Hitches for bowline bridles
|
Top Rope
|
The purpose of the bowlines was to keep the weather leech well out when sailing close-hauled. Many ship historians have supposed that ships of the ancient Greeks and Romans had bowlines, although they cannot prove it. Reliable evidence of their existence dates from the early 13th century.
The bearing out spar. Before bowlines were introduced the Viking ships and ships of the early Middle Ages carried bearing opt spars in their ships. This was a
wooden spar with a shoulder at its outboard end, which was plugged into a cringle in the leech rope. There were two wooden blocks with round depressions fixed inside the bulwarks, and level with the mast; the lower end of the spar was stepped in these, and by this means sail was spread forward.
Bowlines
The run of the bowlines is usually shown clearly on the rigging plans. The bowline bridles were hitched to the cringles of the leech ropes toggled after 1819. Until the late 15th century the bowlines were attached to the leech of the sail with two or at most three bridles. In the 16th century the number of bowline bridles increased dramatically in some areas, while in the early 17th century the number was reduced again as follows: courses three bridles, or if a bonnet was fitted, four bridles, the lowest of which was attached to the bonnet; fore topsail three or four bridles, main topsail four bridles, mizen topsail two or three bridles, topgallant sails two bridles. The bridles were joined together by means of spliced eyes, thimbles, or more rarely small blocks.
In the second half of the 19th century the bowlines disappeared.
The top rope was used to hoist and lower the topmasts. It was hooked under the underside of the cap, reeved through the sheave at the foot of the topmast, up through a block, which was hooked to the cap, and down to the deck. On a model the top rope can be omitted, as it was only used when sending up or striking the topmast, and was only rigged at those times. The only traces to be seen are two or four ringbolts on the underside of the cap.
|