Footrope

Footrope

Each yard on a square rigged sailing ship is equipped with a footrope for sailors to stand on while setting or stowing the sails. The alternative term horse is sometimes seen, especially in older writings.

Although square sails are mostly worked from the deck, in order to be properly stowed (and released from this stowage) they must be folded by hand and tied to the yard with gaskets. This requires sailors to go aloft, during which time they stand on the footropes. The ropes are made of either fibre or wire, and are almost always protected from wear by being wormed, parcelled and served, so that the visible outer coating is of tarred thin line. They are attached to the yard via the jackstays or "handrails" to which the sails are also fastened, tied on with many turns of thin line. The inner parts of the footrope are held up towards the yard by vertical lines called stirrups; one of these is visible in the picture on the right. Also visible is the flemish horse that the outermost sailor stands on; because this yard is quite small the flemish horse actually extends fairly close to the centre.

Sailors get onto the footropes from the ratlines up the mast. Lower down, where everything is bigger, there may be a small length of footrope bridging the gap between ratlines and yard; this is especially necessary on the windward side when the yards are braced hard round, as the gap becomes quite large. Because the yard must be free to move, this footrope is rather loose and hence unstable. Higher up the gap is small enough to step across, though it may be a stretch when hard-braced. Since the footrope will react to the extra weight placed on it, the practice on some ships is to call "stepping on port" (or starboard) before getting on, to warn those already using it.

Once on the yard, modern sailors are able to clip their harnesses onto a safety wire that runs along it (on most ships they will have been unsecured until this point) - in the past, crews enjoyed no such protection. The sailors will now edge out along the footrope until they are spread evenly along the yard. Leaning forwards over the yard helps with balancing on the footrope, but where the buntlines come down to the yard it is necessary to lean back or crouch down to get around them. The outermost member of the crew must step off the footrope (calling "stepping off starboard" (or port) if that is the practice) across a small gap onto the flemish horse in order to reach the end of the yard where the clew of the sail is to be hauled up or let go.

Because the footrope provides a rather narrow area to stand on, it can cause sore feet after a while. Modern sailors joining a tall ship are advised to take footwear with a solid sole that will spread the load, rather than the flexible deck shoes and seaboots used on yachts.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Footrope — Foot rope , n. (Aut.) (a) The rope rigged below a yard, upon which men stand when reefing or furling; formerly called a {horse}. (b) That part of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewed. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • footrope — [foot′rōp΄] n. 1. the part of a boltrope sewn into the lower edge of the sail 2. a piece of wire rope supported beneath a yard, upon which sailors stand when furling or reefing sail …   English World dictionary

  • footrope — noun Date: 1769 1. the part of a boltrope sewed to the lower edge of a sail 2. a rope rigged below a yard for crew members to stand on …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • footrope — the weighted rope at the lower edge of a gill, drift, tangle, trawl or trammel net. See also ground rope and foot line …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • footrope — /foot rohp /, n. Naut. 1. the portion of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewn. 2. a rope suspended a few feet beneath a yard, bowsprit, jib boom, or spanker boom to give a footing for a person handling sails. [1765 75; FOOT +… …   Universalium

  • footrope — noun a) a rope attached to the lower part of a sail b) a rope attached to a yard that sailors stood on to stabilize it when furling or reefing …   Wiktionary

  • footrope — foot•rope [[t]ˈfʊtˌroʊp[/t]] n. 1) navig. the portion of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewn 2) navig. a rope suspended beneath a yard or spar to give a footing for a person handling sails • Etymology: 1765–75 …   From formal English to slang

  • footrope — /ˈfʊtroʊp/ (say footrohp) noun Nautical 1. the portion of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewn. 2. a rope extended under a yard, for the crew members to stand on while reefing or furling …  

  • footrope — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun 1. : a rope rigged below a yard for men to stand on when reefing or furling see ship illustration 2. : the part of a boltrope sewed to the lower edge of a sail * * * /foot rohp /, n. Naut. 1. the portion of the boltrope to which… …   Useful english dictionary

  • foot line — footrope …   Dictionary of ichthyology

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