Basic Lesson- the RIG

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Just like any other complicated machine, we divide sailboats into components, systems, subsystems, etc etc.

The two main parts are the HULL and the RIG. Guess which one this lesson is about!







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At the risk of making this seem too easy, let's continue with the obvious... we have some big flappy pieces of cloth up in the air...


Our boats have 2 sails. The bigger one is the MAIN sail which is why we call it the mainsail, the smaller one in front is the JIB.



This arrangement of sails is called the SLOOP rig (link to GLOSSARY). Sloops have one mast, and mainsail & jib.

Sailboats can have more than one mast, or a single mast & more than one jib, no jib at all, etc etc. Can a boat with two masts be a sloop?

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Now let's look at what holds the sails up in the air.

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The pole-thing is the MAST. The other one is the BOOM. These are called SPARS

The word SPAR has several meanings (isn't English a great language)- it is a mineral, it means to practice fighting, and it means a special kind of long skinny pole-like structure.

Our SLOOPs have wires holding the mast up. These are the STANDING RIGGING. Although we generally don't work with this on sailing days, to be a qualified sailor you must know the basic rigging.

Just like most words have more than one meaning, here are some boat parts with more than one word for their proper name: the FORESTAY may also be called the HEADSTAY, the SIDESTAY may also be called the SHROUD.

The STANDING RIGGING helps the rig stand up. It also does not move... most of the time... when sailing. But the sails have to be hoisted & adjusted. So we need more rigging to make the sails move.

We call this the RUNNING RIGGING. The two most important parts of the running rigging are the HALYARDs and SHEETs.

Halyards make the sails go up & down.

Sheets adjust the angle of the sails to the boat, and to the wind. In our boats, the sheets are held in the sailors hand to make sure you are in control of the sail.




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The big white piece of cloth is NOT the sheet... the sheet is a rope!

All ropes on sailboats have special names, so don't call it a rope !!!

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More details of the RUNNING RIGGING- here is a look at the JIB's running rigging.

We see the halyard (red) & it's CLEAT (near the bottom of the mast), we see that the jib has 2 sheets... one to each side.

The crew will normally control the jib while sailing. It's important to trim the jib on the correct side, and also not get the sheets tangled.



New Word: CLEAT (link to GLOSSARY) A "cleat" is some kind of device that holds a rope in place. There are several kinds of cleats, and our simple boats have 4 or more.





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Last but not least, the MAINSAIL. It has only one sheet, but it has a number of additional ropes to control it.

In this diagram, the MAIN HALYARD is blue. It also has a cleat, near the bottom on the mast. In our boats, the main halyard is cleated to the starboard side of the mast.

The mainsail has an OUT HAUL to pull it tight along the boom, and a VANG to pull the boom down. These are not normally adjusted for basic sailing, but it is important to remember them when rigging the boat.


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Did this lesson seem very simple?  (link to GLOSSARY)  Here is an outline of the terminology covered:
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Standing Rigging: Forestay, Sidestay, Spreader, Shroud, Headstay
Spars: mast, boom
Sloop: Mainsail, Jib

Running Rigging: Main halyard, Jib halyard, Main sheet, Jib sheets, Outhaul, Vang, Cleat

Here is the next lesson on the RIG (link)

Here is another important lesson, hopefully you have already passed the Capsize Drill (link)

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King


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