Originally Posted by
Bligh
Basically mast damage is cumulative Kirk.
It could be a rent sail or sheets shot away for instance. Even a mast part shot away can be patched up in battle by the ships carpenter and his men. However, as you will see from the rules gradually damage takes its toll and masts do fall. If you get several hits and a mast finally goes, your ability to sail and manoeuvre is impaired until finally if all masts are shot away you become a floating hulk and surrender. Note that in real sea battles even hulks sometimes fought on. They were then prey to being raked or bombarded by enemy vessels positioned outside their own arc of fire, so they generally did not survive for long in this state.
Rob.