YARD

All yards are either square or lateen; the former of which are suspended across the masts at right angles, and the latter obliquely.

The square yards, fig. I. plate IX. are nearly of a cylindrical surface. They taper from the middle, which is called the slings, towards the extremities which are termed the yard-arms; and the distance between the slings and the yard-arms on each side, is, by the artificers, divided into quarters, which are distinguished into the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms. The middle quarters are formed into eight squares, and each of the end parts is figured like the frustum of a cone. All the yards of a ship are square except that of the mizen.

Plate IX

The proportions for the length of yards, according to the different classes of ships in the British navy, are as follows:

Guns: [ed note: JPEG here]

To apply this rule to practice, suppose the gun-deck 144 proportion for this length is, as, 1000 is to 575, so is 144 to 83; which will be the length of the main-yard in feet, and so of all the rest.

[ ed note: Second JPEG here].

Cross-jack and sprit-sail yards equal to the fore topsail yard.

Sprit-topsail yard equal to the fore top gallant-yard.

The diameters of yards are in the following proportions to their length.

The main and fore yards five sevenths of an inch to a yard. The top sail, cross-jack, and sprit sail yards, nine fourteenths of an inch to one yard. The top gallant, mizen topsail, and spritsail topsail yards, eight thirteenths of an inch to one yard.

The mizen-yard five ninths of an inch to one yard.

All studding-sail booms and yards half an inch to one yard in length.

The lifts of the main-yard are exhibited in the above figure, by g; the horses and their stirrups, by b, i; the reef-tackles and their pendents, by k, l; and the braces and brace-pendents, by m, n. The lateen-yards evidently derive their names from having been peculiar to the ancient Romans. They are usually composed of several pieces fastened together by wooldings, which also serve as steps whereby the sailors climb to the peek, or upper extremity, in order to furl or cast loose the sail.

The mizen-yard of a ship, and the main-yard of a bilander, are hung obliquely on the mast, almost in the same manner as the lateen-yard of a xebec, settee, or polacre. See those articles.

Reference Works