page_title: Yard (sailing)
section_title: Controlling the yard
hierarchical_section_title: Yard (sailing) / Controlling the yard
caption_attribution_description: English: A picture of a square rigged ship I shot at Ostend, Belgium during the "Oostende Voor Anker"-event (28-30 May 2010). The picture clearly shows that the yards of the vessel move with the wind. This allows the yards to direct themselves better to the wind, and thus increase efficiency of the sails. Note that besides yards, there are also other rigging arrangements that allow the sails to move autonomously depending on the winddirection. An example is the rigging used at the Reaper ship.
context_page_description: A yard is a spar on a mast from which sails are set. It may be constructed of timber or steel or from more modern materials like aluminium or carbon fibre. Although some types of fore and aft rigs have yards, the term is usually used to describe the horizontal spars used on square rigged sails. In addition, for some decades after square sails were generally dispensed with, some yards were retained for deploying wireless aerials and signal flags.
context_section_description: The yard can rotate around the mast to allow the direction of the vessel to be changed relative to the wind. When running directly downwind the yards are 'squared', pointing perpendicular to the ship's centre line. As the ship is steered closer to the wind the yards are braced round using the braces. When further rotation is obstructed by other bits of rigging (typically the shrouds), the yard is said to be braced "hard round" or "sharp up", as in "sharp up to port". This angle (normally about 60 degrees) limits how close to the wind a square rigged ship can sail.
  The yards represent a considerable weight high above the vessel's centre of gravity; to increase stability, especially in heavy weather, some means is normally provided to lower some of the yards when they are not being used to set sails. In nineteenth-century warships (where a large crew was available) this was generally by physically "sending down" the upper yards from the masts and storing them on deck--along with, in many cases, the upper sections of the mast itself. Merchant ships in the age of sail would also do this before sailing in the Southern Ocean. On modern tall ships the yards are not designed to be sent down on deck, but 'lifting yards' that can be raised and lowered along a short section of mast using a halyard are often used.
caption: The yards are mounted on the mast in such a fashion as to allow free movement under the control of lifts and braces. The sail on this yard is "in its gear" (see Setting section)--it is hanging below the yard but still folded up rather than spread to the wind.
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