Francis Liardet: Professional Recollections on Points of Seamanship, Discipline, &c., 1849.

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Setting up lower rigging, with rolling motion.

If you are obliged to set up rigging when the ship has rolling motion, after you have stayed your masts, if they should require it, you should set your rigging by pairs, never slacking the second pair of shrouds, until the first pair are secured, and so on, but of course, all in proportion to the rolling motion: if the ship roll much, and you cannot help setting the rigging up, top-gallant yards, masts, and all unnecessary weights had better be sent on deck, and tackles put on all the shrouds on one mast, at the same time, having good salvage nippers and heavers ready for the laniards of each shroud, to assist the racking in bringing-to and securing, minding to take the measure between each dead-eye; bring-to your laniards, keeping the bight of the laniard fast round the shroud, but still quite clear for hauling taut the tackles together; when the slack of all the tackles are in, slip the bights of the laniards together, and when every tackle has a taut, heavy, and equal strain, and the ship the least motion, cast off or cut all the rackings together, and pull up every shroud at the same time, attending particularly to the marks for each shroud; when your rigging is sufficiently taut and marks right, rack and secure the laniards in every possible manner. When done, come up the foremost half of the laniards on each side together, then secure them; when done, do the same to the other half. Then, when all is well secured, take the next mast and do the same. I have every reason to believe, that under all circumstances, it would be advisable to set up the shrouds by pairs, as by so doing, you would stand a better chance of making the eyes of the rigging lie fair, and avoid that see-saw on the seizings of the eyes of the rigging. I have generally seen the best seamen set up rigging by pairs of shrouds. It is certainly a much quicker way, and in my humble opinion a more seamanlike manner of doing it. If you are obliged to turn in your rigging afresh under the above circumstances, do not on any account come up above half your rigging on either mast at the same time; and when the first half is ready, you had better set up all the newly turned in shrouds together, one mast at a time, or as you think best, according to circumstances. When you have secured your newly turned in shrouds, then cast off and turn in, in pairs, or altogether, as you think proper.

Francis Liardet: Professional Recollections on Points of Seamanship, Discipline, &c.
William Woodward, Portsea, 1849. 8vo, frontisp., (6), x, 319 pp, 1 col. plate of signals.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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