Jumbo sail "construction" detail question

[juhu]

Hello,

 

while dealing with jumbo sail preparation I came across this detail I cannot understand / resolve. It seems that the sail is like horizontally divided in 2 pieces. The marked line truly does not seem just like some strengthening canvas. I have not found this on any other model or googled picture. What would be the purpose? Even much larger main sail does not feature any necessity for being constructed like this.

Then of course, if you check the second zoomed picture, you see that both parts of the sail have the line of eyes like if they were to be stitched together. But there is no rope, no metal pin, nothing that would be inserted in those eyes. Above all, at the aft edge of the sail, there seem to be like some another strange teardrop shaped things/hinges - purpose of whose also is not clear to me.

If you have any ideas how this is supposed to work, whether I shall bind the sail part somehow together, which is not shown in the plans, or truly is ok to leave the eyes in the sail empty, any help is welcome!. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

[Dziadeczek]

Perhaps it is a bonnet, which is a piece of canvas that is laced together with the rest of a sail to make it bigger. That part you encircled in red might symbolize that lacing.

[juhu]

Thanks for the hint! I have found few notes on bonnet in Chappelle, p. 354 now. Although not very conclusive ( seems that exact lacing pattern is not known) still helps to understand a bit.

[allanyed]

Juhu

I am curious to know what this as well.  Have you contacted Blue Jacket and asked them?   As it is their copyrighted drawing maybe they have someone there that knows what is on their drawings. 

Allan

[Dziadeczek]

This is from Lees "TheMasting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860". It all looks rather complicated, perhaps for your model you might simplify it a bit...

Edited June 26, 2022 by Dziadeczek

[Dziadeczek]

And this one is from Harland.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Dziadeczek

[juhu]

Thanks a lot for all the answers. I have contacted MrBlueJacket with the question. The post with pics for bonnet lacing is very informative and somehow it corresponds with Chappelle's American Fishing schooners book. It seems as I suspected that line of eyes for lacing should be much thicker, with smaller distances that anticipated in plans, at least it seems to me so. Also I have to ask myself if it makes sense to represent this lacing - rope structure is quite complicated in reality and it may easily result in overdone appearance. But I learnt here again very interesting things and thank you for that.