Baggywrinkle
Encyclopedia
Baggywrinkle is a soft covering for cables (or any other obstructions) to reduce sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...

 chafe
Chafing
Chafing when used as a nautical term describes the process of wear on a line or sail caused by constant rubbing against a hard, usually metallic, surface. Various methods are used to prevent chafing. Chafing of lines that rest on a choke on a boat can be prevented by putting a protecting material...

. There are many points in the rig of a large sailing ship where the sails come into contact with the standing rigging; unprotected sails would soon develop holes at the points of contact. Baggywrinkle provides a softer wearing surface for the sail.

Baggywrinkle is made from short pieces of yarn cut from old lines that have been taken out of service. Two parallel lengths of marline are stretched between fixed points, and the lengths of yarn are attached using a hitch - similar to a cow hitch
Cow hitch
The cow hitch is a hitch knot used to attach a rope to an object. The cow hitch comprises a pair of half-hitches tied in opposing directions, as compared to the clove hitch in which the half-hitches are tied in the same direction. It has several variations and is known under a variety of names...

 - called a "railroad sennit
Sennit
Sennit is a type of cordage made by plaiting strands of dried fibre or grass. It can be used ornamentally in crafts, like a kind of macrame, or to make straw hats...

". This creates a long, shaggy fringe which, when the marline is wound around a cable, becomes a large hairy cylinder.

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