Yardarm

A yardarm (often shortened to just yard) is a horizontal spar on a mast from which square sails are rigged. The yardarm is normally constructed of wood or metal. Numerous bits of standing and running rigging are attached to the yardarm to allow the crew to work aloft and to control the sails.

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To allow the direction of the vessel to be changed relative to the wind the yard can rotate around the mast. When running directly downwind the yards are 'squared', pointing perpendicular to the ship's centre line. As the ship wants to sail closer to the wind the yards are braced around using the braces. When further rotation is obstructed by other bits of rigging (typically the shrouds), the yard is said to be braced hard round. This angle (normally about 45 degrees) limits how close to the wind a square rigged ship can sail.

Mast: A mast is a pole which holds a sail of a boat. See mast (sailing).In Naval tradition, a mast is a non judicial disciplinary hearing. See mast (naval)A radio mast is a pole or lattice tower which carries an antenna or aerial. See also List of masts.MAST is an acronymn for Mega Ampere Spherical Tokama...

Sail: A sail is any type of surface intended to generate thrust by being placed in a wind —in essence a vertically-oriented wing. Sails are used in sailing....

Rigging: Rigging (Anglo-Saxon wrigan or wrihan, to clothe) denotes a ship's apparatus of spars (including both masts and yards), sails and cordage, by which the force of the wind is used to move the hull against the resistance, and with the support, of the water....