Pirates & galleons
Sailing a galleon
Both galleons and pirate ships relied solely on the power of the wind to move them forward. The sails were designed to get maximum advantage from the wind. By adjusting the position of the sails, the ship could change direction. The sails were attached to the masts by horizontal beams called yards. Ropes, called lifts, held them in place. Other ropes, known as halyards, hoisted the sails into position. The crew climbed up and down the rigging to furl or unfurl the sails, to reach the crow’s nest, or to attack invaders on the deck below.
Rigging
The ship’s sails, together with the ropes used to adjust them, were called the rigging. A sail was attached to the mast on a horizontal yard, held in place by ties and lifts. It was hoisted into place by halyards. Men climbed up and down the rigging on rope ladders, called ratlines. The galleon had three masts. From the bow (front of the ship) they were the foremast, mainmast and mizzen mast. The standing rigging held the masts securely in position. They consisted of ropes called shrouds, which attached the masts to the ship’s sides, and stays, which ran between the masts.
Running rigging took its name from the blocks and pulleys through which the ropes ran. These ropes included the halyards, which hoisted the yard up the mast, sheets, which kept the sails taut, and braces, which swung the yard left or right. Clewlines bunched the sail up against the yard when it was furled.
Adjusting the sails
The foremast and mainmast each carried two square sails; the mizzen mast carried one square sail and a triangular, or lateen, sail. To change direction when the wind was constant, or to maintain a steady course when the wind itself changed direction, the position of the sails had to be adjusted. Braces, ropes attached to the ends of the yards, were used to swing them around. Keeping the sails braced at right angles to the wind would enable the ship to travel in the same direction as the wind. By bracing sails parallel to the direction the wind was blowing, the ship could be slowed down.
Parrel
The sails were fastened to the yards by loops of rope called robbands. The yards themselves were mounted on the masts using a swivel device called a parrel. This allowed the yards—and so the sails attached—to be adjusted to the position required.
Controlling the ship
To alter course, the square sails were adjusted in a clockwise direction to turn left or in an anticlockwise direction to turn right. Unfurling the lateen sail would help to catch the wind so the ship swung round smoothly. Adjusting the sails to a sharper angle caused the ship to make a tighter turn. Furling, or shortening, the sails helped to slow the ship down by reducing the area of sail open to the wind.
Helmsman
The ship was steered by adjusting both sails and rudder. The rudder was controlled by the helmsman. He held a long handle, called a whipstaff, linked to the rudder by at the back of the ship through a series of linked wooden rods. The helmsman stood on a platform below deck (out of sight from enemy snipers) with a view of the sails through a hole in the ceiling. He received instructions from the pilot.
