New Standing Rigging.

What is Rigging, I hear you ask. Broadly speaking, on a boat, the collective term for the ropes, wires, chains and other bits and bobs that hold the mast up or adjust the sails is known as the rigging. There are two types. Standing and Running.

Standing Rigging is all the ropes that do not move and are primarily the ones that hold the mast up. Running rigging is all the ropes,(called sheets and guys, and lines) that are moved to adjust sails etc.

On most modern boats the standing rigging is made from stainless steel wire rope. Like all things they wear out and become brittle with age. Some insurance companies will insist on replacement of these items every 10 years especially those that race. Although mine has not stipulated this condition, at 17 years old I am renewing them.

Although there are DIY systems for producing new rigging these will generally be inferior to professionally produced items. This work is rather specialist in nature so I am having it done by a local company Quay Rigging.

Today, at the boatyard I found Dave and Tess from Quay Rigging working on my mast, re-threading the various new shroud wires and stays. It won’t be set up until we put the mast up in a couple of months but it’s ready to go and another job off the list.