6 – Running Rigging 43 Section 6 Running Rigging Bitter End. The inboard end of a line, chain, or cable. Line Stopper (Rope Clutch). A clamp-type device that The end made fast to the vessel, as opposed to the contains a cam for securing a line. It can be released “working end,” which may be attached to an anchor, quickly. cleat, or other vessel. Tackle. An arrangement of line and blocks used to provide Boom Vang. A tackle, usually running between the boom increased mechanical advantage. and the base of the mast, which removes twist from the sail by downward pull on the boom. Traveller. A sail-positioning system composed of an athwartships track on which slides a car attached to blocks Cleat. Fitting, usually with two projecting horns, to which to permit positioning the main boom under load. lines are made fast. Turning Block. A block used to change the direction of Downhaul. A line or tackle used to exert a downward pull a line (such as a sheet or halyard) to make hauling more on a sail or spar. convenient. ® 1 The lines used to hoist and trim sails comprise the run- 5 Spinnaker halyards are almost always Dacron because ning rigging. This section discusses these lines and fit- it can take the loads created by the wind in the spinnaker tings and the layout of the fittings on the deck. while keeping weight aloft to a minimum. 6 In use, one end of the halyard is attached to the head Halyards 2 A halyard is a line used to hoist and lower a sail or flag. of the sail, usually by shackling, or knotting, and the The main halyard is used for raising the mainsail; the bitter end of the halyard is pulled until the sail reaches jib halyard for raising a jib; and the spinnaker halyard its designed height. On large boats, winches are used to for raising a spinnaker. facilitate hoisting sails. The halyard is then cleated and the bitter end is coiled. With more recent deck layouts, ® 3 Most small boat halyards are made of Dacron with a which use line-handling systems and rope clutches, shackle spliced or knotted to one end. On larger boats, winches are located near the cockpit. the jib and main halyards are sometimes made of wire spliced to a rope tail. The tail facilitates handling the Sheets end of the halyard as the sail is hoisted, while the wire 7 Sheets are lines that control sail shape, position, and portion, which is all that remains exposed to the load angle of attack. On some boats, the only control for the once the sail is hoisted, is better at resisting stretch and shape of the mainsail is the mainsheet. As the sheet is chafe. With the variety of low-stretch line now available, eased, the boom end is allowed to fall away from the many applications where wire rope was the best choice centerline of the boat and rise at the same time. As the are now better served by the fiber ropes which include mainsheet is hauled in, the boom end returns toward the Spectra®, Kevlar®, and Technora®. centerline, and is pulled down. This arrangement works for small boats, but it is not an efficient method of trim- 4 Halyards may run inside the mast and thus reduce wind- ming the mainsail. age. Main halyards normally are located on the starboard side of the mast; jib halyards on the port side. Sail 44 6 – Running Rigging 8 At a given wind angle, moving the boom relative to the Mast centerline changes the angle between the wind and the sail. Raising or lowering the boom changes the shape of the sail. As the boom rises, the top of the sail twists open and the angle between the wind and the sail near the top of the sail is reduced. To keep all of the sail at Mast Track the best angle to the wind, it is desirable to have one control system to pull the boom down and a separate Gooseneck system to move it from side to side. Mainsheet Traveller 9 The mainsheet Traveller consists of a track, a car Boom mounted on the track, turning blocks, and car posi- tioning control lines and cleats, see Figure 6-1. The track is mounted athwartships near the cockpit, that is, it extends from port to starboard. This allows the car to move from one side to the other on the track when the boat changes tacks. The car, which is typically mounted on roller bearings, is moved along the track Integral Cam to position the end of the boom inboard or outboard Cleat of the centerline of the boat. Boom Vang 10 Within the range of travel of the car, mainsheet Travel- lers permit independent control of mainsail leech ten- Figure 6–2 Boom Vang sion and angle of the sail to the wind. The mainsheet is used primarily to control leech tension, while the ler, that is, on reaches and downwind. It is usually a Traveller is used to position the boom in relation to tackle that is attached to the boom and then to some the centerline of the boat. Similar traveller systems are strong connection on the boat. On small boats it may used to permit fore and aft adjustment of the jib sheet be permanently attached to the mast at deck level or lead. Fore and aft adjustment accommodates different to the deck itself. A vang rigged to a stanchion base sized jibs and varying wind conditions. should never be used as a preventer. The stanchion may not be strong enough to take the load. The vang controls the shape of the leech of the sail when the Boom Vang boat is sailing on a reach or directly downwind and 11 The boom vang removes twist from the sail by pull- ing downward on the boom, Figure 6-2. It is used at the sheet is eased to a point where the traveller is no sail angles beyond the range of the mainsheet Travel- longer effective. Tightening the vang hauls the boom end down and straightens the leech. This straightening Mainsheet provides a more uniform angle of the mainsail to the wind than when the boom end is allowed Tu rning Block Cam Cleat to rise. When sailing directly downwind, more sail area is presented to the wind, which trans- lates to greater speed. On some larger boats, solid vangs adjusted by hydraulic cylinders or springs with rope tackle are used instead of Track an all rope tackle. The solid vang serves both Car as a boom vang and as a support for the boom Car Positioning Control Lines when the mainsail is reefed or lowered. Like the tackle, the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the boom some distance abaft the gooseneck and runs diagonally downward to a connection at Figure 6–1 Main Sheet Traveller System Sail 6 – Running Rigging 45 deck level. It can also be used to lift the boom in light air when mainsail twist may be desirable. Well-rigged boats have both a mainsheet traveller and a boom vang. Mainsail Cunningham 12 A cunningham control line is used to adjust the position Clew (Reinforced) of the maximum draft of a mainsail or headsail. When used on a headsail, it is sometimes termed a jib down- Clew Cringle haul, Figure 6-3. In any case, this line is used to adjust Outhaul Block the draft position in the sail. Most sails, main or jib, are Sail Slide hoisted with some slack in the luff. The fine adjustments Sail Track are done with the cunningham. Outhaul cleat Boom 13 When tension is applied to the jib cunningham line, the luff tension is increased and the position of the maximum draft (depth) is pulled forward, permitting optimum draft Figure 6–4 Main OuthaulMAIN OUTHAUL location for the given wind conditions. As the wind Boom Downhaul increases, more tension is applied. 16 The gooseneck connects the boom to the mast. Figure 6‑5. Some goosenecks are fitted on a slide or track. A Outhaul downhaul attached below the gooseneck, often as a 14 Outhauls control tension on the foot of the mainsail. Sail tackle to increase mechanical advantage, permits the shape and, therefore, efficiency is determined in several adjustment of tension on the luff of a hoisted mainsail. ways. The outhaul determines the amount of draft in the If the boom is affixed directly to the mast, a cunningham lower hal of the sail. rig is necessary to adjust tension on the mainsail luff. Mast 15 Once backstay tension and mast bend are set, the main- sail’s shape is largely controlled by the tension of the Mast Track halyard and downhaul, the cunningham, the sheet, the Boom Hinge outhaul, and the boom vang. Just as the cunningham or Car downhaul can be used to apply tension to the luff of the mainsail, the outhaul can tighten or ease the foot of the sail, Figure 6-4. An outhaul is a line used to pull the clew Cleat of the mainsail outward towards the end of the boom. It goes through a turning block and back towards the mast to a cleat. Gooseneck Luffwire Downhaul Block Downhaul Line Jibstay Cringle To Pad Eye or Eye Strap Jib Cunningham on Opposite Side of Mast Fairlead Figure 6–5 Boom Downhaul Cleat Tack Shackle Figure 6–3 Jib Cunningham Sail 46 6 – Running Rigging Topping Lift 17 The topping lift is used to support horizontal spars from the mast.