In the movies about sailing ships the sailors are always climbing around on the masts and sometimes getting?

Question

killed. If you have a sailing yacht do you have to climb the masts or can you manage the sails from the deck?

Answer 1

On yachts, sails can be trimmed furled and reefed from the deck. They are mostly sloop rigged. Square rigged tall ships must be worked from aloft. The only reason you would have to go up a mast on a yacht is to change a light, or unfoul a block.

Answer 2

On modern sailboats the sails are handled from the deck. The only reason they went up in the movies was to fold up the sail or to change out torn sails. This is all done at deck level with modern boats. The only time you climb the mast is to clear a jammed pulley or to change out the light bulb on the mast. To do that we use a chair that is attached to a line like the jib halyard or main halyard. Then the line is wrapped around a winch. Then you strap yourself in the chair or harness and some else winches you up the mast thus no climbing. Some boats have fold away steps built into the mast but this is rare and expensive.

Answer 3

In the days of square riggers, long ships there was no automatic way of setting sail or furling a sail it had to be done manually by climbing up the rat lines to do so and in rough weather it was a dangerous task any many sailors perished. These days there are two ways to go up a mast. 1/ Is to be hoisted aloft sitting in a Bosun's chair which requires a second hand and 2/ Some masts are equipped with Mast Steps so you can literally walk up the mast. The latter method is mainly for people who single hand a boat as is the case with me. For the most part sails can be manged from deck level unless you have a problem aloft.

Answer 4

in the big sailing yachts all you have to do is push a button and the sails are raised up themselves, in the smaller ones you stand on the deck and pull a rope to raise the sails. the only time you need to climb the mast is if there is a tangle, or if you need to replace the light bulb on the top of your mast

Answer 5

You do not have to go up the mast unless there is a problem. We have a boatswains chair that can be hauled up the mast by someone using the main halyard. I climbed the ratlines on a schooner just to see , which is another reason to go aloft, you can see further.

Answer 6

I think most of them have masts that can be tilted down . in the movies they always show the BIG many masted ships,with a lot of rigging etc.

Answer 7

well if the rope gets tangle you have to climb to fix it. sails too
take a cruse lay back and let the crew do it.