vargord

plural vargords · alternative fargood · alternative foregirt · alternative vargood

1. historicalnauticalA spar or bar used instead of a bowline.

   Figure A. Cornish three masted lugger with the foresail luff set taut for windward sailing with a ‘vargood’ or ‘foregirt’. [...] Circa 1815

   1989, Leather, John, Spritsails and lugsails, pages 22-23

   5 more examples

   I think the five reefs on the foresail may be a mistake, the two upper cringles serving really for the vargord — not shown. There seem to be two bowlines to the mainsail.

   1925, Moore, Alan Hilary, Sir,2d bart., 1882-1959, “Lugsails”, in Last days of mast & sail: an essay in nautical comparative anatomy, page 210

   The next step towards the lug was the introduction of the vargord. This was a spar that held the weather leech of the square sail forward, serving the purpose of the bowline by means of compression in the spar instead of tension in the ropes forming the bowlines. [...] As with much else in the development of the smaller craft, which proceeded slowly even in comparison with the unhurried changes in the greater world prior to the present century, the vargood persisted, and was still in use in the west country craft less than a hundred years ago, though in association with the lug and not the square rig. [...] To produce the lug, an early example of which appears in Fig. 37 from the square sail with its vargord was not a great step, though like many simple but vital measures of change, one more easily taken in retrospect than initiated without precedent.

   1962, Phillips-Birt, Douglas Hextall Chedzey, Fore & aft sailing craft, & the development of the modern yacht, page 108

   [...] the European sprit-sail had something to do with a spar called the vargord or beitiáss, which was used by Norse and Cornish sailors as an alternative to bowlines to keep taut the leading edge of a lug-sail or a primitive square-sail.

   1971, Needham, Joseph, “Nautics”, in Science And Civilisation In China - Volume 4: Physics And Physical Technology, page 615

   A term for almost any time- or labour-saving device: naval: ca 1850-95. Ex dial. ‘’timmynoggy’’, ‘a notched square piece of wood; used to support the lower end of the “vargood” or long spar serving as a bowline, itself ex dial. ‘’timmy’’, the stick or bat used in the game of rounders. cf. GADEGT

   1973, Eric Partridge, Jacqueline Simpson, The Routledge Dictionary of Historical Slang, page 5497

   When sailing close to the wind the foremost edge of the sail, or luff, was held taut by a bowline or by a special tacking boom over the stem as a bowsprit. This boom could be fixed in a block on either side before the mast, similar to the 20th century vargord or spar used in Cornish dipping lug-rigged fishing boats.

   1977, National Maritime Museum, From viking ship to Victory, page 32