Many people today do not know what the difference was between these two types of ships. It is guessed that perhaps the nef was steered with a side rudder, the cog with a stern rudder. Mediterranean ships at the time of King Henry's English Warship - The Esnecca, still looked very Roman, with their common low bows and high sterns, but they had one or two definite masts now that were rigged with triangular sails on very long yards. The people who lived on the southern part of Great Britian tightened their shrouds with tackle rather than with deadeyes. Rope rigged between pulleys to increase pull is called tackle.
Deadeyes work the same, but have only holes in wooden blocks instead of pulleys.
This page created and maintained by Jeffrey T. Crites .