"GET YOUR SHIP TOGETHER" EXPEDITION!

 The photo below shows a home-made print out (safely kept in a plastic page protector) of how to rig your sailboat, using a "get your ship together" list, compiled by a real "ship"man!

Most people have probably not given much thought about how a sailboat gets from being on a trailer, like the photo shown below:

To floating peacefully at the dock, as in photo below:  How does one go about doing this complicated task?

The answer to that question is found in the sequence of photos to follow.  As you can see, the mast is no longer resting in a flat position, but lifted up at a light angle.  The owner of this sailboat (which I will call "Captain") has spread out the sail, and is attaching necessary sheets.  {Note: In sailing, a sheet is a line (rope, cable or chain) used to control the movable corners (clews) of a sail, for the purpose of extension, or change of direction}.

The instructions say to slide the mast aft on the stern mast-support.  (translated for landlubbers, "aft" means at, near, or toward the stern--the rearmost part of a boat).  A device called the Stern Mast-Support  helps support the mast during the rigging process.   The next step was rigging the Whisker pole (which helps reduce wind noise in the sails).

Putting the fenders on the sides of the boat may be the easiest part of the rigging procedure!

It really helps to have an able-bodied crew, when  rigging the sailboat for the first time, so it was very helpful that the Captain's First Mate arrived to assist in the process.  (I volunteered to help, but the Captain asked that I limit my assistance to just taking photos! This was just as well, since the Annapolis Sailing School certificate I earned decades ago, did not teach about how to rig a sailboat!)

Before starting the hoisting of the mast, the Captain went over the instructions with the First Mate, so that they could synchronize their movements.

Attaching sheets, halyards, stays and shrouds can be confusing.  A sheet is a word for a line being used to trim a sail.  A halyard is a term for a cable used to hoist a sail.  A stay is a piece of standing rigging which holds the mast up from the front and back (fore and aft).  A shroud is a piece of standing rigging which holds the mast up from side to side. 

The First Mate is using a "block and tackle" system, to provide mechanical advantage to the Captain, as he raises the mast.  A block and tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, used to lift heavy loads. 

Success! The mast is finally upright!

Getting the correct amount of tension on the front support line of the mast takes some muscle!

This photo shows why the sailboat cannot go down the highway once the mast has been put upright.  It is too tall to go under bridges and would be knocking over power lines!

Sail is up!  Hallelujah!

The First Mate looks happy that the sail is now fully installed!

After the mainsail has been put inside its blue, protective cover around the boom, it is time to attach the jib.  The jib is a triangular staysail ( triangular sail attached to the stay that holds the mast) that is set forward of the mast. 

The jib is stored by wrapping it around the forward stay. Step 20 of the Captain's instructions say "Lace the Cunningham through the Cringle and keep it loose."  I was not familiar with any of these terms, so I had to look them up, and this is what I learned:  The Cunningham is a little string on the luff of the mainsail, just above the tack.  If you pull it down it tightens the luff (edge of a fore-and-aft sail), and that is your upwind mode.  You let it off for downwind mode.   A Cringle is a loop or grommet at the corner of a sail to which a line is attached.  In the photo below, the jib sail has been furled (wrapped) around the forestay.

The next-to-last step calls for attaching the Tiller and motor.  A tiller is a lever used to turn the rudder of a boat from side to side.  It is very important, because the boat does not have a "steering wheel"!

Now it is time to back the trailer down into Lake Siskiyou, with the beautiful Mt. Shasta, in the background. 

The boat is in the water, and the motor started !  This smile shows a happy Captain!

As the mother of the Captain, I also have a big smile that the process went smoothly, with no injuries!

The Captain and First Mate made a good team in rigging the boat and getting it in the water; and, those big  smiles reflect their satisfaction!

This photo shows the "furled" sail, lines, and stays, serving as a "frame"for Mt. Shasta. 

Looks like the Captain or First Mate took a photo of me, as I sat on the bow enjoying snapping pictures with my phone!

The photo below shows the Captain and First Mate in the "aft" section of the boat, with Mt. Shasta in the background.

After successfully maneuvering the boat back to the dock, it is time to set the mooring lines, to assure the boat will stay secure and ready for its next sailing. 

Procedures and guidelines written on the "How to Rig" instruction sheet, had to be "obeyed" in order to make the sailboat function as it was intended, so that it can be the "treasured possession" of its Captain.  Likewise, God's Word has guidelines that will help us function as we were created to function.  Thus, the sailboat rigging guidelines and photos, provide the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses, that also talks about the importance of "obeying guidelines."  It says, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession."  Exodus 19:5

Getting to watch the process of rigging a sailboat, and then getting on board the boat, for a cruise with my loved ones, around an azure blue lake, with the majestic Mt. Shasta in the background, gave me "MILES OF SMILES!"  Tricia