Page 300 - Brion Toss - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

eyes are tight you’ll need to smear the wood with with the world spread out beneath you, and the
tallow, then hammer the eyes on with a mallet. mast tracing gentle arcs in the sky. . . .
When everything’s on, check the order once more, Where was I? Oh yes, ratlines. The modern,
then cut the tags off. Give the signal to hoist, and more expensive equivalent is a system of metal steps
slide the eyes down to their stops as the mast comes affixed to either side of the mast. These are rela-
up. Pause when the stops are level with you to seat tively easy to climb when you’re in a calm harbor,
and lead the eyes, then hoist again. but have you ever tried going up them while the
A long score cut on either side of the heel sheave boat is pitching and heeling? A more versatile, safer
keeps the heel rope from chafing on the lower dou- arrangement for cruising yachts employs ratlines on
bling as it comes through, but check now to make the lower shrouds to get you as far as the spreaders,
sure the lead is fair in the score. As the sheave passes and a good bosun’s chair for anything above that
through the doubling, pause to cast off the tag line, (see “Living Aloft,” above). With the ratlines, you
then continue until the fid hole in the mast lines up can ascend unassisted to deal with the jammed sail
with the ones in the doubling. Drive the fid in and track, slipping spreaders, and the like. If the prob-
lock it in place. Done. lem is at the masthead, you can save your crew half
As I said before, there’s not much call for top- the time and effort they’d ordinarily expend getting
masts these days, but installing one is an operation you all the way up.
calling for most of the procedures you’re ever likely
to need aloft, whether you’re re-reeving a parted Wood or Rope?
halyard, inspecting the spreaders, or sending up a All-wood ratlines make a comfortable, stable ladder.
new radar. Just remember the need for clear com- But they’re a lot of work to make, a lot of weight and
munication, failsafe gear, and personal security. windage in place, and they’re often visually clunky.
Insofar as possible, keep people away from the area All-rope ratlines are inexpensive, quick to make,
of deck directly below you; if they wander in, call and physically and visually unobtrusive. But they’re
out “Stand from under!” in your most stentorian awkward to climb and uncomfortable to stand on.
tone. It’s a remarkably effective command. I find that a sequence of two rope ratlines and one
wood works best. The wood ones are close enough
RATLINES together that there’s always a solid place to stand
nearby. And they act as struts to hold the shrouds
“Arr, the crew swarmed nimbly up the ratlines as apart, so the rope rungs don’t sag as much when you
the vessel approached its mooring.” The crew, it step on them. So you get an optimal combination of
seems, was forever swarming nimbly up the rungs quick production, low cost, and low bulk without
of these indispensable rope ladders, to set or furl sacrificing too much comfort.
sails, to assist in navigation, or to perform mainte-
nance and repairs. Sadly, ratlines now suffer from Fabrication
the dreaded “Anything-that-salty-must-be-useless- Rattling down can be done alone, but it will go
these-days” syndrome. much faster if a hand aloft splices and installs rope
And that’s a pity. Although most contemporary while a hand alow measures and cuts wood.
yacht sails are set and furled from deck, ratlines still Unless your shrouds have sheer poles on them,
offer a clear view from aloft for spotting coral heads, the lowermost ratline will be of wood. Commonly,
windshifts, or land. And since maintenance by no this would be an overlong piece lashed outboard of
means went out with spritsail topsails, you can still the shrouds. This is easy, but “internal” ratlines—
use ratlines to get aloft with varnish and paint. And those which fit between the shrouds—are apprecia-
they’re the fastest way up in an emergency. And it bly lighter, more handsome, and have no line-snag-
just feels so good up there on a warm, breezy day, ging projecting ends.

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