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Term |
Description |
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Bend |
A sail is bent to a spar or stay when it is attached to same. |
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Bolt-Rope |
The collective name for the rope around the after edge of a sail to prevent fraying. |
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Bowlines – Bowline Bridles |
The rope, attached with a bowline (knot) to, and leading forward from a bridle* between cringles* of square sails. |
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Bunt |
Middle section of a square sail cut so as to form a belly. |
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Bunt of the Yard |
The centre of the yard. |
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Buntline Band or cloth |
A strip of cloth* tabled* on to the forward side of a square sail to prevent the buntlines* from chafing the sail. |
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Buntline Fairleads |
These are circular thimbles* or small lignum vitae* bulls-eyes* on the fore side of the sail as a fairlead for the buntlines. |
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Buntlines |
Ropes attached to the footropes* of square sails and led up the front of the sail through blocks attached to the yards. |
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Clew Cringle |
(see "Spectacle Iron")*. |
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Clew garnet |
The clew* line or tackle*, on the aft side of the sail, by which clews (only on courses*) are hauled up to the bunt, or centre, of the yard when the sail needs to be furled* or goose-winged (Clewed up). |
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Clew line |
Similar to a Clew garnet*. |
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Clew or Clue |
The two bottom corners of a square sail (weather & lee or port & starboard). |
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Cloths |
The cloths of a sail are the widths of canvas which are sewn together to form it. |
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Course |
The bottom square sail on Main & Fore mast. |
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Cringle |
A short piece of rope worked grommet* fashion into the bolt rope* & containing a metal thimble*. |
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Earing |
A small rope used to fasten the upper corners of a square sail to its yard*. |
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Earing Cringle |
The two top corners of a square sail (weather & lee or port & starboard). |
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Eyes |
A loop spliced or whipped at the end of a rope or wire usually around a thimble. |
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Furl(ing) |
The operation of taking in the sails of a vessel and securing them with gaskets* (square rigged vessels) by hauling in on the clew lines* and buntlines* and rolling them up to the yards. |
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Gasket |
Rope* or cord used to secure a sail when furled to a yard*. |
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Gores |
Canvas cut on an angle used to increase the breadth of a square sail and give it the correct aerodynamic curve. |
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Grommet Pronounced "grummet". |
A ring formed by laying up a single strand of rope three times and used to fasten the upper edge or luff of a sail to its stay. |
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Hank |
A small ring or hoop of metal by which the luff of a jib* or staysail* is bent to the stays. |
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Head Holes |
Immediately beneath the head rope and are for the robands* used in bending the sail to the jackstay*. |
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Holes |
See Head Holes*, Buntline Holes*, Leech line holes. |
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Jibsails |
From front – Flying Jib, Outer Jib, Inner Jib, Fore topmast staysail. |
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Leech Line Cloths |
One cloth wide. |
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Leech Lines |
On the fore side of the sail leech lines lead from the leech, through blocks on the yard, and down to the deck. |
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Linings |
An additional piece of canvas tabled* to a sail to prevent chafe esp along buntlines* and reef bands*. |
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Lower Topsail |
The second square sail from the bottom on Main & Fore masts. |
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Middle Band |
A full cloth* wide on the fore side of the sail put on midway between the reef band* and the foot. |
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Mizzen Sail (also known as Spanker) |
Bottom, fore & aft sail on the mizzen mast*, suspended by a gaff. |
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Mizzen topsail |
Top, fore and aft, sail above the mizzen sail or spanker on mizzen mast. |
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Reef |
A means of shortening or taking in sail to an amount appropriate to the increase in wind strength. |
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Reef Bands |
A strip of extra canvas, 1/3 of a cloth* wide, tabled onto the fore side of a sail along the line of the reef points to support the strain on the points when the sail is reefed. |
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Reef Cringles |
Thimbles* spliced into the bolt rope* on the leeches at the ends of the reef bands*, with another cringle* slightly below it. |
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Reef Points |
Short lengths of small rope set in the reef bands* to tie down a reef*. |
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Roach |
The curve in the side or foot of a sail. |
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Robands (orig. Rope Bands) |
Small, sometimes plaited, lines rove through the eyelet holes* or head holes* in a sail with a running eye by which the head of the sail is brought to be laced to a yard or jackstay* after the earings* have been secured. |
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Royal |
The topmost square sail on Main & Fore masts. |
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Sails |
Lower square sails are called courses. The next two are the lower, then upper topsail, Next comes the t'gallant then the royal. |
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Seams |
The cloths* are joined by overlapped seams* sewn down each side. |
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Selvage |
The edges of cloth* as finished in weaving. |
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Slab Lines |
If fitted run from the foot rope up the after side of the sail corresponding with buntlines* in the front. |
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Slack-cloth |
A certain quantity of cloth, allowed to be gradually gathered up, in sewing on the boltrope to the sail, more than the length of the boltrope; otherwise the rope, by stretching in the wearing, might occasion the sail to split. |
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Spectacle Iron or Clew Cringle |
An iron fitting, with 2 or more eyes, stitched into the clews* of a square sail so that 2 or more ropes or tackles may be hooked into the eyes and be led in different directions. |
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Staysails between Main & Mizzen masts |
From top to bottom – Mizzen upper Stays'l, Mizzen Lower Stays'l, Mizzen Stays'l |
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Staysails, between Fore & Main masts |
Upper – Main T'Gallant Stays'l; Lower – Main Topmast Stays'l. |
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Table |
Sailmaker's term for sewing reef bands* and buntline bands* (linings*) onto the larger sails for additional strength to the sail where reef points are fixed and to prevent chafe in a square sail where the buntline lies along the canvas. |
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Tabling |
The edge of the sails are hemmed by being turned over and sewn down to reinforce them where the boltrope* is sewn on. The width of tabling varies along its length to give shape to the sail |
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Tack |
In square rigged ships, the name of the rope used to hold in the weather lower corners of courses and staysails when close hauled. In fore and aft sails it is the lower forward corner of the sail. |
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Thimbles |
A circular or heart shaped ring of iron or aluminium, grooved on the outside to receive a rope which is spliced around it to form an eye. A thimble spliced into the boltrope* of a sail forms a cringle*.
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Throat |
The name given to the upper foremost corner of a four-sided fore and aft sail. |
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Topgallant (T'Gallant) |
The square sail fourth from the bottom on Main and fore masts. |
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Upper Topsail |
The third from bottom square sail on Main & Fore masts. |
