Standing rigging:
On a sailing boat, standing rigging generally refers to lines, wires, or rods which are more or less fixed in position
while the boat is under sail. This term is used in contrast to running rigging, which represents elements of rigging
which move and change fairly often while under sail. Standing rigging is placed under tension to keep the various spars
(mast, bowsprit) securely in position and adequately braced to handle loads induced by sails. On modern yachts, standing
rigging is often stainless steel wire or stainless steel rod. Highly engineered racing yachts have recently begun to use
composite fiber line and rod for standing rigging, with the goal of reducing weight aloft.
Running rigging:
Running rigging is the term for the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering and controlling the
sails - as opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and other spars.
Running rigging on modern yachts has been made primarily of polyester/Dacron fiber. Some applications, such as halyards
and spinnaker guys, have been and continue to be made of flexible wire rope due to chafe and strength issues. In the
1990s several new synthetic fibers have become more common, particularly on racing and other high-performance sailing
boats. These fibers include spectra or dyneema, vectran, and technora.
Some types of running rigging include:
· Halyards, which are used to raise sails (or yards on square-rigged vessels).
· Sheets, which attach to the clews of the sails to control their angle to the wind.
· Downhauls, which lower a sail or a yard, and can be used to adjust the tension on the luff of a sail
· Cunninghams, which tighten the luff of a sail
· Guys, which control spars
· Topping lifts, which hold up booms or yards
· Barber hauls, which adjust the sheeting angle of a foresail (jib)