NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Backstay

On a sailing vessel, a backstay is a piece of standing rigging which runs from the mast to the transom of the boat, counteracting the forestay and jib. The backstay is an important sail trim control and has a direct effect on the shape of the mainsail and the headsail. For either of the songs named Sailing, see Sailing (song). ... On a sailing boat, the standing rigging is that collection of lines which are fixed. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... Transom (probably a corruption of Latin transtrum, a thwart, in a boat; equivalents are French traverse, croisillon, German Losholz) is the architectural term given to the horizontal lintel or beam which is framed across a window, dividing it into stages or heights. ... On a sailing vessel, a forestay is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. ... A typical jib on a small yacht A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremost mast of a sailing boat. ... A mainsail is the most important sail raised from the main (or only) mast of a sailing vessel. ... A headsail is any sail set forward of the foremost mast of a sailing vessel. ...

Types of backstays

There are two general categories of backstay: The permanent backstay is attached to the top of the mast. The running backstay is attached about two-thirds of the way up the mast (sometimes at multiple locations along the length of the mast). In general, most modern sailboats will have a permanent backstay and some will have a permanent backstay combined with a running backstay. Backstays are not always found on all vessels, especially smaller ones.

A permanent backstay is attached at the top of the mast and may or may not be readily adjustable. In a mast head rig, tensioning the permanent backstay will directly tension the forestay. This control is used to adjust the amount of "sag" in the headsail. In a fractional rig, tensioning the permanent backstay will have two effects: First, the forestay is tensioned (controls sag in headsail) and second, the mast bend is increased, particularly in the upper one-half to one-third of the mast. Increased mast bend tends to reduce the draft (camber) of the mainsail. A fractional rig on a sailing vessel consists of a jib or genoa sail that does not reach all the way to the top of the mast. ... Camber may refer to: Camber, East Sussex, a seaside resort in England, near to Camber Sands. ...

A running backstay always attaches to the mast at a point below the top of the mast and is generally used in conjunction with a permanent backstay. Running backstays are found on both masthead rigs and fractional rigs. There are some rigs for which running backstays may be used without a permanent backstay. This occurs most often where the mainsail has significant roach; here, a permanent backstay would interfere with the operation of the mainsail. As a direct consequence of its attachment point (below the top of the mast) a running backstay is always adjustable because it must be manually engaged and disengaged during every tack or jibe. Adjusting the tension on the running backstay has two effects: First, the forestay is tensioned (controls sag in headsail) and Second, mast bend is reduced (the mast becomes straighter). The overall effect of tensioning the running backstay is a deeper mainsail (more camber) combined with a reduction in headsail sag. If the running backstays leads to the mast where the forestay attaches, the effect of tensioning them will be as follows. Again the forestay is tensioned reducing sag in the headsail and second, mast bend is increased with flattening of the mainsail as a result. Both effects are desirable as the wind increases. diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... Tack is a term, that depending on its application has several different meanings. ... A jibe or gybe is when a sailing boat (yacht) turns its stern through the wind, such that the direction of the wind changes from one side of the boat to the other. ...

Backstays are generally adjusted by means of "block and tackle", hydraulic adjusters or by lines leading to winches. This block and tackle on a davit of the Mercator is used to help lower a boat. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...

Backstays as Antennae

On modern oceangoing yachts, the backstay is also commonly used as an antenna for Marine SSB radios and/or an amateur radio. Now this is accomplished by placing structural insulators at either end of the backstay. Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD display and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is a hobby that uses various types of radio broadcasting equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... Insulators are materials which prevent the flow of heat (thermal insulators) or electric charge (electrical insulators). ...

Categories: Sailing vessels and rigging | Nautical terms A gaff-rigged cutter flying a mainsail, staysail and genoa jib For other uses, see Sail (disambiguation). ... This article is about the convenience store. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In sailing, a course sail is the principal sail on a mast. ... A driver is a kind of sail used on some sailboats. ... In sailing, an extra is a sail that is not part of the working sail plan. ... A genoa (pronounced like the city, or as jenny) is a type of large jib-sail used on bermuda rigged craft, commonly the single-masted sloop and twin-masted boats such as yawl and ketch. ... A gennaker is a downwind sail that can be described as a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. ... A typical jib on a small yacht A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremost mast of a sailing boat. ... A vessel (xebec) with three lateens Dhow with lateen sail in bad tack with the sail pressing against the mast, in Mozambique. ... A mainsail is the most important sail raised from the main (or only) mast of a sailing vessel. ... A moonsail, sailing on the moon also known as a moonraker or hope-in-heaven, is a sail flown immediately above the skysail (see sail-plan) on the very top of the royal mast on large, square rigged sailing ships. ... A royal is a sail flown immediately above the topgallant, below the skysail on the royal mast on square rigged sailing ships. ... A moonsail, also known as a skysail or moonraker, is a sail flown immediately above the royals (see sail-plan) on large, square rigged sailing ships. ... A spanker is either of two kinds of sail. ... It has been suggested that gennaker be merged into this article or section. ... A form of sailing rig mainly employed on the Thames Sailing Barge, which uses two similarly sized spars to form the framework for the sail area. ... A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff is affixed to a stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast. ... USS Monongahela with a full set of studding sails set A studding sail or studsail is a sail used to increase the sail area of a square rigged vessel in light winds. ... A spanker is either of two kinds of sail. ... On a square rigged sailing vessel, a topgallant sail is the square-rigged sail or sails immediately above the topsail or topsails. ... A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. ... A small fore-and-aft sail hoisted abaft the foremast and mainmast in a storm to keep a ships bow to the wind. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... diagram showing the names of the parts of a sail The lower edge of a triangular sail is called the foot of the sail, while the upper point is known as the head. ... Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET, PETE or the obsolete PETP or PET-P) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family that produced by the chemical industry and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. ... Chemical structure of Kevlar. ... Chemical structure of Kevlar. ... In sailing, a boom is a spar (pole) usually made of aluminum or wood, is connected to the foot of the mainsail and allows the crew to control the angle of the sail to the wind. ... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the mainsail is a four-cornered fore-and-aft rigged sail controlled at its head by a spar called the gaff. ... First Navy Jack being raised on a jackstaff A jackstaff is a small vertical spar (pole) in the bow of a ship, on which a particular type of flag, know as a jack, is flown. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... Jury rigging (or jerry rigging) refers to makeshift repairs or substitutes, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... mizzen mast, mainmast and foremast Grand Turk The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... A masthead truck is a nautical term for a wooden cap at the top of a mast, with holes in it through which halyards are passed. ... A spinnaker pole is a spar used in sailboats (both dinghys and yachts) to help support and control a variety of headsails, particularly the spinnaker. ... A traditional ships mast, consisting of lower (ie Main-, Fore- or Mizzen-) mast, topmast and topgallant/royal mast. ... The fore royal yard on the Prince William. ... In sailing, a block is a pulley or a number of pulleys enclosed in sheaves so as to be fixed to the end of a line or to a spar or surface. ... A boom vang is an item of rigging in a sail-powered vessel (usually small ones, but it is sometimes found on larger ones as well). ... The starboard main-brace and main-topsail-braces are clearly visible over the sea in this photo of the Prince Williams bridge and stern deck from her masthead. ... Clewlines and buntlines are lines used to handle the sails of a square rigged ship. ... A digram showing three cleats. ... A clevis pin A clevis pin is a type of fastener that will allow rotation of the connected parts about the axis of the pin. ... Clewlines and buntlines are lines used to handle the sails of a square rigged ship. ... In sailing, a cunningham or cunninghams eye is a type of downhaul used on a Bermuda rigged sailboat to change the shape of a sail. ... The downhaul is a line (or rope) which is part of the rigging on a sailboat; it applies downward force on a spar or sail. ... On a sailing vessel, a forestay is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. ... A gasket holding the main-royal on a modern square-rigged training ship. ... Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Stub ... A guy is a term for a line (rope) attached to and intended to control the end of a spar on a sailboat. ... In sailing, a halyard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist (pull up) a sail or a yard to which a sail has been attached (bent on). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Parrell beads are an element of sailing rigging, usually deployed at the jaws of a gaff on a gaff rigged or gunter rigged craft A set of parrell beads is formed from small balls, size depending in the application, threaded on a piece of small line and secured with a... In sailing, the peak halyard (or peak for short) is a line that raises the end of a gaff further from the mast, as opposed to the throat halyard which raises the end nearer to the mast. ... A Preventer is a mechanical device on a sailing vessel which limits the booms ability to swing dangerously across the boat during an accidental gybe. ... Ratlines, pronounced rattlins, are lengths of thin line tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. ... Running rigging is the term for the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering and controlling the sails - as opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and other spars. ... A shackle is a U-shaped piece of metal secured with a pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism. ... On a sailing boat, the standing rigging is that collection of lines which are fixed. ... The piece of chain running diagonally up and right from the bottom-left of this picture to the upper of the two yards is the fore-lower-topsail sheet. ... On a sailboat, the shrouds are pieces of standing rigging which hold the mast up from side to side. ... On a sailing ship, stay mouse refers to the bulge in a part of the standing rigging called a stay. ... Stays are the heavy ropes on sailing vessels that run from the masts to the hull. ... In sailing, the throat halyard (or throat for short) is a line that raises the end of a gaff nearer to the mast, as opposed to the peak halyard which raises the end further from the mast. ... The topping lift (more rarely known as an uphaul) is a line which is part of the rigging on a sailboat; it applies upward force on a spar or boom. ... A 49er with both skipper and crew on the trapeze In Sailing, the trapeze refers to a wire that comes from a point high on the mast, usually where the shrouds are fixed, to a hook on the crew members harness at approximately waist level. ...