Which term refers to a wire that supports the mast and is part of the standing rigging?

Which term refers to a wire that supports the mast and is part of the standing rigging?

• A. Spreader
• B. Standing rigging
• C. Stay
• D. Stanchions

Answer: (C)

A stay is the wire that supports the mast along the fore-aft direction and is part of the standing rigging. It helps hold the mast from moving forward or backward under wind pressure, with examples like the forestay toward the bow and the backstay toward the stern. Spreader is hardware that distributes load on the shrouds, not the wire itself; stanchions are deck posts for lifelines; standing rigging is the whole fixed rigging system, not a single wire. So the wire that supports the mast and is part of the standing rigging is a stay.

A stay is the wire that supports the mast along the fore-aft direction and is part of the standing rigging. It helps hold the mast from moving forward or backward under wind pressure, with examples like the forestay toward the bow and the backstay toward the stern. Spreader is hardware that distributes load on the shrouds, not the wire itself; stanchions are deck posts for lifelines; standing rigging is the whole fixed rigging system, not a single wire. So the wire that supports the mast and is part of the standing rigging is a stay.