NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Spinnaker

A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of very lightweight, usually nylon, fabric, and is often brightly colored. It may be optimised for a particular range of wind angles, as either a reaching or a running spinnaker, by the shaping of the panels and seams. The spinnaker is often called a kite, or a chute (as in cruising chute) because it somewhat resembles a parachute in both construction and appearance. This should not be confused with the spinnaker chute which is a hull fitting sometimes used for launching and recovering the spinnaker. A spinnaker is a type of sail. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1656x1912, 178 KB) Bear of Britain with spinnaker up. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1656x1912, 178 KB) Bear of Britain with spinnaker up. ... Calshot Spit is a one mile long, sand and shingle bank located on the southern bank of the open end of Southampton Water on the south coast of England. ... A gaff-rigged cutter flying a mainsail, staysail and genoa jib For other uses, see Sail (disambiguation). ... For either of the songs named Sailing, see Sailing (song). ... For other uses of this word, see nylon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the device. ... For other uses, see Spinnaker (disambiguation). ...

Operation

A spinnaker is a type of airfoil and will generate lift, if it is flown at a reaching angle. Since the lift and drag generated by the spinnaker both act to move the boat forward, the lift to drag ratio is unimportant^{[citation needed]}. The goal then is to generate the maximum amount of lift possible with no consideration of drag^{[citation needed]}. Because of this, running spinnakers have extreme amounts of camber, making them nearly hemispherical in form. The large camber maximizes the drag. Reaching spinnakers have less camber as they operate partially with an airflow that generates lift. For the kite, see foil kite. ... The lift force, lifting force or simply lift is a mechanical force generated by solid objects as they move through a fluid. ... An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ... The camber in aerospace engineering is the asymmetry between the top and the bottom curves of an airfoil. ... A sphere is a symmetrical geometrical object. ...

A well designed spinnaker will have taut leading edges when filled; leading edges that curl in will both reduce the lift and risk a collapse of the spinnaker. A well designed spinnaker will also have a smooth curve when filled, with no bubbles or depressions caused by inconsistent stretching of the sail fabric. Any deviations from a smooth curve will cause the airflow over the leeward side of the sail to separate, in a reaching spinnaker, causing a reduction in lift and reduced performance. For other uses, see Textile (disambiguation). ... Leeward is the side of a boat away from the direction where the wind is coming (i. ...

When running downwind in heavy weather or when hit by a gust, with or without a spinnaker, there may be a tendency for a roll of increasing amplitude to build up, known as the death roll. It has been shown that this is due to aerodynamic instability of bermuda rigs when running, which can be aggravated by gusts, waves, mainsail twist, daggerboard etc too far down, hull form, and the sailing equivalent of pilot-induced oscillation. Excessive heel leads to loss of rudder effectiveness resulting the boat slewing round uncontrollably in the direction opposite to the direction of heel. This is known as broaching. Aerodynamic instability when running can be countered by easing the pole forward slightly and over-sheeting the spinnaker somewhat to stop it swinging from side to side, by reducing mainsail twist using the boom vang, and by skilfully trimming the mainsheet. Luffing carefully onto a broad reach may help to retain control, as can moving everyone's weight as far aft as possible. Reducing sail should be considered. Running, sailing into dead run, or tailing is sailing within 30 degrees of the direction the wind is blowing. ... In a keel boat, a Death Roll is the act of broaching to windward, putting the spinnaker pole into the water and causing a crash-gybe of the boom and mainsail, which sweep across the deck and plunge down into the water. ... In sailing, a bermuda rig is: A rig of mainsail or course that consists of a triangular sail set aft of the mast, with its head raised to the top of the mast, its luff running down the mast and normally attached to it for all its length, its tack... A daggerboard is a type of centreboard used by various sailing craft. ... Pilot-induced oscillations (PIO) occur when the pilot of an aircraft inadvertently commands an often increasing series of corrections in opposite directions, each an attempt to correct for the previous overcorrection with an overcorrection in the opposite direction. ... Broaching is a sudden change in heading angle of a sailboat, caused by a number of wind/sail interactions. ... 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). ... Points of sail is the term used to describe a sailing boats course in relation to the wind direction. ...

Types of spinnakers

There are two main categories of spinnakers, symmetric and asymmetric depending on whether a plane of symmetry exists for that particular sail. Asymmetric spinnakers operate more like a jib, generating lift from the side, rather than the top like a symmetric spinnaker. This makes asymmetrics a better choice on reaching courses than symmetric spinnakers, which excel when running. While a fully equipped racing boat might have a number of spinnakers, both symmetric and asymmetric, to cover all courses and wind conditions, cruising boats almost always use an asymmetric, due to the broader application and easier handling afforded by the asymmetric. hi

Symmetric Spinnakers

The symmetric one is the most classic type, running symmetrical alongside the boat controlled by lines known as a sheet and a guy running from the lower two corners of the sail. The windward line, or guy, is attached to the corner called the tack of the sail, and is stabilized by a spinnaker pole. The leeward (downwind) line is called the sheet. It attaches to the clew of the spinnaker and is used to control the shape of the sail. The spinnaker pole must be moved in each jibe, and is quite difficult for beginners to use. However, it can be sailed in all downwind wind directions. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1428x1148, 196 KB) The photo was taken by myself at the Kiel Week 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1428x1148, 196 KB) The photo was taken by myself at the Kiel Week 2005. ... The International 420 Class Dinghy is a monohull planing dinghy with centreboard, bermuda rig and centre sheeting. ... 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. ... A guy is a term for a line (rope) attached to and intended to control the end of a spar on a sailboat. ... Tack is a term, that depending on its application has several different meanings. ... A spinnaker pole being used to set a conventional symmetric spinnaker 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. ... Leeward is the side of a boat away from the direction where the wind is coming (i. ... Look up Sheet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term sheet can refer to many different things, though in general it is something that covers a large area but is very thin, such as a sheet of paper, or a bed sheet, or something derived from this meaning. ... In sailing, the clew is the lower aft corner of the sail. ... 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. ...

Symmetric spinnakers when sailing across the wind (reaching) develop most of their lift on the forward quarter, where the airflow remains attached. When correctly set for reaching, the leading edges of a symmetric spinnaker should be nearly parallel to the wind, so the flow of air over the leading edge remains attached. When reaching, the sail camber allows only some attached flow over the leeward side of the spinnaker. On running the spinnaker is angled for maximum drag, with the spinnaker pole at right angles to the apparent wind. The symmetric spinnaker also requires care when packing, since the three corners must be available on the top of the packing.

Asymmetric Spinnakers

The asymmetrical spinnaker is a more recent approach to the spinnaker. Its modern-day origins may lie with the Sydney Harbour 18ft Skiffs and date from at least the late 1980s. The tack of the sail may be attached at the bow like a genoa but is frequently mounted on a bowsprit, often a retracting one. If the spinnaker is mounted to a special bowsprit, it is often possible to fly the spinnaker and the jib at the same time; if not, then the spinnaker will be shadowed by the jib, and the jib should be furled when the spinnaker is in use. ImageMetadata File history File links Asymmetricspinnaker. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Asymmetricspinnaker. ... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ... Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge located on Port Jackson Port Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, also known as Sydney Harbour and is the largest natural harbour in the world. ... The 18ft Skiff is considered the fastest class of sailing skiffs. ... Tack is a term used in sailing that has different meanings in different contexts. ... Bow of the Cruise ship Spirit of Endeavour The bows of lifeboat 17-31 (Severn class) in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England The bow (pronounced to rhyme with how) is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is... A genoa (pronounced like the city, or as jenny) is a type of large headsail used on bermuda rigged craft, commonly the single-masted sloop and twin-masted boats such as yawl and ketch. ... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ...

The asymmetric has two sheets, very much like a jib, but is not attached to the forestay along the length of the luff, but only at the corners. Unlike a spinnaker, the asymmetric does not require a spinnaker pole, since it is fixed to the bow or bowsprit. The asymmetric is very easy to jibe since it only requires releasing one sheet and pulling in the other one, passing the sail in front of the forestay. Asymmetrics are less suited to sailing directly downwind than spinnakers, and so instead the boat will often sail a zig-zag course downwind, gybing at the corners. An asymmetric spinnaker is particularly effective on fast planing dinghies as their speed generates an apparent wind on the bow allowing them to sail more directly downwind. It is also particularly useful in cruising yachts in the form of a cruising spinnaker or cruising chute, where the ease of handling is important and it is less likely to be used with a bowsprit. Various types of asymmetrics exist, and a common nomenclature classifies them by code from 0 to 6. Codes 1, 3, and 5 are reaching sails, and codes 2, 4, and 6 are running sails; the code 0 is a hybrid of genoa and spinnaker, designed to work like a genoa but classified under racing rules as a spinnaker. 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. ... 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. ... V = boat speed, H = head wind, W = true wind, A = apparent wind, a = pointing angle, b = angle of apparent wind Apparent wind is the wind relative to a moving object. ... Downwind refers to a position leeward of another (see Windward and leeward). ...

Spinnakers for cruising boats are starting to be patterned after the roller furling code 0 racing spinnakers, as they provide the easiest handling. North Sails, for example, offers three gennaker sails, based on the racing code 0 asymmetrics, with different sizes and cambers for varying angles and wind speeds. Other manufacturers offer similar cruising code 0 designs under different names, such as the screecher and reacher for upwind and downwind use respectively. Roller furlling is a method of furling or reefing wherein a sail is rolled around a stay or rotating spar. ...

Flying the spinnaker

Since they are only used on certain points of sail, raising and lowering the spinnaker is a task that is often performed while under sail. Due to the size of spinnakers (the spinnaker is often double or more the size of the mainsail) this can be a difficult operation, since the sail will immediately catch the wind.

Rigging the symmetric spinnaker

Typically the symmetric spinnaker is packed in its own bag, called a turtle, with the three corners on top for ready access. The clews (lower corners) are controlled by lines called sheets, which lead from the clews back to the stern of the boat, and serve to control the sail position. Symmetric spinnakers have the windward clew secured to a spinnaker pole which is attached to the mast and holds the windward edge of the sail in position. Lines that control the spinnaker pole are called guys. In small boats, a single line may serve as a combination sheet/guy. The head (top corner) is attached to the spinnaker halyard, which is used to raise the sail up the mast.

The spinnaker pole may be allowed to raise and lower with the force of the wind, or it may have lines attached to it to raise (the topping lift) and lower (the foreguy) the angle of the pole. If these lines are used, they are generally set up before setting sail, and left in place even when the spinnaker is stowed.

Since symmetrics are downwind sails, they are never tacked, they are only jibed. When jibing a symmetric, the pole is moved to the bow, where the sail is detached, and the opposite corner attached. This corner now becomes the windward corner. The guys are adjusted as before to set the sail angle on the new course.

To retrieve the spinnaker, the windward corner is detached from the spinnaker pole, and the guy is released. This allows the spinnaker to collapse into the shadow of the mainsail, where the foot is gathered by a crewmember. The halyard is then lowered, and a crewmember gathers the sail and stuffs it carefully into the turtle, corners out, and ready for the next deployment.

Rigging the asymmetric spinnaker

Like the symmetric, the asymmetric is often stored in a turtle, with the corners on top for easy access. Unlike the symmetric, asymmetrics have the tack attached to the bow or a bowsprit (often retractable), and have two guys attached to the clew. The head of the sail is attached to the spinnaker halyard, which is used to raise the sail. The guys are passed to either side of the forestay, one to each corner; they may be passed outside the tack of the asymmetric, or between the tack and the forestay. The guy on the downwind side of the hull is used to set the angle, and the opposite guy is left slack. Often a tack line is used at leading edge to provide adjustable tension on the luff of the spinnaker. To keep the tack near the centerline of the boat, it may be attached to the forestay with a sliding collar (often riding over the furled jib on parrel beads or similar device). This allows the tack to slide up and down the forestay to adjust the luff tension.^[1] On racing boats, the tack of the asymmetric is often rigged to a retracatble bowsprit, which increases the foretriangle area and prevents interference with the jib. As this trend becomes more popular in racing boats, it may result in similar adaptations to cruising boats as well.^[2] Parrel beads (also spelled parral[1] or parrell) are an element of sailing rigging, usually deployed at the jaws of a gaff on a gaff rigged or gunter rigged craft[2], or on the tack of a spinnaker rigged over a furled jib[3]. A set of parrel beads is... Bowsprit of the Falls of Clyde, showing the dolphin striker, the use of chain for the bobstays, and three furled jibs. ...

Jibing with the asymmetric is much less complex than the symmetric, due to the lack of the spinnaker pole. Much like a jib, all that is required is to change guys--however, since the asymmetric still flies in front of the forestay, the operation is reversed. The sheet is slackened, and the opposite guy is pulled in, which allows the sail to pass around in front of the forestay, and then be sheeted in on the new lee side of the boat.

Retrieving the asymmetric is similar to the process for the symmetric. The guys are released, allowing the sail to collapse to the front of the boat. The foot of the sail is then gathered, and the halyard released and the head of the sail lowered, where it is packed into the turtle.

Dousing socks

The dousing sock, "spinnaker sleeve", snuffer, or just sock, is a device used to make deploying and retrieving the spinnaker a much easier task. The sock is a long fabric tube with a ring in one end to hold it open. Since the spinnaker is stored in the sock, the first step is to set up the sock. Two lines are attached to the sock; one is attached to a bridle on the ring, for pulling the sock down, and one is up the inside, from the ring, through the top, and back down, for raising the sock; these lines may be two ends of the same line, to form a loop. The head of the spinnaker is attached the top of the sock and the ring runs down to the tack. The resulting bundle is stuffed into the spinnaker bag. The top of the sock will have provisions for attaching to the spinnaker halyard.

The spinnaker is raised as normal, but with the sock in place the spinnaker is unable to catch the wind. Once the spinnaker is raised and the guys are ready to set, the sock is raised, releasing the spinnaker. The sock remains bundled up at the head of the sail while the spinnaker is deployed. To retrieve the spinnaker, the sheet or the tack is released and the sock is pulled down, gathering the sail. The halyard is then dropped and the sail may be packed away.

Spinnaker chute

A spinnaker chute is usually a tube or aperture in the deck close to the forestay, for the launching and recovery of the spinnaker. To allow recovery of the spinnaker into the chute, one or more recovery patches are fitted to the spinnaker, to which the tail of the spinnaker halyard is attached or passed through. The spinnaker and its halyard thus form a continuous loop, passing through the chute. 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). ... 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). ...

If the spinnaker chute penetrates the hull and is required to be watertight, it takes the form of a hard tube sealed to the hull at both ends. If a watertight arrangement is not required, a cloth tube may be used to contain the lowered spinnaker.

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Sailing vessels and rigging | Ship construction | Sailboat anatomy | Sailing ship elements | 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 headsail 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. ... For other uses, see Jib (disambiguation). ... 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. ... 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 and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. ... Kevlars molecular structure; BOLD: monomer unit; DASHED: hydrogen bonds. ... 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 being used to set a conventional symmetric spinnaker 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. ... 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. ... 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 inside a shackle 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. ... Parrel beads (also spelled parral[1] or parrell) are an element of sailing rigging, usually deployed at the jaws of a gaff on a gaff rigged or gunter rigged craft[2], or on the tack of a spinnaker rigged over a furled jib[3]. A set of parrel beads is... 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. ...

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