Bees

[Don Case]

I've blindly made the bees and the bee block for the Discovery and now comes the question. Why are the bees equipped with four sheave slots when everywhere I've seen only two sheaves and lines are equipped? I've only made two slots so far but I will add more if there is a reason.

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Maybe the Birds will have an answer about the Bees, this is new info for me, as I have never heard of that term in rigging of ships, but I am for sure there are a lot of terms I have never learned about.

 

[Encre de Chine]

If there is room for more sheaves, why not use it?
You never know when you'd want to rig something additional or double a stay while you take it down for replacement...

 

[Don Case]

Maybe the Birds will have an answer about the Bees, this is new info for me, as I have never heard of that term in rigging of ships, but I am for sure there are a lot of terms I have never learned about.

It was new to me until a couple of days ago, but then almost everything about rigging square ships is. I first ran across it on Vada's Vulture build.

 

[Don Case]

If there is room for more sheaves, why not use it?
You never know when you'd want to rig something additional or double a stay while you take it down for replacement...

True

 

[peter6172]

The Bee's generally had 2 sheaves diagonally opposed for the Fore Topmast Stay and preventer stay and two holes on the opposite diagonals for emergency stays.

 

[Don Case]

Got it now

 

[danielsje]

One thing I have learned is there is no hard and fast rule for rigging ships. Generally accepted practices maybe. But every Captain had their own ideas and every Shipyard master had theirs. And every year brought refined ideas. So either two or four sheeves in the bees would both be a generally accepted practice.