Barges on the Blackwater Video

AntarcticPilot said:
I know little or nothing about the subtleties of the Spritsail rig, but I don't understand why both of them have their topsail set, but the main brailed up, or partly brailed up. I'd have thought that it would be better to lower the topsail and use the full main, especially as both had their jibs set. Can someone better informed about the subtleties of sailing barges enlighten me?
Click to expand...
Hi AP,

The topsail is the most versatile sail on a barge, the first one you set and the last to be stowed. The order "Heave out yer tawps'l!" marks the beginning of a mates working day as he lets go the clewline from its cleat on the starboard shrouds and hauls on the topsail sheet to get the clew somewhere near the sprit head, before winching it home with the mast case winch. Then he hauls on the halyard the other side of the mast to
hoist the sail before tacking it down with a purchase just aft of the mast case. Of course, he had the earlier pleasure of a trip up the starboard ratlines to take off the gasket, which secures the topsail to the shrouds to stow it properly. Today, he's lucky because the sails are not dressed with the foul smelling mixture of fish oil and ochre which was used well into the 1970's and left you looking like a red indian after doing battle with a sail at close quarters.

Once the topsail is flapping gently in the early morning breeze, the skipper might deign to ease the vangs so it doesn't draw, it's time to get on the windlass and haul the barge back to the anchor you dropped, imperilling your hands and forearms, the evening before. 30 minutes of hard winding later, the cable may be almost up and down and the skipper will have walked forward to check if he thinks its ready to be sailed out - its normal for him to request another 20 turns after which you put the bowline on the foresail and heave on its halyard to set it aback. As the foresail drives her head off the wind, the topsail fills and with the order l"Let draw!" you let go the bowline and the foresail slams across its horse to fill and you're sailing, with the anchor dragging freely so its back to the windlass, but now much easier as your not hauling the barge to the anchor against wind and tide, just collecting the last few fathoms of cable and the anchor itself. The barge actually sails very well on all points with just topsail and foresail but, if he's in a hurry, the old man will have set his diddy little mizzen himself and as you walk aft he will be asking "Where's me mains'l then?"

And so it carries on for a long day, until, with just the topsail set, the guvnor decides he's found the right patch to order "Let go!" and you once more risk your forward limbs as the cable rattles out and splinters fly from the alternate hardwood and softwood boards that make up the windlass barrel. once you've managed to get the required scope of chain overboard, it snatches taut for the umpteenth time and the barge swings to the attitude she will want to take in the prevailing wind and tide. The order "Down tawps'l!" has you letting go the topsail halyard and taking up the slack in the clewline before letting go the sheet, hauling the clewline taut and cleating it. As you do this, the old man will take his second stroll forward of the day to take a look at the cable, You're never quite sure why, but he does.

Then you're at peace to tidy up. Two sets of peak brails, one each of middles and lowers (you used just the main brails to pick up the mainsail when it was finished with). Unhook the main sheet block from its horse, hook it onto the brail winch, overhaul the sheet then coil it. Up the ratlines again to serve the gasket on the topsail. Form the foresail into a sausage, all bundled up with its own downhaul then haul the head of the sausage up the forestay. If you're lucky, the guvnor will have stowed the mizzen properly himself. You walk aft exhausted, but somehow feeling its been a good day and knock on the skipper's hatch. As you rattle down the steps to join him for a welcome cup of tea he says "Weeeeell, that wornt ser bad" and you know it's been a good day. Of course, after you've burned your tongue a couple of times on the boiling hot strong tea, he says: "Best rig that riding light I reckon", which has you back up on deck and down in your foc'sle digging out the lamp.

Thank god we haven't got a bowsprit and even more sails to set and stow!

(c) Peter Wright 2020.

I know, it slips from third person mate to second person and I sometimes feel uneasy about trying to write vernacular speech, but some great authors do it, so why not?

For handiness, the best rig on a barge is just topsail and foresail. When a barge has all her sails set, topsail, foresail, mainsail, mizzen and staysail (still no bowsprit) the staysail (topmast head to stem head) is the first to drop as the wind gets up, the mizzen might go next, depending on the point of sail then the main is picked up partway. By the time the main has reached the sprit, the topsail would be rucked (we're in a gale now) which means the halyard is let go, but the sail remains sheeted, this relieves load on the delicate topmast and lowers the rig. Most bargemasters are reluctant to sail with no topsail, as in the above piece, it's the first to set and the last to stow. Apart from being in the middle, and therefore well balanced, its height would catch breezes blowing above wharf buildings enabling the barge to sail into a lock rather than laborious warping.

Peter.
 
PeterWright said:
Hi AP,

The topsail is the most versatile sail on a barge, the first one you set and the last to be stowed. The order "Heave out yer tawps'l!" marks the beginning of a mates working day as he lets go the clewline from its cleat on the starboard shrouds and hauls on the topsail sheet to get the clew somewhere near the sprit head, before winching it home with the mast case winch. Then he hauls on the halyard the other side of the mast to
hoist the sail before tacking it down with a purchase just aft of the mast case. Of course, he had the earlier pleasure of a trip up the starboard ratlines to take off the gasket, which secures the topsail to the shrouds to stow it properly. Today, he's lucky because the sails are not dressed with the foul smelling mixture of fish oil and ochre which was used well into the 1970's and left you looking like a red indian after doing battle with a sail at close quarters.

Once the topsail is flapping gently in the early morning breeze, the skipper might deign to ease the vangs so it doesn't draw, it's time to get on the windlass and haul the barge back to the anchor you dropped, imperilling your hands and forearms, the evening before. 30 minutes of hard winding later, the cable may be almost up and down and the skipper will have walked forward to check if he thinks its ready to be sailed out - its normal for him to request another 20 turns after which you put the bowline on the foresail and heave on its halyard to set it aback. As the foresail drives her head off the wind, the topsail fills and with the order l"Let draw!" you let go the bowline and the foresail slams across its horse to fill and you're sailing, with the anchor dragging freely so its back to the windlass, but now much easier as your not hauling the barge to the anchor against wind and tide, just collecting the last few fathoms of cable and the anchor itself. The barge actually sails very well on all points with just topsail and foresail but, if he's in a hurry, the old man will have set his diddy little mizzen himself and as you walk aft he will be asking "Where's me mains'l then?"

And so it carries on for a long day, until, with just the topsail set, the guvnor decides he's found the right patch to order "Let go!" and you once more risk your forward limbs as the cable rattles out and splinters fly from the alternate hardwood and softwood boards that make up the windlass barrel. once you've managed to get the required scope of chain overboard, it snatches taut for the umpteenth time and the barge swings to the attitude she will want to take in the prevailing wind and tide. The order "Down tawps'l!" has you letting go the topsail halyard and taking up the slack in the clewline before letting go the sheet, hauling the clewline taut and cleating it. As you do this, the old man will take his second stroll forward of the day to take a look at the cable, You're never quite sure why, but he does.

Then you're at peace to tidy up. Two sets of peak brails, one each of middles and lowers (you used just the main brails to pick up the mainsail when it was finished with). Unhook the main sheet block from its horse, hook it onto the brail winch, overhaul the sheet then coil it. Up the ratlines again to serve the gasket on the topsail. Form the foresail into a sausage, all bundled up with its own downhaul then haul the head of the sausage up the forestay. If you're lucky, the guvnor will have stowed the mizzen properly himself. You walk aft exhausted, but somehow feeling its been a good day and knock on the skipper's hatch. As you rattle down the steps to join him for a welcome cup of tea he says "Weeeeell, that wornt ser bad" and you know it's been a good day. Of course, after you've burned your tongue a couple of times on the boiling hot strong tea, he says: "Best rig that riding light I reckon", which has you back up on deck and down in your foc'sle digging out the lamp.

Thank god we haven't got a bowsprit and even more sails to set and stow!

(c) Peter Wright 2020.

I know, it slips from third person mate to second person and I sometimes feel uneasy about trying to write vernacular speech, but some great authors do it, so why not?

For handiness, the best rig on a barge is just topsail and foresail. When a barge has all her sails set, topsail, foresail, mainsail, mizzen and staysail (still no bowsprit) the staysail (topmast head to stem head) is the first to drop as the wind gets up, the mizzen might go next, depending on the point of sail then the main is picked up partway. By the time the main has reached the sprit, the topsail would be rucked (we're in a gale now) which means the halyard is let go, but the sail remains sheeted, this relieves load on the delicate topmast and lowers the rig. Most bargemasters are reluctant to sail with no topsail, as in the above piece, it's the first to set and the last to stow. Apart from being in the middle, and therefore well balanced, its height would catch breezes blowing above wharf buildings enabling the barge to sail into a lock rather than laborious warping.

Peter.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I won't say it's entirely clear, but it makes sense. I had wondered about the topsail being more useful in near shore sailing, catching a cleaner wind.
 
I just took the video all of this stuff about flappy things is over my head. I tend to just push the throttle forward on my boats :)
 
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