Page 306 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

likely to give way than the latter. Ratlines are for feet. inch (3.5-mm) plastic-coated wire with a thimble
As you near the top and lengths decrease, you’ll in either end. Make it a little shorter than the space
find that the rope splices will begin to back into one between rungs. Lash to the lower rung first, then
another. When this happens, the sweetest procedure pull all snug with the lashing to the upper rung. By
is to switch to rope grommets, making them out of Clove-Hitching any intervening rope rungs to the
line one-half the size you’ve been using. Proceed jack shroud, you support their middles, too. Tra-
until the space between the wires is narrower than ditionally, this knot is made with the crossing turn
your foot. outboard, lower end leading aft. If the Clove Hitch
slips on the plastic, make a Rolling Hitch instead.
Options and Variations On big, old-style vessels with multiple lower
Especially on rigs that have shroud eyes seized shrouds, rope ratlines are Clove-Hitched to the
in place around the mast, the space between the intervening shrouds, and any wooden ratlines must
wires will get baby-foot wide well down from the be lashed outboard. The forwardmost or “swifter”
spreaders. One option to gain a little foot room is shroud is often left bare, as yards and lines chafe
to slack the shrouds and lash a grooved triangular against that shroud. Likewise the aftermost shroud
block in place just below the seizing. The angle at is often left unrattled if the middle shrouds provide
the apex should be quite shallow to avoid imposing a wide enough ladder for proper swarming. A nice
excessive lateral stress on the seizing. Even so, this touch is to run every fifth ratline to the aftermost or
option should only be used on low-stress rigs, and the swifter shroud, so you can get out of the way of
only with seizings, never with tangs or mechanical traffic while conning or sightseeing.
terminals. With a large crew in a large ship, it is prudent to
Another technique is to rattle the forward lower make the first several ratlines heavier than the rest,
and intermediate shrouds (Figure 7-24), thus escap- as there’s usually a packed crowd at the bottom.
ing the “Narrowing Gap” syndrome altogether. This For vessels of any size, it’s safest to climb rat-
results in a helical ladder that is quite pleasing in lines when they’re on the weather side, so they
appearance. Unlike mast steps, this ladder is never form a sloping ladder with the wind holding you on
athwartships, even at the top. The only complica- instead of a vertical ladder with the wind trying to
tion lies in leveling the rungs; your axis shifts as you knock you off.
go up, so you cannot use the horizon as a level refer- A final aesthetic/practical note: One frequently
ence. This is one place aboard where you can use a sees wooden ratlines secured to shrouds with cable
builder’s level. Get the boat plumb, even if it means clamps. Lashed ratlines are graceful and tidy. Cable
shifting gear on deck to balance your weight in the clamps are just a heavy, ugly, wire-damaging,
shrouds. And put a lanyard on the level. shin-scraping way to avoid doing the job right.
A second variation, for vessels with topmasts,
is to rattle the lowers until the gap narrows, then to
jump over to the topmast backstay for the rest of TUNING
the distance.
Sometimes the space between the lower shrouds The rig exists to distribute strain from the sails in
is quite large at the bottom. If you’re worried about a such a way that the boat moves through the water
wood rung’s ability to bear weight over a long span, to optimum effect. But without careful tuning, all
install a sheer pole at the bottom to double as the you’ve got is a bunch of wires hanging off the mast.
first step (Figure 7-25). Or install a “jack shroud,” This business of bringing the vessel to life involves
lashed to the middle of the bottom ratline at one knitting everything together so that, as nearly as
end and to the second or third wooden rung at the possible, all strains are shared and no single mem-
other (Figure 7-26). The jack shroud can be of ⁄8- ber takes a disproportionate load.
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