bobstay

[[File:Martingale dolphinStiker bobstay.png|thumb|Schematic view of the bow of a ship, showing:

A the martingale stay, B the dolphin striker and C the bobstay.]]

File:HMS Victory - bows.jpg: three parallel bobstays, separate dolphin-striker with martingale stays.]]

A bobstay is a part of the rigging of a sailing boat or ship. Its purpose is to counteract the upward tension on the bowsprit from the jibs and forestay. A bobstay may run directly from the stem to the bowsprit,[http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/articles/Gaffergear/bowsprit2/Bowsprit%20Article.htm Bowsprits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330020458/http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/Articles/Gaffergear/bowsprit2/Bowsprit%20Article.htm |date=2015-03-30 }}, Classic Marine or it may run to a dolphin striker, a spar projecting downward, which is then held to the bowsprit or jibboom by a martingale stay.