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{{Short description|Rope used to hoist a sail}}
{{about|nautical rigging|the Scottish castle|Hallyards Castle}}
[[File:US Navy 070824-N-2893B-003 Chief petty officer (CPO) selectees heave around on the halyard to raise USS Constitution's mizzenmast topsail yard while underway.jpg|thumb|325px|Sailors hauling a halyard]]

In [[sailing]], a '''halyard''' or '''halliard''' is a line ([[rope]]) that is used to hoist a ladder, [[sail]], [[flag]] or [[Yard (sailing)|yard]].  The term "halyard" derives from the Middle English ''halier'' ("rope to haul with"), with the last syllable altered by association with the English unit of measure "yard".<ref>{{cite web |title=Halyard Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/halyard |website=Dictionary.com |date=2023 |access-date=2023-06-28}}</ref>  Halyards, like most other parts of the [[running rigging]], were classically made of natural fibre like [[manila hemp|manila]] or [[hemp]].

==Sail types==
* A [[square rig]] sail with a halyard is mounted on a lifting [[yard (sailing)|yard]] that is free to slide on a short section of the mast. The halyard is used to raise (hail or hal)  the yard when setting the sail.
* A [[gaff rig]]ged sail has two; a '''[[throat halyard]]''' to lift the end of the gaff nearer the mast, and a '''[[peak halyard]]''' to lift the outer end.
* A more modern triangular [[Bermuda rig|(Bermuda or "Marconi")]] sail has only one halyard which is attached at its uppermost point (the ''head'').

==Fastenings==
Halyards can be attached a number of ways to the head of a triangular sail. The most common methods are as follows:
# A [[shackle]] through a [[headboard (ship)|headboard]] on the sail.<ref name="Publishing2012">{{cite book|author=Bloomsbury Publishing|title=The Boat Repair Bible|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0QasOglqLq8C&pg=PT252|date=1 August 2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4081-5123-5|pages=252–}}</ref>
# A [[bowline]] through a hole in the head.
# A [[half hitch]] with a [[figure-eight knot]], preferred over a bowline because it allows the sail to get closer to the top of the mast.<ref name="Brun2004">{{cite book|author=Dominique Le Brun|title=Chapman Essential Marine Knots|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C7C3QXeg-UC&pg=PA106|date=1 March 2004|publisher=Hearst Books|isbn=978-1-58816-277-9|pages=106–}}</ref>

The other end of the halyard is usually attached to the mast at its foot by way of a [[Cleat (nautical)|cleat]]. It is convention in some places to fasten the main halyard (for the [[mainsail]]) on the [[starboard]] side of the mast and the [[jib]] halyard to the [[port]] side. This allows quicker access to the lines in a time-critical situation.

==Jumping/sweating the halyard==
"Jumping the halyard" is a technique used to raise a large sail quickly by employing a few crew members to work simultaneously on the halyard. The person ''jumping'' stands next to the mast and manually grabs the halyard as high as they can (sometimes this necessitates jumping) and pulling it down as fast and far as possible. While this crew member reaches for the next heave, a second crew member 'tails' or takes up the slack created by the jumper, on a [[winch]]. When the person jumping can no longer pull up the sail simply by hanging on the halyard, they must "sweat" the line.<ref name="Stilwell2012">{{cite book|author=Alexander Stilwell|title=SAS and Elite Forces Guide Ropes and Knots: Essential Rope Skills From The World's Elite Units|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6lAIDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT161|date=3 April 2012|publisher=Lyons Press|isbn=978-1-4617-4861-8|pages=161–}}</ref>

To "sweat" the halyard is to take as much slack out of it as possible.<ref name="dict">{{cite book|last=Lenfestey|first=Tom|title=''The Sailor's Illustrated Dictionary''|publisher=Globe Pequot|date=2001|pages=462|isbn=1-58574-281-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A8zcGJKcliAC&dq=%22sweat+a+line%22&pg=PA462|access-date=2008-03-14}}</ref> This may be done with a winch, or manually. To manually sweat a halyard, the sweater grasps the line and, in a fluid motion, hauls it laterally towards themself, then down toward the deck, letting the ''tailer'' take up the new slack.<ref name="toss">{{cite book |last=Toss |first=Brion |title=The Complete Rigger's Apprentice |publisher=International Marine |date=1998 |pages=44, 378 |isbn=0-07-064840-9 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|halyard}}

{{Sail Types}}

[[Category:Sailing rigs and rigging]]
[[Category:Sailboat components]]