Gaff sails in 18C or early 19C

[Pitan]

Looking at a picture of HM Revenue Cutter Wickham, the lower fore corner (tack?) of the vessel's gaff sail is raised.
Link: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/hms-revenue-cutter-wickham-164013

This raised corner appears in other images by the same artist (Robert Salmon, e.g. "The Scottish Lighthouse Board's tender" https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/robert-salmon-british-1775-1845-the-scottish-ligh-91-c-92142e49ab)

Questions: How was the tack raised?  Was there a block for an up-haul, and if so, where was it attached? Maybe to the mast, or to the gaff?
Would there have been a down-haul?

[BANYAN]

Hi Pitan,

The tack of the gaff/stay sails could be hauled up for several purposes as explained below, and also to allow the coxswain/helmsman to see forward when necessary, especially if sailing close to the wind.  The tack of these fore-and-aft sails could be hauled up using a tack tricing line.

 

John Harland (Seamanship in the Age of Sail), page 80, explains that:

With a quartering wind, just as the weather clew of the mainsail had to be ‘docked up’, so the tack of the gaff mizzen needed to be to be raised, to avoid blanketing the lee clew of the mainsail. This ‘tricing up’ of the tack was done to balance the sail plan, when hove to, or to avoid the necessity of carrying excessive weather helm.

 

GS Nares - Seamanship (1868), page 72, writes that the tack tricing line was:

A double whip, from the throat of the spanker gaff to the tack of the sail, the strop of the lower block is likewise secured to the toggle of the tack tackle, on tricing up the tack the toggle is pulled out by the tricing line and the tack freed from the tack tackle, the end of the fall being kept fast to the tack for a downhaul.

He also informs that:

... that the tack tricing line lower block was secured to the toggle of the tack tackle.

 

However, depending on the vessel, these could also be rigged with lighter lines and using a whip rather than a tackle.

 

Hope this helps explain its use.  More knowledgeable people may offer further detail.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Pitan]

Thanks

Ah, from the throat - OK, that answers my question

Edited July 7 by Pitan

[wefalck]

It was used throughout the days of gaff-sails to quickly take out the 'draw' of the sail. One can see this on many paintings, particularly of smaller boats with gaff-mainsail. It reduced the power of the sail wihout putting in a reef, which is a rather complex procedure. 

 

On some ships the tackle to the tack was led to the boom, while on others it was led to the deck at the mast. It was also an early use of chain, rather than rope.