Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodhunter
Greg
Looks to me like a running backstay. Should be one on each side of the hull. You put tension on the stay on the windward side of the boat to support the mast. The stay on the leeward side is loosened enough so it does not get in the way of the main.
We have running backstays on Enchantress to support the mast when we fly a staysail
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That's right. They are running backstays. In case Greg didn't follow the explanation fully -- you must ease the working runner and take up on the lazy runner each time a tack or jibe is executed, much like the jib/genoa sheets.
They are common on gaffers like the one pictured, as well as many fractional rigged boats where the lightweight backstay is used more for flattenning the mainsail than it is for keeping the mast up right. They are less commonly used nowadays, where most fractional rigs are sprung tightly with aft-swept spreaders and shrouds.
You also see them on many cutter-rigs, where the runners meet the mast at the same hight as the forestay, to prevent the mast from pumping under the load of the 'staysail.