Monday.

Re: Monday additional

Had a chance to get to a computer in the AM. No more info until late afternoon. Look to wooden ships.

Re: Monday hint

Refers to the shape. Used in sailing. Sailing in bigger than day craft.

Re: Monday answer

I thought this might have had an easier time as I thought the hints might move things along. The web relates lots of stories about open heart patients sailing, but precious little about rigging using the term. Today�s trivia is a ancient device to sailers. In sailing the �hearts� are �U� shaped wood blocks, either shaped like a "U" or solid that fit around a mast. In the case of a "lower heart" it was/is a solid �U� shaped piece of wood with the top enclosed that had two holes, one round that fit a smaller mast or boom and a second hole, this one �U� shaped that had a different through hole that had a jagged (saw tooth like) portion through which ropes could be passed and separated. The bottom of the lower heart block had a sized concavity that butted up against a larger mast or cat head on the bow of a ship. A �lower heart� provided purchase as a brace to anchor a bow sprit to the ship�s bow or alternatively the main mast. If in a picture you view a big ship has a two piece bow sprit, a lower heart can often be seen joining them together. The outside of the �heart� block has a routed groove around the outside by which a line is threaded and the line ends now in the groove are securely anchored to something sturdy. Heart blocks control some of the stoutest lines on a ship.

An �open heart� is a hefty �U� shaped piece of wood that has a routed half round groove around its outer edge. A rope fits the groove and the two ends of the rope are anchored on the deck. If it was metal and the leg ends closed together it would be called a thimble which is often seen when looping the end of metal cable. Today a dead eye serves much the same purpose and is a direct descendent of a �heart�. In an �open heart� the inside of the �U� fit around the mast, and was raised above the deck at an angle and wedged in place, and helped prevent a mast from lurching forward with a heavy gust. It is a stay for the mast. The wooden block is the heart. In the middle section of an �open heart�� lines are wove around the legs of the heart and those encircling lines: 1. fully capture the mast, and 2. prevent the legs of the �U� from spreading if side pressure is applied.

A "closed heart" looks a lot like a stirrup. It has a routed, centered groove around the outer edge where a line is thread. But like a lower heart it is fully enclosed. The "closed heart" also has only one �u� shaped hole with a jagged edge on the flat (closed in) portion of the �U�. It is fitted over a mast or boom and the jagged edge separates the lines. Lines can also be passed through it if it is already mounted and help keep them separate even though they are running in the same general direction.

When looking at these wooden blocks from a deck they resemble the (playing card style) heart shape. According to book source the name refers to the shape.

A browser will drive you nuts. Looking for heart info as rigging is a task. I found references but no photo. Only one drawing I found-- The Art of Ship Modeling. Richard Mansir, p. 207.