As mentioned in previous posts, the running rigging is further broken down into subcategories. Some running rigging manipulates the yards themselves – helping to steer and align the ship, while other running rigging attaches and manipulates the sails themselves. The latter is often left off of models where the sails are not included. However, I felt it was important to include as much of this rigging as is feasible to maintain the accuracy of the model.
Braces
Braces are elements of running rigging on a squared rigged ship that rotate the yards around the masts allowing the ship to sail at different angles to the wind. The braces are fixed to the outer ends of the yard attached to the brace blocks seized to the longer brace pendants. The fore braces start with a very long .30mm line that starts at a clove hitch on the main stay just below the mouse on the main stay. Each side of the line runs out to the block on the end of the brace pendant of the fore yard (outboard to inboard) and back to a pair of single blocks stropped to the main stay just below the euphroe. The line then heads down to the main deck to belay on the rail by the hatch and water pumps.
The main braces are even more straighfoward. Still a .30mm line in which the standing end is seized to an eye bolt just above the quarter galleries. The line runs up through the blocks at the end of the main yard brace pendants then back aft to run through a sheave at the very aft of the railing. Because of the limited space I have at the aft of the ship, I didn’t have room to install the needed sheave, so instead I belayed this line to the post that holds that swivel gun.
The crossjack braces are a little more complicated. There’s also an extra complication in that they cross over one another as they are rigged – something to which one should pay a bit of attention. A smaller line at .20mm, the standing end of these braces clove hitches to the end lower shroud on the main mast at approximately the same height as the crossjack. The line crosses to the opposite brace pendant block and then back to a single block seized just below the hitch. From there, the line heads down to belay on the rail near the shroud. This arrangement is mirrored with the other crossjack brace pendant, however, it’s important that the opposing clove hitch and single block are seized one ratline lower (or higher) so that the lines down’t foul as they cross.
Clue Lines, Sheets, & Tack
Clue lines, sheets, & tack all fall into the subcategory of running rigging that hold the sails to the yards (similar to buntlines and leechlines) and adjust them while underway. Because of where and how they are rigged, I think the clue lines, sheet, and tacks are some of the most prominent rigging on the ship. Like the bunt lines and leech lines, the aforementioned rigging is also a little bit of a challenge in terms of presentation without sails. For instance, when not actually attached to sails, the sheets and/or tacks can chafe against the back stays – which likely ins’t much of an issue when the ship is in port. At any rate, I took a long look at how to present these lines before getting started. During that long look – I discovered that I was missing an important sheet block along the railing in the middle of the ship that I’ll need for the main course, so I started by adding that.
These three elements all work simultaneously to manipulate the sails. The lines start with a unique setup of blocks with the 9″ (3.5mm) clue block and a 14″ (5.5mm) sheet block. Although the Fully Framed Model describes a special type of “shoulder” clue block, Lees indicates that after 1773 regular single blocks were used. Both blocks are stropped with a loop and the loop of the sheet block goes through the loop of the clue block. They are then held in place by the tack whose end is a crown knot. A crown knot is a specialized knot in which the threads of the rope are separated and then tied together in a ball shape. This is nearly impossible at this scale, so I simulated my crown knot with a modified timber hitch pulled tightly.
The standing end of the clue line (.30mm) is timber hitched to the yard, runs through the clue block at the clue/sheet combo, then up through the clue block at the yard, then down to belay on the railing at the base of the mast.
It’s important to note here the I pre-measured and started the rigging of all three lines that juxtaposed so that I could make the adjustments at the same time. Obviously, when all three lines connect this way, any adjustments to each individual line affects the other two – so all three must be adjusted together to get the presentation you’re looking for. For instance, I started my timber hitch pretty far inboard on the yard – however, the standing end ultimately ended up pretty far out on the yard (both main and fore) to allow the sheets to clear the stays. For both Main and Fore courses, the sheets are 4.5″ (.60mm) and the Tacks are a hefty .70mm. The main course tacks go through the chesstree sheaves, the nearby fixed blocks, then belay on the cleats inside the bulwarks – which, btw, took my very longest tweezers, and a generous amount of patience.
The standing end of the main course sheet is seized to an eyebolt on the quarterdeck plansheer, runs up through the sheet block, then back down to my newly added sheave before belaying to a nearby timberhead. Here’s the problem for me – with this arrangement the line is tight against the gun post and definitely chafes against the stay. It is my general approach that anything that rubs, chafes, or fouls deserves a second look. So after doing a little more research (and yet another good clue from B.E.’s Peg build), I found an alternative in Lees. He indicates the use of a lead block in the side above the eyebolt. I chose this alternative with one adjustment – I added my lead block on the channel instead, which provides a little more room and felt more functional to me. Here’s a side by side look.
The starboard side is a mirror to the port side. All lines are once again adjusted together to ensure they clear the stays, etc. Once lines are adjusted they’re held in place with a touch of CA (superglue) to await final coils of rope later.
The fore course (“course” simply means the route of the rigging) is set up very similar – same clue / sheet / crown knot combination. The clue runs the same path, starting with the timber hitch then running through both clue blocks and down to belay at the base of the mast. The tack runs down through the large block at the end of the boomkin then up to a fore timberhead. The standing end of the Fore Course Sheet is seized to an eyebolt below the aft fixed block, through the sheet block, through the fixed block, and belays to the aft cleat in the bulwark.
Once again, all three lines are adjusted until a layout that avoids chafing and binding is achieved. The spritsail clues and sheets are a simplified version. Spritsail clues are 1.5″ (.20mm) and the sheets are 3″ (.40mm). A crown knot is still used, and both the clue line and sheets belay to a cleat at the bow.
A look at the overall run of the sheets and tacks.
The Lehman Shipyard 