Lines to support a mast, running from near the top of the mast to the bow and to both sides of the hull. The stays to the sides of the hull are also called shrouds, but the line to the bow is always the forestay.

Forwards and backwards support ropes for the masts.

Standing rigging that supports a mast fore and aft.

Standing rigging that prevents fore-and-aft movement of the masts.

Ropes or wires that support a mast. Stays run in afore-and-aft direction from the mast to second mast or to other part of the vessel.

1) Part of the standing rigging; lines running aloft from on deck to points on the masts, "used to support the masts in a fore-and-aft or thwartship direction." (Underhill) 2) [Stay, verb] "To put a sailing vessel in a position to tack or go about...when she fails to react to the helmsman's intention she is said to 'miss stays'." (Uden & Cooper)

Support cables running fore & aft. A type of standing rigging. Subcategorized as FORESTAYS and BACKSTAYS. The E/M instructions refer to the funnel wires as stays, but H&W calls them shrouds.

Wires supporting the mast - fore and aft.

The wires that support the mast and spars.

Fixed wire ropes leading forward from aloft on a mast to the deck to prevent the mast from bending aft. Backstays lead from aloft to the deck edge well abaft the position of the mast. Preventer stays lead to any point on the deck to provide additional mast support when handling heavy loads with boom tackle.

Stays are the heavy ropes, wires, or rods on sailing vessels that run from the masts to the hull, usually fore-and-aft along the centerline of the vessel (lines running from the mast to the side of the boat are usually called shrouds instead).