Ratlines, pronounced "rattlin's", are lengths of thin line tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. Found on all square rigged ships, whose crews must go aloft to stow the square sails, they also appear on larger fore-and-aft rigged vessels to aid in repairs aloft or conduct a lookout from above.
Lower courses in a ratline are often made of slats of wood for support where the distance between shrouds is greatest. In some instances holes in these slats guide and organise low-tension lines between the deck and the rig.
Sails, spars and rigging
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Sails (sail plan) |
- Course
- Crab claw
- Driver
- Extra
- Fisherman
- Genoa
- Gennaker
- Jib
- Lateen
- Mainsail
- Moonraker
- Royal
- Skysail
- Spanker
- Spinnaker
- Spritsail
- Staysail
- Studding
- Topgallant
- Topsail
- Trysail
- Watersail
- lugger
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Sail anatomy and materials |
- Clew
- Foot
- Head
- Leech
- Luff
- Roach
- Tack
- Throat
- Peak
- Dacron
- Technora
- Kevlar
- Twaron
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Spars |
- Boom
- Bowsprit
- Boomkin
- Dolphin striker
- Pelican striker
- Fore-mast
- Gaff
- Jackstaff
- Jibboom
- Jigger-mast
- Jury rig
- Main-mast
- Mast
- Mizzen-mast
- Truck
- Spinnaker pole
- Spreader
- Sprit
- Topmast
- Yard
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Rigging components |
- Backstay
- Block
- Boomkicker
- Braces
- Buntlines
- Chainplates
- Cleat
- Clevis pin
- Clewlines
- Cunningham
- Downhaul
- Earing
- Fairlead
- Forestay
- Gasket
- Gooseneck
- Gunter
- Guy
- Halyard
- Kicker
- Lazy jack
- Outhaul
- Parrel beads
- Peak
- Preventer
- Ratlines
- Running rigging
- Shackle
- Standing rigging
- Sheet
- Shroud
- Stay mouse
- Stays
- Throat
- Topping lift
- Trapeze
- Traveller
- Turnbuckle
- Vang
- Windex
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