Page 417 - Brion Toss - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Seizing strand or wire: A small strand, usually of Slushing: Protecting standing rigging from
seven wires, made of soft annealed iron or stainless deterioration by coating it with a waterproofing
steel. agent that usually contains pine tar, linseed
oil, varnish, or other ingredients in various
Service: Marline, small stuff, or seizing wire combinations. Slush applications should congeal to
wrapped around standing rigging for protection a hard finish that will not scuff off on sails, running
against wear and weather. rigging, or crew.

Serving board: A small serving mallet. Small stuff: Rope that is less than one inch in

Serving mallet: A tool for applying marline circumference.
service. Smartly: Together, with precision and alacrity.
Set up, to: To tune rigging by tightening lanyards Snarl: An entanglement of cordage.
or turnbuckles.
Soft Shackle: A button-and-becket loop, made
Shears: Two spars lashed together at the top and from high-modulus single-braid rope, in which the
guyed; used for raising masts and hoisting heavy becket fits snugly around the stem of the button,
weights. but is formed such that it can be slid open to allow

Sheave: A grooved pulley that rotates on a pin the button to be inserted into or removed from the
or bearings and constitutes the moving part of a becket.
block. Nonrotating sheaves, as found in topmast Span: A length of rope or wire rope, fast at both
heels, are called “dumb sheaves.” ends, to be hauled on at the center; a bridle; a form
Shock loading: The sudden impact that results of sling.
when a load comes rapidly onto a slack rope. The Splice, to: To interweave two ends of ropes or wire
measured strain of a shock load can far exceed the ropes so as to make a continuous length. Also, to
load that produced it. make a loop or eye in the end of a rope or wire rope

Shroud: A standing-rig piece that stays a mast by tucking the strand ends into the standing part.
laterally. Classically, a shroud extends from the top Also, to bury the ends into the interior of the rope,
of a given mast to the bottom of the same mast. for the same purpose.
For instance, topmast shrouds start at the top of Stainless steel rope: Wire rope made of alloyed
the topmast, but do not come to deck. Instead they steel, having greater resistance to corrosion than
end at the tops. The lateral stays that extend from galvanized or untreated steel wire rope.
a topmast or topgallant, and run all the way to
the chainplates, however, are called “backstays” Stand by, to: To be ready to haul, slacken, or
rather than shrouds. This remains the case even if belay.
they do not angle aft, to avoid confusing them with
topmast shrouds. Standing part: The inactive part, as opposed to
the end, bight, or loop.
Sinnet: Braided cordage.
Standing rigging: All rigging and associated
Slack away: To pay out or let out slack. hardware that supports the mast, keeps it straight,
or provides means to attach certain sails, and is
Sling: Any of numerous configurations of rope or permanently installed.
wire rope attached to an object, by means of which
that object is to be hoisted.
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