Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/54

 lowered. On most yachts, however, nowadays, wire topmast shrouds are used instead of hemp ones, each shroud having two joints, so that when the topmast is housed, the lowest joint is unshackled and stowed away, and the upper joint, being just of the right length, is set up with the tackle or lanyards.

There are various tackle and purchases employed on a yacht's rigging, by which mechanical advantage is gained; but of course what is gained in power is lost in time. Thus a system of pulleys that enables a pull of five pounds to raise fifty pounds, involves the hauling of ten times the length of rope through the blocks than would be the case were no purchase used. On a small yacht, therefore, where it is important that sails should be hoisted and lowered quickly, no purchase should be more powerful than is absolutely necessary, that is, it should just enable one man to do the particular work for which it is employed. To over-*block a little yacht entails a delay in every operation, and an increased risk of ropes jamming.

The following are the tackles and purchases in common use on small yachts:—

The (Fig. 33) has a single block. This is the purchase employed for the fore and jib halyards of a small cutter; the block, as is explained in the chapter on a cutter's rigging, being hooked on to the cringle of the sail. A pull