Securing the yards

[Charlie pal]

Hello all, hope all are well,

   I do realize that in days of old, the yards were not stationary and were moved to adjust the sails as per wind conditions.
However,  on the model ships that we build, working with the rigging and blocks, it seems that the yards must be permanently secured to the mast, in order to get the job done. Am I wrong?

…..thanks…Charlie

 

[Jaager]

It is a bit more involved and depends on the era.

Rope, rope and parrels, a wooden shoe,  an iron truss and pivot spike.

The yards on an actual ship need to pivot and swing on a horizontal plane.

Often, the main yard was fixed at one spot on the mast.  The upper yards would move up and down the mast.

On a model, there are decisions.  Sails or bare.  Sails, and the topsail yards and above would be up.  Bare = down.

Sails would more often have the yards at an angle other than perpendicular.

Bare = perpendicular.

The way that the yards are attached to the mast needs to be simulated.  But once the pose has been selected, the actual attachment of the yards can be some something as simple as a section of a brass pin in blind holes in the yard and in the mast.   The simulation does not need to actually function.  It is only on an RC model where the yards have to actually earn a living.