How to Seize a Block to a Sail Peak

[Yorky1]

I'm rigging a Bluenose 2 from an old Artesania Latina kit. I'm following the Jensen book for my rigging and the top sail page says the clew line block is seized to the peak of the sail.  The drawing looks like the block hangs from the centre of the peak cringle, but I can't see enough detail.  See attached snippet from the Jensen book.

I have a block stropped with line, but do I simply feed the line through the peak cringle and bring it around the edge of the sail then seize the end to the line,  as when I make a simulated 'spliced eye'?   That is what I did with the down-hauls on the jib sails, because Jensen said the top of the down-hauls were spliced eyes through the peaks.

Or do I bring that line around and tie it (doesn't seem right).

Or am I supposed to sew the line onto the sail, just next to the peak grommet?

 

I am tending to the first option, but I cannot find any reference and drawing on the internet.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Yorky1
added picture

[allanyed]

Great question Yorky

Chapelle's American Schooners gives some details on the halyards but for the clew line, the sketches are as clear as yours.  It does mention on one sketch that the block for the clew is a single and made fast to the head of the sail.   No mention of how it is made fast is given.

Allan

[Yorky1]

Thanks, Allanyed.  Hmm, I'm curious about this. I might just email the Bluenose II team and ask the captain about it. They are quite helpful there.  I'll let you know.

[wefalck]

I think Underhill's book has a sketch for this arrangement, but I may be mistaken, as such detail drawings are a bit dispersed around the book. Basically, the eyesplice of the block is fed through the cringle and then turned over it - a simple, straightforward operation, but difficult to describe ...

[Yorky1]

Thanks wefalck.  That's what I was thinking.

I also just received a reply from Captain Watson of the current Bluenose II and he says that rigging has changed a bit through the years and he explains this is currently how the Bluenose II is rigged:

   "The clew line block is simply seized with small line to the starboard side, on the becket on the lower portion of the single halyard block at the head of the sail. This is where the sister hooks attach the sail to the halyard. The clew line leads from deck through a fairlead attached to the middle of the forward side, of the aft spreader, through the clew line block (leading forward aft), through a grommet in the middle of the sail and then to the clew. 

When the clew line is pulled, the clew is pulled to the sail grommet, then both to the head and all of it is pulled to the head of the lower mast where the hoops on the topmast come to rest when the sail is in the lowered condition. This means that the head, the mid sail grommet and the clew are all together at the lower mast cap. 

It should be noted that the grommet arrangement has changed over the years and on different schooners. The single grommet in the middle of the sail is what we use now. "

 

* So it seems the Bluenose II crew now seize the block to the lower becket of the halyard's single block, so the clew line load is taken up directly through the tackle to the mast, rather than pull on the sail's peak grommet.  See attached drawing.

With this in mind, looking at the Jensen drawing again, it now looks to me like the block's strop/eye may have been taken to the sister hooks at that time when the book was created; again the load would have been taken directly up to the mast and not through the sail's grommet. It is also possible that the Jensen drawing is depicting the very same method that you describe. It's a pity that Jensen did not write the exact method or draw it in close-up .

 I think I will amalgamate all this information and form an eye then attach it to the sister hooks. I doubt anyone will ever notice the detail but me.

Thanks to all who contributed here!

Edited December 6, 2022 by Yorky1
typographical error

[allanyed]

This is a fantastic post with the response from Phil Watson that you have shared with us.

 

VERY COOL.

Allan