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schooner sail question


captainbob

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A schooner with two topsail masts has spring lines from one to the other.  When tacking does the fore topsail have to be lowered and reset on the other side of these lines?

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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Bob

 

Are you looking for information about the staysail that is rigged between the fore topmast and the main topmast?  I have also seen the sail referred to as the "fishermans sail".  The rigging plan for Bluenose indicates that it needs to be lowered to the deck to be switched from one side of the spring stay to the other.  There are two sets of staysail halliards rigged to the main topmast to accomplish and the staysail sheet is belayed either port or starboard depending on which tack the ship is on.  I spent a lot of time looking for this answer when I was considering whether or not to rig the sail.

 

I don't know if it is safe to generalize from that - I'm sure others will chime in with more definitive information. 

 

Bob

Current build -- MS Bluenose

Future build - MS Flying Fish

 

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." - William G. T. Shedd

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Schooners carried a number of different sails in that position, depending on weather, what their course was in relation to the wind and even what kind of schooner they were. Stays'ls, fisherman's stays'l, Gollywobblers..... Some were designed to be lowered then raised on the opposite tack. Others were even more odd in that a man was required aloft in order to pass the tack over the stay in question. It all depends on what kind of sail you're going to portray. This of course changes how the sheets would be rigged. Hope that helps.

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The Fisherman sail has to be dropped right down on deck and partially re-rigged every time you go about. The two ends of the two halyards  (there are only four lines on this sail, one on each corner) have to be cast off and the hauling part of the rope is now tied to the sail and the part that was attached to the sail now becomes the hauling part- this way you don't have to have dedicated Port and Starboard halyards. The topsail on the Main is tacked with a special line that lifts the tack up high enough to get over the gaff below it when you go about and two tacks, one for each aspect to the wind, Port and Starboard, so one is always under strain and the other lazy. The the Main Topsail stays in place and in fact is even furled aloft, it never comes back to the deck. The fisherman is not often put to use and stays below decks most days. But for racing or longer passages its set.

Edited by JerseyCity Frankie

  

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Thanks for all the information, but it is the fore topsail that I was wondering about.  Is it also lowered and reset on the other side?  In which case there would have to be two halyards.  Or is it lifted up and over the spring lines, like the fore jib being pulled around the main jib? The rigging of it seems confusing.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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Sorry for creating the confusion, Bob.  The plans I have show two tack lines for the fore topsail, one run to port and the other to starboard.  As with the jib tacks, the corner of the sail is pulled over the top of the spring stay (and the mainmast stay)  when tacking. The tack line that is not in use remains draped over the mainmast stay.

 

Bob

Current build -- MS Bluenose

Future build - MS Flying Fish

 

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." - William G. T. Shedd

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Thanks Bob.  That’s what I expected but it’s nice to know for sure.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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  • 2 months later...

My question has to do with the rigging of the gaff topsail, and main topmast staysail, on the pilot schooner Phantom. The instruction set does not clearly show, how the sails would be brailed up, or brought down.

Where there are no ratlines, ( only a single main shroud indicated in the rigging plan), how would a crewman get up there to secure the gaff topsail ?  or, with the luff of the sail attached to the topmast with mast hoops,  how is the sail brought down to the deck?  Or, are there multiple brails that are not indicated in the rigging plan?

The same applies to the Main topmast staysail . The downhaul block is seized to the clew cringle, and that appears to be shackled to the main topmast stay ! It doesn't look like that will come down without someone going aloft to remove that shackle.

The other bothersome thing is; the anchor. The instruction set shows the anchor on deck, with no chain or hawse attached.

By the looks of the windlass, I would have to think that an anchor hawse was intended...and...there's no place on deck for an anchor chain to pass through. is it practice to disconnect the anchor hawse, and store it below?, leaving the anchor on deck?

Oh, yeah I am new to this particular forum, and its layout, so please forgive me if I have posted this in the wrong place...I'm not all that far into the "learning curve" here.

 

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Sumpter 250

 

I see that was your first post.  You posed some well thought out questions, but you may be better off starting a new subject here in the rigging forum. 

I am sure you will get answers to all your questions.  Hint, Bosun's chair is part of the set of answers.

 

Also, please be so kind as to post a little about yourself in the new members forum so everyone has a chance to meet you and get to know a little about you, including your name (if it is not Sumpter250.)

 

Thanks

 

Allan

PLEASE take 30 SECONDS and sign up for the epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series.   Click on http://trafalgar.tv   There is no cost other than the 30 seconds of your time.  THANK YOU

 

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