| One reader asked for clarification
on how the whipstaff connects to the tiller to turn the rudder in
Elizabethan-era sailing ships. I generated the accompanying
illustrations to show the assembly in three positions, due ahead, steering
3° to starboard and steering 3° to larboard (port). |
 |
In the picture to the left we see
an able seaman holding the whipstaff. The length of the whipstaff and
the length of the tiller gave enough leverage for one man to use his weight
to turn the rudder on its hinges. The whipstaff was mounted to a
gimble that allowed it to tip from left to right. At the bottom it was
connected by a flexible joint that levered the tiller which was mounted
directly to the rudder. |
