Polacre Rigging

[Jeffrey Modell]

I see no preventer sling to buttress the main yard tye/jeers on the Mystique original plan and 22 Gun Chebec in Souvenir de Marine though I could easily miss it since the view is of the wrong side. I am wondering if this is a general rule for polacres (and if so the precise reason). The topsail and top gallant yards had no horses since they were lowered for rigging. The fore yard and main yard typically had footropes/horses and so would not need to be lowered for rigging and could therefore benefit from a static preventer sling. Unless the idea is to be able to drop all the yards .... or lighten the ship.

Souvenir de Marine shows buntlines but not leach lines for polacres. Also wondering if that is a general rule for Polacres and why. I cannot say it is because you can lower the yards to remove sail volume because the main yard would, based on existing paintings, likely be left in place.

Above comment on leachline/buntline is consistent with Marquardt's polacre drawings (pp. 148-148). Two Antoine Roux paintings of Greek Polacres show neither. Incidentally, if anyone has any plans even close to the two Greek polacres below, please link to me! I want to draw plans for them some day, they are so beautiful!

 

[Thanasis]

Interesting description on her rigging.
https://archive.org/details/bookofoldshipsso0000culv/mode/2up (page 209).
Thx

 

[Jeffrey Modell]

Good catch! For those who can't log in to the book:

The Book of Old ships states that for polacres there are no topmast shrouds or backstays -- but is rigging to the topgallant head. It also notes that the spritsail was part of the set on polacres and drew so much water it was known as the watersail. The two holes were present, and they were to let out water. Also states there was a jacobs ladder behind the masts.

Certainly the extent of shrouds with ratlines were the course sails. Plus, rigging was generally light with very few "preventer" ropes.

However, the lack of backstays was not necessarily the case where masts were stepped rather than a single pole mast (see most of the French stuff above) or stacked masts with a cuff. Further, the frigate-rigged Spanish xebec San Antonio has topmast backstays despite being a stacked single pole, and you can see lines that would correspond to topmast rigging in the above Greek polacre painting of St. Nicolo (the fore masts are visible) but, as best as I can discern, not the other Greek polacca.

Next, it has become clarified in my mind that the frigate-rigged xebec (NOT a xebec-frigate, there can be no such thing as ship frigates are far heavier and more endurable though slower) and polacre may be somewhat differently rigged. And I also realize why contemporaneous paintings are so important to reconstructing rigging.

 

[Thanasis]

Some work...
From the Glossaire nautique : répertoire polyglotte de termes de marine anciens et modernes.
Thx

 

[Thanasis]

Just for your collection...
Thx