 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Running backstay" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Arunning backstay is a rigging component on a sailboat which helps support the mast.[1][2] A running backstay runs from each lateral corner of thestern to the mast at the level where theforestay begins in the fractional rig. Because they are attached low on the mast, they can present a significant problem in an accidentalgybe, as the boom hits the stay, with the possibility of breaking the boom, mast, or both.
Duringbeating orreaching, the running backstay inwindward side is in tension. The one in theleeward side is lazy. As the boat tacks they change over. Another function of the running backstay is to adjust the tension of the forestay to suit the sailing angle and sea condition. In general, during a hard beat when the boat sails very close to the wind, the running backstay is tightened to increase the tension of the forestay. Thegenoa is sheeted in. Under these conditions, thedraft of the genoa is brought forward reducing thedrag.
 | This article related to water transport is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |