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Bowsprit

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ArnoldReinhold (talk | contribs) at 09:11, 22 April 2020 (Importing Wikidata short description: "Spar extending forward from a sailing vessel's prow" (Shortdesc helper)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Bowsprit held down by a bobstay
Bowsprit with forestays and bobstays

The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestays, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.[1] The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word bowsprit is thought to originate from the Middle Low German word bōchsprēt – bōch meaning "bow" and sprēt meaning "pole".[2]

It is sometimes used to hold up the figurehead.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bowsprits.
Look up bowsprit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  1. ^ "Bitts & Bobs(tays)". CLASSIC MARINE. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Bowsprit". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
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