Various items of gear attached to Stavros S Niarchos 's lower topsail yard. Click on the image to read the labels.
English: Further description of the items in this picture: Upper Topsail  Like most late-19th and early-20th century sailing ships, the Stavros S Niarchos has two short topsails per mast instead of one deep one. Multiple smaller sails are easier for a small crew to handle. Upper Topsail clewline  A line hauled from the deck to pull the clew or bottom corner of the sail up to the yard when the sail is stowed. Lower Topsail Lift  On a fixed (non-lifting) yard like Stavros S Niarchos's lower topsail, the lifts can be used to tilt the yard to bring it parallel to the waterline when the ship is heeled over. Because the upper topsail is on a lifting yard, it would get in the way of standard lower topsail lifts running from yardarm to mast. Instead, the lower topsail lifts run through blocks on the upper topsail yardarms, and must be released while the upper topsail yard is moved. Upper Topsail Sheet  The sheet is hauled in when the sail is set, to pull the clew down to the yard below. Clew Gasket  A line used when stowing the sail (the one in the picture is for the lower topsail). When the clewline is hauled in, the clew (lower corner) of the sail will be drawn up level with the bottom of the wooden block (pulley). A sailor at the end of the yard will reach down and pass the clew gasket through the ring on the clew of the sail (the equivalent ring on the upper topsail is visible in the picture). The clew gasket is then hauled taut to bring the clew of the sail up past the block and in front of the yard, enabling a neater stow of the sail and taking the load off the clewline. When not in use (because the sail is set) the clew gasket is made into a small en:gasket coil as shown in the picture. en:Footrope  A line stretching along the underneath of the yard on which sailors stand while working. The short piece of footrope visible here is only the end, where it is made fast. See the image here for a better idea. en:Flemish horse  A small auxiliary footrope at the outer end of the yard. Brace  A line leading en:aft and down to the deck, used to change the angle of the yard according to the ship's heading relative to the wind. Gasket  A line used to hold the sail in place after it has been hauled up and stowed on top of the yard. Roband  A small lashing used to attach the head of the sail to the jackstay on the yard. Jackstays  Steel bars attached to the top of the yard. The sail is bent (attached) to the forward jackstay. The aft jackstay is used to make fast the gaskets, and also for the crew to hold onto. Lower Topsail clewline  As for the upper topsail clewline above. However, note that this clewline uses a block at the yardarm and at the clew, to reduce the force needed to haul it in. Buntline  A line attached to the foot of the sail then led up to the yard and then down to the deck. It is used along with the clewlines to gather the sail up to the yard before stowing it. Lower Topsail  The lower of the two topsails on the mainmast. This sail, together with the fore-lower-topsail, is the first canvas to be set and the last to be taken in. No other sails will be set without the lower topsail. Photo and annotations by Pete Verdon