The Swedish Ship “Götheborg" has 26 sails in all with a total sail area of 1,964 m². The regular set comprises 18 sails with an area of 1,550 m². At the very front under the bowsprit is the jib boom with two small square sails, the spritsail topsail and the spritsail. On the upper side of the bowsprit is a foresail, the jib. This is followed by the fore topmast staysail on the spritsail yard and the stay foresail between the bowsprit and the foremast. The foremast has three square sails: the fore topgallant sail at the top, under that the fore topsail and at the bottom the fore sail. The mainmast has three square sails: at the top the main topgallant sail, under that the main topsail - the ship´s largest sail measuring 250 m² - and at the bottom the mainsail.  The aftermast, the mast nearest the rear of the ship, has one square sail at the top, the mizzen topsail, and the lateen mizzen sail. In addition to this there are five staysails midships that are set between the masts: the main topgallant staysail, the main topmast staysail, the main staysail, mizzen topmast staysail and the mizzen staysail. In addition, the “Götheborg" will be able to raise eight studdingsails, which are set outside the other sails and are only used in light winds. The studdingsails are: two fore top studdingsails, two fore studdingsails, two main top studdingsails and two main studdingsails.

So how are all the sails on a full-rigged vessel handled?

During the sea trials in the spring and summer of 2005 along the Swedish coast, to Norway and Denmark, it was possible to obtain a good understanding of how the ship behaves in different wind conditions. The key crew and students gained valuable practical experience. The sailing routes were determined by the pre-vailing weather and wind conditions.

The order in which the sails are set varies with prevailing conditions, i.e. wind strength, sea state, and what is the desired course. The centre of gravity of the sails longitudinally is crucial to the ship´s balance and steering capabilities. With a tailwind, the sails´ centre of gravity must be towards the front to prevent the ship from luffing up. The lower rigging is strong, and it is therefore appropriate to use the courses during storms. The higher up a sail is located, the more it affects the ship´s inclination. The highest sails, the topgallant sails, are consequently only intended for use in light winds. The studdingsails, which require light,  stable winds, are rarely used.As the wind gets up, the speed and the wind pressure also increase. The ship then becomes increasingly prone to tacking, as there is pressure on the sails aft of the fulcrum. If it becomes necessary to bring in the sails and furl them against the yards, due to the wind and the inclination of the ship, the sails should be brought in starting at the stern, working from top to bottom, and gradually moving forward. If any sails are set in poor weather, these should be the lower sails closest to the deck. The last square sail to be furled is normally the foresail. In seriously poor weather, only the lower staysails are used. When reefing the sails, one begins with the topsails and then the courses. The topsails have three reefs and the courses on the foremast and mainmast have one. It is not possible to reef the sails from the deck crew members have to climb up and furl them. When a ship is leaning over in strong winds, however, the effective sail area is reduced. Vessels can be turned around in two ways, either away from the wind or through the wind, as with all sailing boats. In a modern sailing boat, the safest method is to turn through the wind. Gybing can be a little dangerous. With the “Götheborg", the reverse is true. Turning away from the wind is the safe method, which is always successful. As the ship sails with a tailwind, it is simply necessary to alter course in the tailwind, e.g. from starboard to port. Turning through the wind is a more risky manoeuvre - the wind must not be blowing too hard or too soft. As the ship sails with the wind from directly in front for a while, it is possible for the ship to become stationary, unable to move forwards or backwards. To turn through the wind, it is necessary to have almost “all hands on deck". The basic principle nowadays when performing manoeuvres in ships is that the officer of the watch gives orders to the mast skipper, i.e. the watch commander, who in turn gives or-ders to the able bodied seamen and the deckhands, who then climb up into the rigging. On the “Götheborg" it is the students who climb up into the rigging.If it is necessary to set the fore topsail, for example, the officer says: “Set the fore top-sail." The mast skipper then delegates the various duties: “Climb the rigging and unfurl", “man the halyard". When everything is done, the mast skipper says to the officer: “Ready to set sail." If this is in accordance with wind and traffic conditions, the officer replies: “OK, set sail!" And the students then set this sail. In various situations at sea, the mast skip-per may be heard to call out orders in a firm voice, such as: “Undo the clew lines!" “Sheet home readily!", "Sheet home nicely!", "Slacken readily!", "Slacken nicely!", "That´s right!", "Secure it!", "Brace the sails!", "Man the capstan!", "Clear up!". The students climb up the rigging on the ratlines, horizontal lines between the shrouds that form steps, and move out on the jackstays, i.e. footropes that hang under all the yards. The crew members stand on these jackstays and help when the sails are to be unfurled, reefed or furled. When climbing up on the futtock shrouds, which run outwards be-low the crow´s nest, it is essential to secure oneself. The same applies when up on the jackstays and even higher up in the rigging.

It is possible for crew members to connect themselves to safety lines along the shrouds, right from deck level.When the sails are reefed, they are tied up with reef lines which hang at various levels parallel with the yard. Before the sails are furled, the outer corners of the sails are raised using clew lines from down on the deck. The central section of the sail is also pulled up using lanyards.The rigging is operated using muscle power alone. The capstan on the weather deck, which is used for heavier work, is also operated by muscle power. All rope-ends can be routed to the capstan. The rudder is operated with the aid of a large wooden double steering wheel located on the weather deck. It takes approx-imately three turns of the wheel to turn from a straight course to a close rudder. A maximum of four helmsmen can help out at the steering wheel to turn the ship. Steering is also affected by the sails, as the right sail pat-tern makes the helmsmen´s job easier. There are always at least two helmsmen at the wheel, and steering orders are given at regular intervals by the mate, who specifies compass bearing or rudder angle. The order is repeated by one of the helmsmen. A strategically positioned com-pass helps the helmsmen to maintain the correct course. A lookout remains in place at the bow of the ship day and night. He or she reports to the mate anything that might constitute an obstacle, either by striking the ship´s bell or in some other way. One strike means an obstacle to starboard, two strikes an obstacle to port, and three strikes an obstacle straight ahead. The lack of a lookout has been the cause of many accidents at sea - and this is probably the reason for the skipper´s rule “with a lookout at sea and politeness on land, you always make good progress".

Läs boken om skeppet:
"Ostindiefararen Götheborg seglar igen"

Den nya boken, som produceras på uppdrag av SOIC, presenterar hela det unika projektet Ostindiefararen Götheborg i ord och bild på ett mycket lättillgängligt sätt. Den beskriver hur det som började med några porslinsskärvor resulterat i ett ståtligt 1700-talsskepp - ett av världens största seglande fullriggade träskepp som uppfyller internationella säkerhetskrav för oceangående fartyg. 24 x 28 cm.
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Författare: Ingrid Arensberg
Warne Förlag