Jul 26, 2020
Footropes
These are ropes attached underneath the yard to give the sailor support while he works on the sails.
These did not always exist there, they were probably first introduced around 1640 (written sources say 1640, but the Sovereign of the Seas launched in 1637 wore them, probably as the first) and then in the lower yards.
It can be assumed that the upper sails were caught up early in a storm, so the footropes were only used as storm protection. The topsail yards followed around 1680 and the rest around 1700.