Block And Tackle

Block And Tackle. . , One of the most important tools onboard ship and in the 1565 Menendez Settlement, With block (pulley) and tackle (rope) systems, sailors moved enormous loads onto and around ships. On Spanish ships of the age of exploration and during the colonization of the Americas, the crew used blocks in the rig to help set and furl the heavy sails. With an elaborate system of tackle, Spanish sailors could brace the yards (change the yards' angle to the mast), raise and lower them, and even cockbill them (tilt one end up and another down)., The sailors could also load cargo, raise the anchor, tune the rig (adjust tension) and do any other heavy job using their own strength in combination with the mechanical advantage provided by the block and tackle system., The use of block and tackle was extremely important in the 1565 Menendez Settlement area around you, as there were no port facilities to load and unload the ships., Heavy objects destined for the Menendez Settlement were usually offloaded from deep draft ships in the ocean off the shallow inlet into open work boats (chalupas), and these chalupas came ashore within yards of where you are now standing.