MAIN RIGGING.
The most satisfactory plan of measuring off the rigging for a yacht is to make a " spar plan" to scale—that is, a plan showing a broadside view of the yacht with all her spars in their places, as shown by Plate I. and Fig. 26. The latter plan, Fig. 26, is necessary to obtain the correct lengths of the lower-mast shrouds and topmast backstays, as merely taking the length deck to hounds makes no allowance for the " spread " the rigging is to have. (Of course an elaborate drawing is not required, but the scale must be carefully adhered to.) A further allowance must be made for the eyes of the rigging going one over the other, and this allowance will be equal to twice the diameter of a shroud. For instance, the eye of the starboard fore shroud is put over the masthead first ; then the port fore shroud, which follows, must be cut longer than the starboard rigging to the extent of twice the diameter of a shroud (twice the diameter is equal to two-thirds of the circumference, the circumference being three times the diameter). For the second starboard shroud, which goes on next, the allowance will be four times the diameter ; and so on. (The forestay goes over all, resting on the throat or main halyard bolt.) (See page 119, Fig. 30.) For the eye and splice an allowance equal to one and a half the circumference of the masthead must be made ; for the dead-eye an allowance equal to one and a half the circumference of the same. The eye to go over the masthead should be one and a quarter the circumference of the same at the hounds ; the eye at the other end of the shroud should be one and one-eighth the circumference of the dead-eye, so that the latter could be removed if split or damaged, and replaced. The length for each shroud is measured from the top of the bolster to the dead eyes ; the drift or space between the upper and lower dead-eyes, or from the channel to the top of the upper dead-eye, will be about the height of the bulwark.
There are two plans for fitting the shrouds, one known as " single eye," and the other as " pairs." In the former plan each shroud has its own eye ; but when shrouds are fitted in pairs the wire goes from one dead-eye up round the masthead, and down to the next dead-eye (on the same side). A seizing close up to the bolster, round both shrouds, forms the eye. This is the old-fashioned plan, and the one still followed in ships,
we believe. The objection to it is that if the eye bursts a pair of shrouds are gone ; and even if one shroud burst, the strain on the remaining one will generally draw it through the seizing so as to make it useless. All that can be said in favour of the " pair " plan is that there are just half the number of eyes to go over the masthead, and consequently there is a trifle less weight aloft and a neater-looking masthead.
There are three plans in use for covering the eyes of rigging ; 1. Parcelling and serving with spun yarn ; 2. Covering with canvas and painting it; 3. Covering with leather.
The first plan is cheapest, but will require renewing every year ; the third is the most costly, and lasts the longest ; whilst the second is most used, and perhaps looks the neatest. The eyes at the lower ends of the shrouds are generally served with spun yarn; but leather looks neater, and will not turn white, as spun yarn will, by the continual washing whilst dragging through the water ; an occasional blacking or varnishing will remove the washed-out appearance that a spun-yarn serving might get.
The lanyards are rove in this manner : A Matthew Walker, or wall knot, is made in one end of the lanyard ; the other end is rove out through the foremost hole of the upper dead eye ; in through the corresponding hole of the lower dead eye; out through the centre hole of the upper dead eye, and so on, the hauling part coming in through the aftermost hole of the lower dead eye and is then set up by a luff upon luff tackle.
Wall knots and Matthew Walkers have, however, been known to draw, and now a frequent practice in racing vessels is to have an eye spliced in one end of the lanyard, which eye is shackled to an eye bolt in the channel rather ahead of the foremost chain plate ; the other end of the lanyard is rove out through the foremost hole of the upper dead-eye (always com mencing with the starboard fore shroud) in through the corresponding hole of the lower dead-eye, and so on ; passing round the aft side of the mast, and ending with the port fore shroud : on the port side the lanyard is shackled to the channel under the after hole of the upper dead-eye.