Stun Sails

[Luis Felipe]

Hi, I´m new to this forum, so pls forgive me if I pass over some rule. Can anybody help me with this question in relation to the position of the stun sails? Are this sails rigged fore of the main sails or aft, different drawings shows different positions, so far I have rigged the stun sails "fore" the main sails in the 1/100 model of the 1865 clipper "Sir Lancelot" as shown in the pictures below, but I can still correct that if my assumptions are wrong. Thanks in advance for your advise, saludos from Chile. Luis Felipe.   

[popeye2sea]

Luis,

Studding sails are rigged behind the regular sail on the windward (upwind) side and in front of the regular sail on the lee (downwind) side. The idea being to avoid the principal sail being backwinded by the air spilling off the studding sail.

This rule was generally followed by merchant ships.  Some naval vessels set stun's'ls abaft all.

 

Regards,

Henry

[georgeband]

Luis,

 

This is a good question and the answer can change depending on if the wind is from behind or from one side. I agree with Henry that the most common answer is to have the stunsail behind the square sail on the windward side. On the lee side the stunsail is forward of the square sail. Sometimes only the windward side is set and the leeward stunsail is not carried. If the wind is from behind then both stunsails would be carried. 

 

If you look in Darcy Lever's book 'The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor' there is a lot of discussion about studding sails on page 65 and pages 80-82. The book is not the easiest to read and packs a lot of information into a few words but it is a contemporary source. 

 

George

[Gregory]

While we are at it, did Darcy Lever's book say anything about the use of studding sails in general.

 

I have read they were only set in relatively light winds, and that the paintings of clippers, ( or any other sailing ship ) all heeled over, with all sails a' flying in a big blow, was an unlikely scenario.

[Luis Felipe]

Hi, thanks for your prompt and well documented answers. My intention with this model is to show the "potential" amount of canvas that these extreme clippers are able to handle, for that I suppose that I will have to consider the wind blowing from behind, in fact I was setting a small angle to the spars, what do you think?, Should I apply the set up in the picture or keep all the stun behind? by the way, I downloaded the Darcy´s book, really difficult to follow. Saludos form Chile, Luis Felipe 

 

     

[popeye2sea]

If your intent is to show how much potential canvas they could carry then any angle will work. I think your only consideration will be with all that canvas set if you have the yards braced hard up then a lot of your hard work on the rigging will be hidden. Then again if the model is to be viewed from both sides you will have one side with a cloud of canvas and the other exposing much more of the rigging. Personally, I think clippers are beautiful with every stitch of canvas aloft.

 

Realistically, the direction of the wind and its force would determine which of the stun's'ls would be set.  If you look carefully at your diagram you can see that some of the forward sails would be blanketed by the aft sails. Perhaps in this instance on the main only the topmast stun's'l to leeward would be set.

 

Regards,

Henry

[georgeband]

Gregory,

Darcy Lever writes a lot about raising and lowering the studding sails depending on changes in the wind direction. He does not say much about wind strength. I have been transcribing the log book of John Roach who was sub-lieutenant on HM schooner Whiting and he set the studding sails in strong winds to get more speed. (He also lost some sails.) He also sometimes set them on the windward side only, which I believe was common when the wind was from the side. 

 

Luis, Henry,

I agree with you about a model looking splendid when a lot of sails are set. My intention with Whiting is to display the windward side so that the rigging is still visible. The windward studding sail will be set but not the leeward one. (Whiting carried studding sails only on the fore topmast. She did also have a ringtail sail which is the equivalent of a studding sail on the main (aft) gaff sail. The clippers might have had a ringtail sail at the stern too.) 

 

George