On asailing ship, theshrouds are thestanding rigging which holds themast up from side to side. There is frequently more than oneshroud on each side of the boat.
Usually a shroud will connect at the top of the mast, and additional shrouds might connect partway down the mast, depending on the design of the boat. Shrouds terminate at their bottom ends at thechain plates, which are tied into the hull. They are sometimes held outboard bychannels, a ledge that keeps the shrouds clear of thegunwales.[1][2]
Shrouds are attached symmetrically on both theport andstarboard sides. For those shrouds which attach high up the mast, a structure projecting from the mast must be used to increase the angle of the shroud at the attachment point, providing more support to the mast. On most sailing boats, such structures are calledspreaders, and the shrouds they hold continue down to the deck. On large sailing ships, however, particularlysquare-riggers, the shrouds end at the projections (calledtops orcrosstrees) and their loads are carried into the mast slightly further down byfuttock shrouds.
Contrast withforestay andbackstay.