As the name implies, the yard tackles are similar to the main stay tackles in that their primary purpose is to facilitate hauling gear and supplies aboard the ship. Situated on the ends of the main and fore lower yards, they’re able to serve as cranes as they yards swing back and forth. The tricing lines are used to manipulate the yard tacks and stow them when they’re not in use. Similar to other rigging, there are a number of different variants to tackle rigging depending on the time frame, ship size, and even author of reference material. There doesn’t seem to be much debate as to the fact that the tackles (that end in a block and hook) are stowed against the futtock shrouds in most cases when not in use. This method is illustrated In both Lees’ The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War as well as shown on contemporary models. The tackle itself is 2.5″ (.30mm) line with a 9″ (3.5mm) single block stopped with a hook at the lower end of the fall. The standing end of the tackle starts with the single block, runs through the smaller end of the yard tackle violin block (on the pendant) back up through the single with the hook, down through the larger end of the violin, then back up to coil and hold fast at the futtocks.
I then coated all the parts with diluted pva and hung clips about to help it hang naturally. Notice the above image contains the outer tricing line. Let me address that. First, the tricing lines are all .15mm line. There are a couple of different variations of what to do with them. According to the Fully Framed Model, the outer tricing line attaches to the end of the yard pendant’s violin block, runs through the outer tricing line block, then up to at cleat at the mast cap. I ran this line and it looks really funky to me and just begged being fouled. It also seems pretty impractical in terms of actually manipulating the tricing line. Lees has the tricing line for the fore yard going through the outer block and then “belaying to the fore topsail sheer bitts next to the upright.” That’s what I’ve done here:
While this appears to be much more functional in terms of usage – it still looks really awkward with the line crossing the entire fore deck as it descends from the yard to the bitt. Then, I consulted Marquardt’s Eighteenth Century Rigs & Rigging where on page 73 he says “the outer tricing line was spliced to the upper strop of the [violin block] ran through the lead block fastened to the yard … then through another [block] at the catharpins height lashed to the shrouds to belay finally in the lower shrouds.” This arrangement is the one that resonated with me the most compared to the other two and is eminently functional and practical. So I removed the line pictured above, attached the single block (using a 2.5mm) to the shrouds at the catharpins and ran the outer tricing line as described.
The outer tricing is belayed to the second shroud cleat leaving the outer one for the inner tricing line. The inner line is run based on the FFM’s description – attached to the tackle at the single block with the hook, run through the inner block on the yard, then down to the outer shroud cleat.
The main yard is a mirror of the fore yard. Here are some additional photos showing the layout with the new single block attached to the shroud at the catharpins for the outer tricing line and then each element of both tricing lines finally belaying on the shroud cleats.
The Lehman Shipyard 