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A yardarm (often shortened to just yard) is a horizontal spar on a mast from which square sails are rigged. The yardarm is normally constructed of wood or metal. Numerous bits of standing and running rigging are attached to the yardarm to allow the crew to work aloft and to control the sails.
Controlling the yard To allow the direction of the vessel relative to the wind to be changed the yard can rotate around the mast. When running directly downwind the yards are 'squared', pointing perpendicular to the ship's centre line. As the ship wants to sail closer to the wind the yards are braced around using the braces. When further rotation is obstructed by other bits of rigging (typically the shrouds), the yard is said to be braced hard round. This angle (normally about 45 degrees) limits how close to the wind a square rigged ship can sail.
The yards represent a considerable weight high above the vessel's centre of gravity. To increase stability, especially in heavy weather, some means is normally provided to lower the yards when they are not being used to set sails. In Nineteenth century warships (where a large crew was available) this was generally by physically taking the upper yards down from the masts and storing them on deck - along with, in many cases, the upper sections of the mast itself. Merchant ships in the age of sail would also do this before sailing in the Southern Ocean. On modern tall ships the yards are not designed to be brought down on deck, but 'lifting yards' that can be raised and lowered along a short section of mast are often used.
Setting square sails The yardarm exists to allow square sails to be set to drive the ship. The top edge of the sail is 'bent on' (attached) to the yard semi-permanently. Clewlines (attached to the clews - the bottom corner of the sail) and buntlines (attached to the bunt - bottom edge - of the sail) run up the yard and from there to the mast and down to deck. These allow the bottom of the sail to be hoisted up to the yard, so the sail is effectively folded in two. In this state the sail is said to be "in its gear", that is ready for setting or stowing. To set the sail the clewlines and buntlines are let go, and the sheets (attached to the bottom corner of the sail and leading straight down to deck) are adjusted to shape the sail to best catch the wind. For lifting yards the yard must be hauled up to the top of its travel to set the sail.
To stow (hand) the sail the sheets are released and the clewlines and buntlines are pulled tight. The sail folds in half and no longer catches the wind. The crew must then go out along the yardarm in order to bundle the sail up tightly and tie it down with gaskets. To do this the crew stand in footropes suspended beneath the yardarm and balance themselves between that and the yard itself. The person working at the end of the yard has a separate footrope known as the flemish horse. On modern ships a steel wire jackstay runs along the length of the yard, onto which the crew clip their safety harnesses. During the age of sail no such provision was made, and falling from the yard was a real risk.
Manning the yards When coming into port, especially during the Tall Ships' Races many modern square riggers will 'man the yards'. All the crew not required on deck to handle the ship will go aloft and spread out along the yards. The Mexican Navy's training ship Cuauhtémoc is famous for manning its yards with its crew standing ontop of the yards, rather than in footropes.
"Sun over the yardarm" In sailing tradition, when the sun's orb is over the foreyardarm when viewed from the quarterdeck, it is acceptable to begin drinking.
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