gaff without a driver boom

[DaveBaxt]

I appreciate that the vangs do the job of the braces and the peak halliard does the job of the lifts. The Brails being used for furling the sails. My question is what running rigging is used for Sheets, clues and tacks, when there is no boom.  There is also some contradiction whether or not a boom is carried on the HMS bark Endeavour 1761. Just a thought perhaps sheets and tacks are not required  if the sail is attached by other means, or is this type of sail similar to a four sided stay sail. Sorry for all the questions but finding this all a bit confusing even after reading several searches on the subject.

[Bob Cleek]

 

 

One of the period wonks may be better able to answer with respect to the specific vessel in question, but, generally speaking, boom-less fore and aft sails are tacked by connecting the tack to a cleat or eyebolt on the aft side of the mast or on deck at the aft side of the foot of the mast, usually with a downhaul tackle for adjusting the tension on the luff. The sheets are attached directly to the clew, frequently with blocks attached at the clew where a purchase on the sheets is desired. The sheets are run to suitable terminations at the quarters, often with a purchase or turning block on the quarter to permit the bitter end's being hauled inboard. Sheets and tacks are always required on all fore and aft sails.

[DaveBaxt]

Thank you Bob for your quick response and this explains mostly what I want to know and I mostly understand what you are trying to tell me. However I will need to digest this and hopefully the rest will now fall into place. Best regards Dave

[Bob Cleek]

6 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

Thank you Bob for your quick response and this explains mostly what I want to know and I mostly understand what you are trying to tell me. However I will need to digest this and hopefully the rest will now fall into place. Best regards Dave

Just imagine that you are sailing a small boat with a loose-footed sail and it should become clear. The tack keeps the sail from sliding up the mast and allows the luff to be pulled tight along the mast. The sheets transfer the power of the wind caught by the sail to the hull so the boat moves through the water. .

[DaveBaxt]

Thanks again Bob, that is exactly the idea I had in my head. Now as I am fitting as much of the rigging as possible or at list learning as much as I can . Is this tackle removed,when not carrying a sail. I thank you again for your patience. Best regards Dave

[Bob Cleek]

1 hour ago, DaveBaxt said:

Is this tackle removed,when not carrying a sail.

As the saying goes, "Different ships, different long splices." Which means that when it comes down to rigging details, it's the captain's choice, or the bosun's. If a loose-footed fore and aft sail is brailed, the clew and sheet, and the blocks attached to the clew, if any, can be led forward and the sheets coiled and belayed as may be convenient. To keep a lot of loose cordage off the quarter deck, the blocks are often equipped with hooks or snap-shackles, so that the sheets can be easily removed from the clew for brailing and stowed conveniently. Sometimes, the clew blocks are stowed with the tackle line still rove through the blocks and the blocks hooked to eye bolts beneath the rail and forward of the sheet turning blocks at the quarters, with the sheet tackle falls coiled and belayed at the rail aft. In that fashion, they are completely out of the way when the sail is brailed and it's an easy task to simply cast off the belayed sheets and attach the blocks to the clew when the sail is set and you're good to go.

[DaveBaxt]

 Bob. I think I am getting the general idea as a picture is starting to develope in my head but I think unless I can see a drawing or photo of exactly how this is  rigged without the sails, I will probably leave this tackle stowed conveniently away as you put it and hopefully at some point I will come across a drawing or similar and show exactly what you mean. Perhaps someone on this forum and reading this particular question has what I am looking for if not your good self and post a drawing or photo. 

        Once again I would like to thank you for taking up your time and no doubt your patience . I think I am almost there but not quite if you know what I mean. Best regards Dave

[DonSangria]

I think whitout a sail, the tack and sheets would not be rigged.

Maybe this helps:

 

[DaveBaxt]

Donsangria Thank you for your link and I am beginning to think you are correct however I think it would be esier to leave a tackle on the aft side of the mizzen mast for the tack as indicated by  Bob. However finding a correct place for the sheet would be a different matter. I also noticed that on the picture below of the Endeavour you can see the lines of the brails going down towards the deck so I need to find where these go too. If there was a clue block on the gaff perhaps I could attach this to the sheets but think the gaff has brails instead of a clue line to haul in the sails.

[DaveBaxt]

Here is a couple of photographs of the gaff and lower mizzen mast which shows a top and bottome of a tackle block which I assume is attached to the Tack of the sail and is what Bob mentions in his first answer. Instead of the upper tackle block being attached to the tack of sail, could this not be hooked onto the bottom of the gaff jaw whilst no sails are being carried? 

I now just need to figure out where to attach thefree end of the sheet tackle when there is no clue to attach it to.

Edited December 23, 2022 by DaveBaxt

[DaveBaxt]

Here is two more photographs which show some rigging lines inbetween the Vangs and wonder if these could be the sheets attached to the clue furled on the end of the gaff. If this is is correct then could this not be hooked to the gaff instead? Again it might be easier to just stow the tackle at the rails.  

 

[realworkingsailor]

HI Dave, I think this may help,. I think you've got the sheet and tack confused. If you don't mind, I've annotated your first two photos, hopefully they help clarify things a bit for you:

 

 

In the first photo, the sail is brailed up and what you seemed to think was the tack, is intact the sheet block.

 

 

In the second photo, the tack of the sail does not move when brailed up. It would be located somewhere in the vicinity of the lowest lashing on the mast. There may be a small tackle or downhaul lashing obscured behind the fall of the brails and the sheet. The other sheet block has been brought forward and secured to an eye at the mast partners, and the sheet haul taught and secured to a free cleat on the mast.

 

Hopefully that helps you.

 

Andy

[DaveBaxt]

Thank you Andy, that now makes sense and I appreciate your input. All I need to do now is hoe to figure out how where to attach the tackle when there is no Sail there . Perhaps I could attech the upper block of the Sheet to the underside of the gaff Jaw and just leave the tack connection on the mast. Any ideas would be appreciated. I really wish I had a drawing of how this is put together I am pretty sure it would be easier to understand. Next up is how to rig the Brails without the sail . Phew ! Slowly getting there. I might use the drawing with your wording for my Endeavour build . If thats ok. Best regards Dave

Edited December 23, 2022 by DaveBaxt

[DaveBaxt]

I have one question regarding the above photo where Andy has kindly marked the different tackle. I have managed to find a photograph of a Gaff sail without a boom and this shows the sheet tack atached to the clue of the sail but connected to the deck aft. So when the sail is to be furled is this tackle then moved forward to just abaft the mizzen mast as seen in the previous photo. 

   Although not the Gaff of the Endeavour, here is the diagram which I have found which shows the sheet tackle connected to the clue and connected down aft.

[Bob Cleek]

1 hour ago, DaveBaxt said:

I have managed to find a photograph of a Gaff sail without a boom and this shows the sheet tack atached to the clue of the sail but connected to the deck aft. So when the sail is to be furled is this tackle then moved forward to just abaft the mizzen mast as seen in the previous photo. 

Yes. That's how it's frequently done when the clew blocks are left attached to the sail when the sail is furled, which would be the practice when the sail was ready to be set. As I mentioned previously, "Different ships, different long splices." It's one of several options and these are often dictated by the size of the sail. The larger the sail, the larger the blocks and sheets. The posted picture you mention is perfectly accurate.

 

Note that in figure H13/22 above, and in the photo above, there is but one sheet which is led to the stern amidships. An alternate arrangement would be to run two sheets, one port and one starboard to the quarters. When the sail was tacked, the corresponding sheet would be taken up and the other left to run free. Thereafter, the leeward sheet could be taken up to cause the clew to be pulled down further which could be desirable for flattening the sail shape on a close reach.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Bob Cleek

[DaveBaxt]

Thanks again Bob and for your valued input and to further explain  about two sheets being fitted to the clue . I have bought the book by John Harland called Seamanship in the age of sail so hopefully I will be able to learn a bit more about ship handling and what the different sails and tackle is used for and hopefully reading this will eventually make more sense to me. Best regards Dave

[DaveBaxt]

After  finally working out what to do with the sheet and tack when not carrying a Gaff sail . I am also at a loss with the Brails and what to do with these in the same situation ie no sails.I can see that the Brails are used instead of Bunt lines and Leech lines and how they would work ( furling the sail) whilst carrying a Gaff sail. lee's book discribes the different Brails and shows a good diagram of foot loose  sail and fancy lines , which brings to mind a common saying. 'Foot loose and fancy free, and wonder if this is where it came from? I am not sure if these type of Brail are fitted to a Lanteen sail and not a Gaff sail as fitted to the Endeavour. I am also unsure if there are any Brail blocks fitted to the mast. but to the Gaff only? I have come across a fine model that shows toggles at the ends of the brails but I thought that the brails were rove through the brail block ,wrapped around the sail, ie  through the thimble on the leech  and up through the otherside and rove through the oppisite brail block. If this is correct then no toggles are fitted to the Brails. The Brail ends would be attached to the ship rails and brought up tight to the Brail blocks, similar if the sails are furled. I would appreciate if the above ca be clarified and forgive my ignorance for being unable to grasp this. Thank you for all your previuos help .Best regards Dave

[Roger Pellett]

In his excellent book about sailing traditional gaff rigged craft, author Tom Cuntlif reminds us that unsecured blocks on the ends of long lines can become dangerous missiles.  He calls them Widow Makers.  In the example above of a sheet with one end secured to the clew of a loose footed sail I believe that to furl the sail, the brails would be hauled in and the sheet gradually paid out.  Once the sail was snugged against the mast then the sheet could be safely disconnected from the stern and set up to a point on the deck as shown in the photo.

 

Roger

[DaveBaxt]

Thank you Roger for your input and very good points regarding loose blocks and anything not secured. This is something I will have to bear in mind as I continue with the rigging. I am now considering leaving off the sheets and possibly the tack as well as there will be no sail carried and I stll haven,t figured out where to secure the ends of the tackle which would normally be secured to the sail. Hope this makes sense. Thank you also for the tip on the book and might have a look out for it. Dave

Edited December 28, 2022 by DaveBaxt