Stays are ropes, wires, or rods on
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
vessels that run fore-and-aft along the centerline from the
masts to the
hull,
deck,
bowsprit, or to other
masts which serve to stabilize the
masts.
A stay is part of the
standing rigging and is used to hold a
mast upright.
It is a large strong rope, wire or rod extending from the upper end of each mast and running down towards the
deck of the vessel in a midships -and- direction.
The
shrouds serve a similar function but extend on each side of the mast and provide support in the athwartships direction. The object of both is to prevent the masts from falling down but the stays also prevent
springing, when the ship is pitching deep.
Thus stays are fore and aft. Those led aft towards the vessel's
stern are
backstays while those that lead forward towards the
bow are
forestays.
"To stay" is also a verb: to bring the ship's head up to the wind (to point the bow upwind).
This is done in order to
go about (to
tack; tacking is sometimes also called ''staying the vessel''
[); the bow of the ship turns upwind, then continues turning until the wind comes over the other side. To miss stays is to fail in the attempt to go about;][
]
Types of stays
; forestay or headstay
: reaches from the foremast-head towards the bowsprit end
; mainstay
: extends to the ship's stem. The mizzenstay stretches to a collar on the main-mast, immediately above the quarterdeck.
; fore-topmast stay
: goes to the end of the bowsprit, a little beyond the forestay, on which the fore-topmast staysail runs on hanks.
; main-topmast stay
: attaches to the hounds of the foremast, or comes on deck.
; mizzen-topmast stay
: goes to the hounds of the main-mast.
; top-gallant, royal, or any other masts
: have each a stay, named after their respective masts
; springstay
: is a kind of substitute nearly parallel to the principal stay, and intended to help the principal stay to support its mast
; triatic stay
: is a stay that runs between masts. On a ketch it runs between the main mast and the head of the mizzen mast and is used to stop the upper section of the mizzen mast being pulled backwards. On a steamer, an iron bar between the two knees secures the paddle-beams. (See funnel stays).
See also
* Chainplate
* Unstayed Mast
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stays (Nautical)
Sailing rigs and rigging