Brails

[BANYAN]

Hi all,  I am trying to ascertain why Brails are listed in HMCSS Victoria's Rigging Warrant against the fore-and-aft sails.  Based on the imagery (2 x lithographs which have proven very accurate) the foresail, mainsail and spanker were all laced to both the boom and the gaff.  These sails were also gaff hoisted and lowered (worked).  However the Rigging Warrant lists peak, throat and foot brails against that mast for the fore-and-aft sails. Additionally, she was outfitted with trysails and separate storm sails.  The authors writing in this era (mostly Nares, Lever, Luce and Burney) suggest that these latter sails were loose footed. One last point, no sheet pendant or sheet tackle is listed against the spanker. I am therefore assuming that all sails on the mizen mast were laced to both the gaff and boom (no square sails as she was Barque rigged).

 

Having no experience with sailing larger vessels (bigger than a whaler  ) I hope some of you more experienced people may offer a little advice.  

 

1.   Would a sail laced to both the gaff and the boom need brails, especially noting the lifting gaff? 
2.   If the trysail and storm sail were both loose footed, but laced to the gaff (a different slightly smaller gaff than used with the fore/main sails etc.), do they require brails to control it, especially when tacking?  I am assuming that with a loose footed sail, along with the sheet, these will have helped shape the sail, but I am confused with a stated purpose (by the above authors) that they were also used for furling.  As the gaff will have been lowered, and the sail gathered in and furled by men on the deck (at the boom) when furling, how would these assist furling?
3.  Am I correct in assuming that if no sheet is provided for the spanker boom/gaff, the trysail and storm sail will also have been laced to the boom on the mizen?

 

I have established how they were rigged, so I am basically trying to determine which fore-and-aft sails required brails, and how they work for those sails if required.  

 

many thanks

 

Pat

Edited 23 hours ago by BANYAN

[wefalck]

Ad 1: Brails on gaff-sails could only be used, when the sail was loose-footed, i.e. only attached to the boom by the sheet; you can't even use the brails with sail laced to the boom.

 

Ad 2: My understanding of brails is that they were used on square sails to take up some of the weight of the sail when reefing or furling it; on gaff-sails they could be used to help furl the sail against the mast, particularly when rigged with a standing gaff; they were also used when sailing to adjust the centre of effort of the sail plan, to balance the ship on a particular course or to help tacking/going about.

 

Ad 3: I don't really know, but as both storm-sails are smaller than the regular spanker, the hauling point would have to be further forward along the boom; their sheet could also be belayed at any convenient point, e.g. the rails; I wonder actually, why there shouldn't be any sheet for the spanker - somehow it has to be attached to the boom?

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Pat, I suspect that your lithographs may have let you down on this occasion.  As Wefelck says, brails could only be used on a loose footed sail and they were not required at all on a hoisting gaff, as the sail was furled by lowering the gaff, not by brailing up the sail. The mention in the warrant of 'peak' and 'throat' brails also sounds unusual; it sounds more like they're talking about the halliards! 

 

There obviously must have been sheets to control the spanker - are they perhaps listed under the boom rather than the sail for some reason?

 

The trysail wouldn't need a gaff, but it would be unusual for the storm sail to be rigged differently to the regular sails at that would entail a lot of extra rigging and unrigging when the sails were changed.

 

I'll be happy when you finish this model and go on to something a little less mysterious! 😀

 

John

[BANYAN]

Thanks @wefalck and @Jim Lad, appreciate the feedback and information.  

Just to clarify/add to my initial info. I should have provided all of this yesterday - sorry):

1.  The lithographs show the main fore-and-aft sails laced to the boom (In the rigging warrant these are termed the foresail, mainsail and the spanker).

2.  All masts were fitted with a single boom and two different gaffs (one for main sails, and one for the trysail) - all were lifting gaffs with the luff seized to sliding hoops.

3.  Being a Barque and a steamer, the contemporary authors advise that the trysail was not triangular, but rather a smaller version of the main sails (quadrangular) and were laced to a wire (vertical) jackstay, but used a shorter gaff.

4.  As best I can determine the storm sails were the same quadrilateral rather than triangular (staysail) shape.  These also used the trysail gaff, but were laced to a wire (vertical) jackstay.

5.  A sheet pendant associated with a sheet tackle is listed against the fore and main booms only (not for the spanker).

6.  Boom sheets (guys) are listed against all booms.

7.  Brails are listed against the fore and main sails (NOT the spanker).

8.  The lithographs show that all of the main fore-and-aft sails had reefing nettles (3 bands) and the rigging warrant lists reefing pendants with reefing tackles.  These were worked using reefing combs fitted aft, on either side of each boom.

Notes:

The above sail outfit is confirmed by their listing in two stores survey reports reported in December of 1858 and 1860.

The advice about sail shape is from Nares, Burney and Kipping all writing in the mid to late 1850s and early 1860s.

 

From your advice and the above, I have deduced (assumed) that:

A.  The primary fore-and-aft sails were used in fair weather and all were laced at both the foot and the head.

B.  The correspondence from the ship's designer informs that the primary fore-and-aft sails were intended to be used in conjunction with light courses (these were slightly smaller than typical square lower sails, and used No.2 canvass). Sometimes only the fore course was used (based on the imagery, log entries etc.)

C.  The trysails were for moderate to heavy weather/winds (heavier canvass) and were loose footed. Brails used with these.

D.  The storm sails were for very bad weather/storms  (heaviest canvass) and were also loose footed. Brails were also used with these.

E.  As there is NO sheet pendant/tackle (only boom sheets/guys), I am assuming that the spanker, trysail and storm sail for the mizen were all laced and did not require brails.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by BANYAN