They used the tackling, which we have described above, and which provided “helps” in such an emergency. They “undergirded” the ship with ropes passed round her frame and tightly secured on deck.1 And after this, or rather simultaneously (for, as there were many hands on board, these operations might all be proceeding together), they “lowered the gear.” This is the most literal translation of the Greek expression.2 In itself it is indeterminate: but it doubtless implies careful preparation for weathering