..   What is labeled as sheet on p. 49 - 50 for the fore course, are actually clew lines.

 

 

 

They are correctly labeled on 51 for the main sail.

 

 

The lines through the sheaves on the bitts, would logically be tied off on the bitts. 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Gregory

[Peter6172]

12 hours ago, Gregory said:

Just noticed they are calling the clews, ' clue '.  Another strike against Petersson and his editor. )

My understanding is that there are different spellings based upon which continent one resides? 

[Ian_Grant]

Hi Gregory,  pg 49 shows the clew and sheet lines for the fore topsail, not the fore course. The topsail sheet, shown on starboard, passes up to a quarter block on the foreyard, runs out through the larger of the two sistered blocks at the yardarm, and connects to the clew cringle (a little rope loop formed from the sail's boltrope) of the sail. The little circle represents the cringle since the sail is not shown.

 

Lines passing through the sheaves would typically be belayed at the shaped timberhead at the top of the bitt post containing the sheave, as vaguely indicated on pg 51.

 

The topsail clew lines run as shown to port, and also connect to the clew of the sail. Again at the little circle labelled "sail clue".

 

Yes, Americans refer to the clew as the "clue", sort of like how they refer to a "rebate" in a piece of wood as a "rabbet".  😀.

[Gregory]

@Ian_Grant

 

Thanks Ian..  Looks like I was not paying attention..

 

Gregory

[Peter6172]

21 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Lines passing through the sheaves would typically be belayed at the shaped timberhead at the top of the bitt post containing the sheave, as vaguely indicated on pg 51.

that makes sense though pulling the rope tight would mean pulling back over the top of the bitt to secure on the timberhead.  Not a great purchase though.  On the four posted bitts I would consider a better purchase by securing on the opposite timbered to the sheave through which it ran but then in a four post/four sheave bitt you would have ropes crossing....!