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diff --git a/old/55846-0.txt b/old/55846-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f96aa2f..0000000 --- a/old/55846-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6499 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Boat Sailing, by A. J. Kenealy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Boat Sailing - In Fair Weather and Foul, 6th ed. - -Author: A. J. Kenealy - -Release Date: October 29, 2017 [EBook #55846] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOAT SAILING *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, readbueno and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - BOAT SAILING, - - FAIR WEATHER AND FOUL. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - _Good Luck and a Fair Wind._ - - _A. J. Kenealy._ -] - - - - - OUTING LIBRARY OF SPORT. - - BOAT SAILING - - IN - - FAIR WEATHER AND FOUL. - - _BY_ - - CAPTAIN A. J. KENEALY. - - - "Man made him a boat of a hollow tree, - And thus became lord of the bounding sea." - -[Illustration] - - _1903._ - _SIXTH EDITION._ - _REVISED._ - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS._ - - - THE OUTING PUBLISHING CO., - NEW YORK. LONDON. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Copyrighted by - THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1903, - NEW YORK. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PREFACE. - - -When the first edition of this little book was printed in 1894 my -publishers thought they would be very lucky if they ever disposed of -half the number of copies turned out by the press. I had the same -melancholy forebodings. The result has shown that our fears were -groundless. The book was written in a simple sailorly style for all -lovers of the sea and boats. That it should have received such cordial -commendation as it has from amateurs and professionals has been both a -pleasure and a surprise. In sending it out on its sixth edition, I -cannot lose the opportunity of thanking my critics who have been very -flattering to whatever merits it may possess. - - A. J. KENEALY. - -_New York, April, 1903._ - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - Preliminary Hints to an Amateur with Ambitions - Toward Owning a Boat—Why He Ought Join a - Yacht—Club Handiness of the Cat-Rig 15 - - CHAPTER II. - - The Choice of a Boat—Advantages of Stationary - Ballast and a Centerboard—How to Avoid Being - "Done" in a Boat Trade—Bargains at the Navy - Yard—The Way to Cure a "Nail-Sick" Craft 22 - - CHAPTER III. - - Trial Spin in a Cat-Boat—How to Get Under Way, - Beat to Windward and Run Back, with Instructions - How to Act if Caught in a Squall or Stranded on a - Shoal, and How to Avoid Collisions and Come to - Anchor 28 - - CHAPTER IV. - - Advantages of the Yawl-Rig for General Cruising - Purposes, especially when "Single Handed," with a - Description of a Representative - Craft—Disadvantages of the Ballast Fin for All - Purposes Except Racing—The Fin in Model Yachting - Years Ago 37 - - CHAPTER V. - - The Popularity of the Knockabout as an Excellent - Cruising Craft, with Some Observations on the - One-design Classes from Schooners to Dories 55 - - CHAPTER VI. - - Keep Your Weather-Eye Open All the Time When - Afloat—How to Handle a Boat in Heavy Weather or a - Summer Squall—The Use of the Sea Anchor in Riding - Out a Gale, and How Shipwreck May Be Avoided by - the Judicious Use of Oil 65 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Overhauling the Yacht—Practical Instructions for - Cleaning and Painting the Craft Inside and Out, - with Hints on the Care of Hull, Spars, Canvas and - Running gear 88 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Fitting Out for a Cruise—Hints on Equipping and - Provisioning a Boat so as to be Prepared for All - Emergencies—A Sailor's Solution of the Culinary - Problem—Hot "Grub" in a Gale 115 - - CHAPTER IX. - - Beating to Windward—The Theory and Practice of - Sailing a Vessel Against the Breeze 128 - - CHAPTER X. - - Combination Rowing and Sailing Boats—The Jib and - Mainsail Sprit, Leg-of-Mutton, Cat, Balance Lug - and Sliding Gunter-Rigs—The Folding Centerboard 140 - - CHAPTER XI. - - Rigging and Sails, with Some Impartial Remarks on - the Lanyard and the Deadeye, as Opposed to the - Turnbuckle—Standing and Running Gear, and the - Bending and Setting of Canvas 155 - - CHAPTER XII. - - Laying Up for the Winter—Practical Suggestions for - Protecting a Boat and Her Gear from the Stress of - Our Inclement Climate—A Plea for Trustworthy - Skippers and Engineers 168 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Useful Hints and Recipes, with Some Remarks on the - Buying of a Binocular Marine Glass, from the - "Brain-Pan" of a Practical Sailor 175 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - The Rule of the Road at Sea: Being a Digest of the - Present International Regulations for Preventing - Collisions on Oceans and in Harbors 185 - - CHAPTER XV. - - The Mariner's Compass, with Remarks on Deviation, - Variation, Leeway, etc. 192 - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Charts, with Some Hints as to Navigation by - Dead-reckoning—Lead, Log, and Lookout 203 - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Marlinespike Seamanship: Being Practical - Instructions in the Art of Making the Splices, - Knots and Bends in Ordinary Use 207 - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - Weather Wrinkles from the Scientific Point of View - of Professional Meteorologists and also Jack Tar 217 - - CHAPTER XIX. - - Sea Cookery for Yachtsmen 223 - - CHAPTER XX. - - Nautical Terms in Common Use, from which all - Obsolete and Antiquated Terms, such as were in use - aboard the Ark, have been eliminated 236 - - _Addenda_—Recent Changes of Sail Plan and Rigging - in Modern Craft 248 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS. - - - Frontispiece. _Turning the Stake._ - - PAGE - - Yawl in a Squall, 41 - - Latest Type of Fin-Keel, 49 - - Sail Plan of Modern Fin-Keel, 54 - - Seawanhaka, 21-foot Knockabout, 56 - - Seawanhaka Knockabout, 57 - - Sail Plan Seawanhaka Knockabout, 58 - - Drogue, or Sea Anchor, 70 - - Diagram of Floating Anchor, 71 - - Floating Anchor in Use, 72 - - The Boston Knockabout, _Gosling_, 75 - - Plan of Oil Distributor, 80 - - In Dry Dock, 98 - - Hauled Out for Painting, 98 - - Making Ready for a New Dress, 114 - - Pleasant Cat-Boat Sailing, 119 - - Sailing Under Varying Conditions of Wind, 128 - - Running Before the Wind, 130 - - Gybing, 131 - - Close Hauled on Port Tack, 132 - - Close Hauled on Starboard Tack, 133 - - Dead Beat to Windward, 134 - - A Long Leg and a Short Leg, 138 - - The Manœuvre of Tacking, 139 - - Whip Purchase and Traveler, 140 - - Jib and Mainsail Rig, 141 - - Sprit Rig, 143 - - Leg-of-Mutton Rig, 147 - - Cat Rig, 148 - - Balance Lug Rig, 150 - - Sliding Gunter Rig, 151 - - Detail of Sliding Gunter Rig, 152 - - Folding Centerboard, 154 - - Shroud, Deadeye, Lanyard, 156 - - Turnbuckle, 157 - - Topmast Rigging, 158 - - Rig of Running Bowsprit, 159 - - Horse for Main Sheet, 161 - - Gear for Hauling Out Loose-footed Mainsail, 166 - - Luncheon in the Cock-pit, 179 - - Scowing an Anchor, 180 - - "Half Raters," 184 - - The Compass, 193 - - Marlinespike, 207 - - Knots and Splices, 208 - - Cautionary Signals, 221 - - Storm Signals, 222 - - A Yachtsman's Stove, 223 - - The Ideal Fry-pan, 225 - - A Nest of Stew-Pans, 227 - - Ice Tub, 229 - - A Traveling Companion, 231 - - The Sloop Yacht, 246 - - The Cutter Yacht, 247 - - The Sail Plan and Rig of a Modern Schooner, 249 - - The Sail Plan and Rig of a Modern Yawl, 251 - -[Illustration: TURNING THE STAKE.] - - - - - I. - - ADVICE TO AN AMATEUR. - - -All of us remember the old sailor's retort to the man who reproached him -for soaking his clay in bad rum. "There ain't such a thing under heaven -as _bad_ rum," he sagely remarked. "Of course some rum is better than -another, but I have been knocking about the world for more than fifty -years and never did I drink a glass of rum that deserved to be called -_bad_, and I got outside of some pretty fiery tipple in my time." - -The same is true in a general way of boats. There are many types of boat -and each has some peculiar attribute to recommend it. No two craft, for -instance, could be more widely different in every way than a Gloucester -fishing dory and a Cape Cod cat-boat, yet each when properly handled has -safely ridden out an Atlantic gale. Of course if their movements had -been directed by farm hands both would have foundered. In point of fact, -there is no royal road to the acquisition of seamanship. Experience is -what is needed first, last and all the time. It is true, however, that -the rough sea over which the learner has necessarily to sail may be -smoothed for him, even as the breakers on a harbor bar are rendered -passable for a homeward-bound craft by the judicious application of a -little oil. - -The choice of a boat depends upon a vast variety of circumstances, the -chief of which is the location of the prospective boat owner. If he -lives on the Great South Bay, for example, he should provide himself -with a craft of light draught, almost capable of sailing on a clover -field after a heavy fall of dew. Equipped with a centerboard and a sail -a boat of this kind, if of the right shape and construction, will be -found comfortable, safe and of moderate speed. A man may also enjoy an -infinite amount of pleasure aboard her, after he has mastered the secret -of her management. There are so many sandbars in the Great South Bay -that a boat of light draught is indispensable to successful sailing. The -same remark applies also to Barnegat Bay and adjacent New Jersey waters. -There are some persons who believe that it is impossible to combine -light draught and safety. They make a great mistake. A twelve-foot -sneakbox in Barnegat Bay, with the right man steering, will live for a -long time in rough water that would sorely try the capacity of a much -larger craft in the hands of a lubber. The same is true of a sharpie. - -The man who makes up his mind that he wants a sailing boat should study -well the geography of his vicinity. If he lives in New York or on the -Sound his course is easy. He is sure to be within reach of a yacht or -boat club from whose members he can get all the information he needs. -They will tell him the boat best adapted to his requirements and his -finances, and if they persuade him to join their organization they will -be conferring upon him a favor. I have traveled a good deal among the -yacht clubs of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and I never came -across a more generous, more obliging and more sportsmanlike body of men -than those enrolled on the rosters of these enterprising associations. -They are convinced that there is more real pleasure to the square inch -in the possession of a stout boat capable of being managed by a couple -of men, than there is in the proprietorship of a big yacht that carries -a crew of twenty and whose owner probably knows nothing about the art of -sailing her, but depends all the time on his skipper. It is a pleasure -to meet these men and listen to their yarns. The earnestness, the zeal -and the ability with which they pursue their favorite pastime are indeed -commendable. And the best of it is they are always ready to welcome -recruits, and to pass them through the rudimentary mill of seamanship -and navigation, their motto being "Every man his own skipper." The only -requisite necessary to membership in one or more of these clubs is that -you should be a "clubable" man with manly instincts. Young fellows, too, -are eagerly sought, so you need have no compunction about seeking their -doors, the latchstrings of which are always down. - -By all means join a club, I say. You get all the advantages of the house -and the anchorage, and all the benefits that accrue to association with -men who are ardent and enthusiastic in the enjoyment of their pet -diversion. Besides—let me whisper a word in your ear, my brother, you of -the slender purse or may be economic instincts—it will be cheaper for -you in the end; it will put money in your purse. Your boat will be -looked after all the year round by watchful guardians, who will see that -it isn't stripped or rifled by river pirates, and that the elements do -not mar its beauty. I confess I was surprised when I learned how little -it costs to become entitled to all the privileges of these clubs, and it -is owing to their moderate charges that the "mosquito fleet" in the -vicinity of New York is growing so big and interest in the sport is -increasing so rapidly. - -What I have written of New York is true, perhaps, in a greater measure -of Boston. There is no finer sheet of water for boat sailing than Boston -Bay, and no people in the world are more devoted to the sport than those -who dwell in the city of culture and its sea-washed environs. There are -plenty of yacht clubs between Point Allerton, on the south, and -Marblehead, on the north. It has been ascertained that more than five -thousand members have joined these organizations and that nineteen -hundred yachts are enrolled on their lists, most of the craft being less -than twenty feet on the water line. It will thus be seen that Boston -fully appreciates the value of small sailing craft as a means of -amusement and healthful recreation. The port from which _Volunteer_, -_Mayflower_ and _Puritan_ originally hailed, though justly proud of -those three magnificent racing yachts, has always been distinguished for -turning out stout, able and seaworthy vessels of the smaller type, and -also for breeding a sturdy race of men who know every trick of -seamanship. The majority of the boats are so constructed and rigged as -to ensure that they will render a good account of themselves in a blow -and a seaway. Thus the "sandbagger" type of vessel is rarely found "down -east," and this, in my opinion, need not be regretted. - -The catrigged boat, with stationary ballast and a centerboard, may be -said to be the type generally preferred in those waters. The Newport -cat-boat is famous the world over for her handiness, speed and ability. -I know that it is fashionable for scientific men and swell naval -architects to decry the seaworthiness of these boats. It has been urged -that the weight of the mast in the eyes of the craft is a serious -objection, a strain on the hull, and not unlikely to be carried away for -want of proper staying. The long boom also has been objected to, because -of its liability to trip. The craft has been declared difficult to steer -and a regular "yawer." But while saying unkind things of the cat-boat's -behavior in a blow, no critic, however biased, has ventured to deny her -general handiness. - -I might remind these gentlemen that the owner of a pleasure boat does -not as a rule sail her in a blow or in a seaway, but this would not be a -fair or legitimate argument. The elements are treacherous. A summer -storm often plays havoc among the shipping, and a man who ventures -seaward in the morning in a balmy breeze and with the water smooth as a -horsepond may be caught in a savage blow, followed by a heavy sea, both -of which may sorely try the capabilities of his craft and his own -resources as a seaman. - -I am such a devout believer, however, in a cat-boat of proper form and -rig, that I will defend her as a good and handy craft in both fair -weather and foul. It blows hard in Narragansett Bay sometimes, and I -have often known a devil of a sea to be kicked up off Brenton's Reef -lightship. But the Newport cat-boat, with a couple of reefs down, comes -out of the harbor and dances over the steep waves like a duck or a cork. -I never saw one of them come to grief, and in fact they have always -impressed me as being the handiest all-round boat afloat. I have sailed -in them in all sorts of weather, and I am not likely to alter my -opinion. Many of the objections raised against them are idle. For -instance, the mast can be so stayed as to be perfectly secure. There is -also no reason why the boom should project so far over the stern as to -trip, and in this connection I should like to ask of what use is a -topping lift unless one avails himself of it in just such an emergency? -A man should always keep the boom well topped up when running before the -wind in a seaway, and by this means he may avoid much trouble and -possibly peril. - -The above remarks are applicable to both salt water and fresh water, to -the yachts of the North, the South, as well as of the Great and Little -Lakes, and indeed wherever the glorious sport flourishes. In point of -fact, all the hints and directions given in these chapters may be -followed with profit on the Pacific Coast as well as on the Atlantic -Seaboard, on Lake Michigan or on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. - - - - - II. - - THE CHOICE OF A BOAT. - - -If any ambitious would-be mariner, old or young, hailing from anywhere -were to ask me what sort of a boat I would recommend him to build or -buy, I would answer him frankly that an able cat-boat, with a -centerboard and stationary ballast would, in my judgment, be best. I -would advise him to shun the "sandbaggers"—not that one cannot enjoy an -immense amount of exciting sport in one of them, but because they seem -to me to be only fit for racing, and I will tell you why. A man when he -goes on a quiet cruise doesn't want to be bothered by having to shift -heavy bags of sand every time the boat goes about. It is too much like -hard work, and by the time your day's fun is finished you feel stiff in -the joints. I have other arguments against the use of shifting ballast, -but do not think any other save the one mentioned is necessary. - -This point disposed of, let us confer. Of what shall the stationary -ballast for our able cat-boat consist? Outside lead is of course the -best, but its first cost is a serious matter. A cast-iron false keel or -shoe answers admirably, and is moderate in price. Some persons object to -it, claiming that it rusts and corrodes; that its fastenings decay the -wooden keel to which it is bolted, and that its weight strains a boat -and soon causes her to become leaky. There is of course some truth in -these charges; but if the boat is built by a mechanic and not an -impostor, none of these disadvantages will exist, and the cast-iron keel -will prove to be both efficient and economical. - -But if, by straining a point, lead can be afforded, procure it by all -means and have it bolted on outside. It neither tarnishes nor corrodes, -and as it does not deteriorate, its marketable value is always the same. -Racing yachts have, however, been known to sell for less than their lead -ballast cost, but such instances are rare. It should be borne in mind -that the lower down the lead is placed the less the quantity required, -and the greater its efficiency. - -There are always a number of second-hand cat-boats in the market for -sale at a reasonable rate, and an advertisement will bring plenty of -replies. But for a tyro to purchase a boat haphazard is a mistake on -general principles. It is like a sailor buying a horse. Get some honest -shipwright or boat builder to examine, say, some half-dozen boats whose -dimensions suit you, and whose prices are about what you think you can -afford. There are certain portions of a cat-boat that are subject to -violent strains when the craft is under way. The step of the mast and -the centerboard trunk are parts that require the vigilant eye of an -expert. - -Human nature is prone to temptation, and paint and putty are used quite -often to conceal many important defects in a craft advertised for sale. -The keen eye of a mechanic who has served his time to a boat-builder -will soon detect all deficiencies of this kind, will ferret out rotten -timbers, and under his advice and counsel you may succeed in picking up -at a bargain some sound, seaworthy and serviceable craft in which you -can enjoy yourself to your heart's content. - -But if some rotten hull is foisted on you by an unscrupulous person you -will be apt to "kick yourself round the block," for she will be always -in need of repairs, and in the end, when she is finally condemned, you -will find on figuring up the cost that it would have been money in your -pocket if you had built a new boat. - -The principal boat-builders of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and -Massachusetts are men of high character, who take a pride in their work -(which is thoroughly first-class), and whose prices are strictly -moderate. Any one of these will construct a capital boat of good model -and fair speed. I am an old crank and a bigot in many things -appertaining to boats and the sea, but I hope that any reader of this -who is going to build a pleasure craft will follow my advice at least in -this instance: Let her be copper-fastened above and below the -water-line. Don't use a single galvanized nail or bolt in her -construction. See that the fastenings are clenched on a roove—not simply -turned down. Don't spoil the ship for a paltry ha'porth of tar. Many -builders, for the sake of economy, use galvanized iron throughout, and -will take a solemn affidavit that it is quite as good as copper. But in -the innermost cockles of their hearts they know they are wrong. Others -more conscientious use copper fastenings below the water-line and -galvanized iron above; but copper throughout is my cry, and so will I -ever maintain while I am on this side of the Styx. - -Sometimes one may pick up a good serviceable boat at a Navy Yard sale. -Uncle Sam's boats are of fair design and well built. They are often -condemned because they are what is called "nail sick," a defect which -can be easily remedied. Occasionally a steamship's life-boat can be -bought for a trifle, and if it be fitted with a false keel with an iron -shoe on it, will prove thoroughly seaworthy and a moderately good -sailer. - -Mr. E. F. Knight, the English barrister and author of the "Cruise of the -_Falcon_," tells how he bought a life-boat condemned by the Peninsular -and Oriental Company. She was thirty feet long with a beam of eight -feet, very strong, being built of double skins of teak, and, like all -the life-boats used by that company, an excellent sea boat. This craft -he timbered and decked, rigged her as a ketch, and crossed the North Sea -in her, going as far as Copenhagen and back, and encountering plenty of -bad weather during the adventurous voyage. Mr. Knight is a believer in -the pointed or life-boat stern for a small vessel. He was caught in a -northwest gale, in the Gulf of Heligoland, in the above-mentioned craft, -and had to sail sixty miles before a high and dangerous sea. His boat -showed no tendency to broach to, "but rushed straight ahead across the -steep sea in a fashion that gave us confidence and astonished us. Had -she had the ordinary yacht's stern to present to those following masses -of water, instead of a graceful wedge offering little resistance, we -should have had a very uncomfortable time of it. Many men dislike a -pointed stern and consider it ugly. However that may be it behaves -handsomely, and we should certainly recommend any amateur building a -sailing boat for coasting purposes to give her the life-boat stern." - -Mr. Knight fitted his boat with lee boards, which no doubt served their -purpose admirably. I should, however, favor a false keel and an iron -shoe as being more efficient and less unsightly. I should not advise the -purchaser of a condemned life-boat to have her fitted with a -centerboard. The cost would be high, and unless the job was done in a -first-class manner by a man experienced at this sort of work it would be -very unsatisfactory. - -A "nail-sick," clencher-built boat should be hauled up on the beach and -filled with water. Every leak should be marked on the outside with chalk -or white paint. After all the leaks have been discovered, run the water -out of her and dry her thoroughly. Next examine every nail and try the -lands or joinings of the planks with the blade of a very thin knife. Any -rivets which have worked loose must be taken out and replaced with nails -and rooves of a larger size. Through the chief parts of the bottom it -may be necessary to put an additional nail between every two originally -driven. Many of the old nails which are only a little slack should be -hardened at their clench by a few taps from inside, one hand holding a -"dollie" against the head of the nail on the outside. Melt a pound of -pitch in a gallon of boiling North Carolina tar and give her bottom a -good coat inside, filling the lands or ledges well. The garboard strake -fastenings and also those of the hooded ends should be carefully -caulked. So should the seams. The seams of the planking should also be -caulked. - -There are various methods of making a boat unsinkable. Cork is sometimes -used, but it takes up too much room and is not so buoyant as air. Copper -or zinc cases, made to fit under the thwarts and in various odd corners, -have been fitted in boats, but their cost is high. Amateurs have used -powder flasks and cracker cans, with their covers soldered on, cigar -boxes, covered with duck and painted, bladders inflated with air, etc., -etc. A boat displacing one ton will take about forty cubic feet of air -to make her unsinkable. - - - - - III. - - TRIAL SPIN IN A CAT-BOAT. - - -Before getting a cat-boat under way from an anchorage, or casting adrift -from moorings, the captain should see all gear clear, that the -centerboard works easily in its trunk, and that oars, rowlocks and a -baler are aboard. An oar is very handy for turning a boat's head round -in a light air when she has barely steerage way on; and in case you are -confronted with a flat calm, a pair of oars are indispensable for -working homeward. A boat-hook, too, should not be neglected. There is a -story that I heard in the forecastle, of a mean old Dutch skipper who -left his new anchor ashore on purely economic grounds. He was afraid it -might rust, I suppose. The result of this thrifty dodge was the loss of -his vessel on the Goodwin Sands. My counsel to the young boat-skipper is -to see that his anchor is snugly stowed away forward, and that his -chain—if his cable is of chain—is properly shackled to the ring of the -anchor, and that the inner end of the cable is fast to the heel of the -mast by a lashing that can be cut if it is necessary to slip at any -time. If the cable is of rope, take care that it is not made fast to the -ring with a slippery hitch. Anchors cost money, and a bend that will not -come adrift is quite simple to make. - -Cast the tyers off the mainsail and hoist it, pulling up best on the -throat halyards and then "swigging" on the peak till the after-leech is -taut and the sail begins to wrinkle slightly at the throat. While you -are setting the sail, let the sheet fly. Next coil down the throat and -peak halyards clear for running, and see that the mainsheet is free from -kinks and coiled so that it can be eased off at a moment's notice -without any danger of jamming in the block. A kink in the mainsheet has -capsized many a cat-boat. Before you reeve a new mainsheet, stretch it -well and take all the kinks out of it. Take care that the running parts -of all sheets and halyards are coiled uppermost, with the ends -underneath. - -Let us suppose that there is a nice breeze blowing and that your -intention is to essay a four or five mile beat to windward, and then -conclude your trial trip with a run home. Cast adrift from your moorings -or get your anchor aboard, as the case may be, and start out on -whichever tack is convenient. When on the starboard tack the boom is -over to port, and _vice versa_. Lower the centerboard and fill away on -the boat with one hand on the tiller and the other holding the -mainsheet, which should never be belayed, but may be held by half a turn -round the cleat. - -Do not make the mistake of trimming in the sheet too flat, but let the -boom off till it is well on the quarter and keep the sail well full, not -allowing it to shiver. This is called steering "full-and-by," which -signifies as close to the wind as possible with the sail not shaking. If -your boat is well balanced—that is, if her weights are well adjusted and -her sail of proper cut—she will carry quite a little weather helm. So -much so that if you allow the rudder to come amidships or on a line with -the keel she will fly up in the wind and her sails will shake. This is -by no means a fault unless it is carried to excess, and it may be said, -indeed, that there is something radically wrong with a craft that -requires lee helm—a defect that should be remedied at once. - -The young sailor should bear in mind that to accomplish the best results -in beating to windward the sail should always be kept full. Nothing is -gained by sailing a boat right in the wind's eye with the sail -shivering. The boat then points higher but she goes to leeward like a -crab. Instances have been known of a fore-and-aft racing yacht sailing -within three points of the wind, but these are rare, indeed. The -ordinary cat-boat will not often do better than pointing up within four -points of the breeze, and her best windward work is generally thus -accomplished. There are occasions, indeed, when what is known as a -"fisherman's luff" may be indulged in with profit, such as when rounding -a mark or shooting up to an anchorage where there is little room. The -maneuver consists in luffing the boat up into the wind so that the sails -shake, and she shoots dead to windward by her own momentum. If the boat -is a heavy one she will shoot quite a distance. Care must be taken to -put the helm up and fill on her before she loses way, or she will get -"in irons" and acquire sternway, or perhaps pay off on the other tack. -If a boat acquires sternway the helm must be shifted at once. The rudder -will now produce the reverse effect to what it would if the boat were -going ahead. Putting the tiller to starboard turns the vessel's head to -port, and _vice versa_ in the case of sternway. - -The beginner will find that his boat spins along quite merrily and obeys -the slightest touch of the tiller. He should not relax his vigilance in -the least, but should keep his weather eye skinned for sudden gusts of -wind or catspaws which may be seen ruffling the water to windward, in -timely season before they strike the boat. As the little craft begins to -heel or list over to the pressure, luff up a little so that the -fore-leech of the sail begins to shiver. If there is not weight enough -in the puff to put the lee rail under, sail her along with just the -suspicion of a shake in the luff of the sail, so that if she goes over -far enough for the water to threaten to come over the lee coamings and -deluge the cockpit you can put your helm down and luff up until the boat -comes nearly head to wind, at the same time lowering away your sail and -making preparations for taking in a reef. - -If you are a novice, and the water is neither too rough nor too deep and -the breeze seems likely to last, and you think your craft is not up to -carrying a whole mainsail, there is no reason why you should not drop -anchor and reef your sail in leisurely and comfortable fashion. If you -feel at all nervous take in a couple of reefs. - -After sail has been shortened set the mainsail, hoist up the anchor -again and thresh her at it. You will observe that she inclines less to -the puffs under the pressure of the reduced sail, and that the lee -gunwale is always well clear of the water. Watch the boat well; look out -for coming squalls, and be prepared to ease off the sheet and luff up -instantly should occasion arise. If there are other boats in company -with you tacking toward the same point you must remember that those on -the starboard tack have the right of way, and thus when you are on the -port tack you must keep clear of them. I would not advise a novice in a -boat on the port tack to try and cross the bow of a boat on the -starboard tack unless there is plenty of room. Distances on the water -are deceptive to the tyro, and it is well to run no risk of collision. -If the boat on the port tack will not keep away for you when you are on -the starboard tack, and seems to be making for you with the intention of -running you down, keep cool. Stand by to put your helm hard down so as -to luff right up in the wind or even to go about. If you put your helm -up and keep away, and a collision ensues, you would probably have to pay -all the damage. The strict legal rule is that the vessel on the -starboard tack must keep her course and neither luff nor bear up. If -this rule is observed you will be within the letter of the law. In yacht -racing a yacht on the port tack can be disqualified if she is struck by -a yacht which is on the starboard tack, no matter how the striking -happened; if she herself strikes a yacht which is on the starboard tack; -if she causes a yacht which is on the starboard tack to bear away to -avoid a collision. It is apparent, therefore, that no wise helmsman will -run any risks. If he is on the port tack he will give way with a good -grace and try to look pleasant. It is better than a collision, which is -sure in a brisk breeze to do a lot of damage, and may possibly cause -serious personal injuries or even loss of life. - -The beginner may, after threshing to windward for an hour or so, begin -to feel homesick. Let him then put his helm up, easing the mainsheet off -at the same time until he gets the boom at a right angle with the mast -and the boat dead before the wind. He will at this time have to pay -particular attention to the steering, giving the boat "small helm" and -giving it to her quickly in order to keep her steady on her course. -Steering a cat-boat in a stiff breeze and lumpy water requires both -skill and experience. I should counsel a green hand to lower the peak of -the mainsail and run her under easy sail until he acquires the art. In -that case, should he accidentally gybe the boom over, the result is not -likely to be particularly disastrous; whereas, if the sail were peaked -up, the boom might snap in two or the boat herself might broach to. - -The centerboard should be hoisted up into the trunk when running before -the wind, and the boom should be kept well topped up. In some small -cat-boats there is no topping lift and the sail has only one halyard, -which hoists both the throat and peak. This is a faulty rig. Throat and -peak halyards should be separate, and a topping lift should always be -fitted. - -I think it my duty to warn the inexperienced boat sailer against gybing -his little craft. It is a maneuver that requires skill and care, -especially in a brisk breeze. If you must gybe, lower the peak so as to -"scandalize" the sail, and haul the boom well aboard as the helm is put -up. As the wind shifts from dead astern and comes on the other quarter, -carrying the boom over, ease off the sheet handsomely and take care to -meet her promptly with the helm as she flies to, which is invariably the -case. You can then hoist the peak up again. - -If you have women and children aboard the boat, gybing should never be -resorted to if the wind is strong. It is far preferable to luff up into -the wind and tack and then keep off again. - -In coming to anchor or picking up moorings make the boat describe a good -sweep, so that she may come up in the wind and lose her way exactly -where you wish. You can then either let go the anchor or pick up the -moorings, as the case may be. Then lower the sail, furl it snugly, put -on the sail cover, stow away everything neatly, haul taut the halyards -and the mainsheet, which you should coil up, and leave everything tidy -and in readiness for getting under way next time. - -When, on a wind with a light breeze and in smooth water, it becomes -necessary to heave to to let a boat come alongside, haul the mainsheet -flat aft and haul the fore and jib sheets a-weather. If in a fresh -breeze, flatten in the mainsheet, let the jib sheet flow, and haul the -fore sheet a-weather. - -For small open boats the anchor should weigh one pound for every foot of -length up to twenty feet length. If the boat is ballasted, another half -pound per foot should be added. - -If you have the misfortune to get stuck fast in the mud or on a sand -bank, you must act quickly. If you ground while running before the wind, -lower your sails at once. If you have a dinghy, run out your kedge -anchor, with a line fast to it, astern into deep water and try to haul -off. Work the helm to and fro. Run from side to side so as to loosen the -boat from her muddy bed. If the tide is rising and your kedge does not -drag, you will be sure to get off. - -If you run aground while close-hauled, let go the mainsheet, put the -helm hard over and try to back her off with the jib, at the same time -using a boathook or oar to try to shove her into deep water. If you have -any passengers, concentrate all their weight as far aft as possible. -Send out a kedge, and let all hands clap to on the line. If the tide is -on the ebb, you may probably have to wait till high water. Now comes a -ticklish crisis. If your craft is beamy, with full bilges, she will take -the ground and lie easily as the water recedes. If, on the other hand, -your little ship is of the deep and narrow kind and is not provided with -"legs," you will have to improvise something in that direction to -prevent her from careening on her side. "Legs" are not fashionable on -this side of the Atlantic. They are props of wood shod with iron, one -end of which rests on the bottom, while the other fits under the -channels, or is lashed to a shroud. If you have no other spar available, -unbend the head of the mainsail from the gaff. Stick it in the mud jaws -downward close to the rigging and lash it firmly to a shroud. List the -boat over to the side the gaff is out by guying over the boom and -putting any extra weight you happen to have on the same side. The boat -will then take the ground in safety. - - - - - IV. - - THE YAWL RIG. - - -Though I recommend the catboat as a general craft for knocking about and -having a good time in, I am not blind to the advantages of the yawl rig. -In fact, the bold young seaman contemplating long cruises and sometimes -venturing out of sight of land will find that the yawl rig possesses no -mean merit. For single-handed cruising its worth has long been -recognized. The sails are so divided that they are small and easy to -handle, but this division of sail inevitably decreases the speed and -also the weatherly qualities of the boat. If we take a catboat and -change her into a yawl rig she will not be nearly so fast, nor will she -point so close to the wind. There are fathoms of scientific reasons for -this with which I will not bother my readers. Suffice it to say that it -has been demonstrated practically over and over again. - -But although the yawl-rigged sailing boat of the smallest type has at -least three sails—foresail, mainsail and mizzen—yet the last named, -after once being set, practically takes care of itself. The mainsail, -too, is quite easily handled, the whole sail being in the body of the -boat. The foresail sometimes gives a little annoyance in taking it in, -if the boat is pitching her nose under in a steep sea. This, however, is -unavoidable. Headsails on all sailing vessels, big or little, have never -been conducive to dry skins under certain conditions of wind and sea. -The yawl is always under control, and in this attribute lies her chief -charm. When a squall is bearing down all one has to do is to lower the -mainsail and pass a tyer or two round it to keep it muzzled. When the -gust strikes the boat she is under easy sail and is not likely to come -to grief. If the squall is of exceptional strength, ease off the -foresheet and keep the sail shaking a little until you have felt the -full strength of the wind. Act then as judgment may dictate. If the blow -is very heavy and seems likely to last it may be necessary to take in -the foresail and the mizzen, and close reef the mainsail. - -If you are sailing with the wind a-beam and a squall smites you it may -not be necessary to lower the mainsail at all. Ease the sheet right off -so as to spill the wind, and you will pass safely through the ordeal -without parting a rope yarn. - -In getting under way or in working up to anchorage in a crowded harbor -or roadstead the yawl rig is one of the handiest known, for by having -the mainsail furled the speed of the boat is reduced so that you can -pick your way among the craft without danger of collision or striking -flaws. So many famous cruises have been made in small yawl-rigged craft -that there can be no doubt about their adaptability for such work, and -to the man anxious for more ambitious achievement than merely sailing in -rivers, bays and sheltered harbors, I most certainly would recommend the -rig. - -Despite the yawl's certain safety for single handed cruising, I am not -in favor of sailing by myself. I prefer a congenial companion to share -whatever pleasure or peril may be encountered. Of course one must -exercise some wise discrimination in the choice of a cruising companion; -for when once at sea there is no way of ridding yourself of an -objectionable mate except throwing him overboard, which would not be -exactly fair to him. Besides, he might throw you overboard, which would -be bad for you. There are, however, hundreds of good yachtsmen and -boatmen who have made long voyages alone and have written charming -accounts of their nautical expeditions. John McGregor's "Voyage Alone in -the Yawl Rob Roy" and E. Middleton's "Cruise of the Kate" (also a yawl) -are two entertaining books of sea travel which I heartily recommend to -those who contemplate sailing by themselves. - -While I am in favor of a catboat for general purposes in the -neighborhood of New York, yet when long distance trips are to be made -the yawl rig will, on the whole, be found preferable. - -That keen sportsman, Mr. W. H. H. Murray, is a firm believer in the yawl -rig for cruising. In OUTING for May, 1891, there appeared a most -valuable article from his facile pen entitled "How I sail _Champlain_." -The _Champlain_ is of sharpie model, thirty feet on the water-line. She -is of remarkably strong construction, her oaken keel being sixteen by -twenty inches amidships and tapering properly fore and aft. Through this -keel is sunk a mortise four inches wide and sixteen feet long, through -which the centerboard works. This "fin" is of oak planking thick enough -to easily enter the case when hoisted, but leaving little space between -it and the case when in use. The centerboard is sixteen feet long, four -feet deep forward and seven feet aft, and it has fifteen hundred pounds -of iron for ballast. Mr. Murray says: "When the centerboard is lowered -this mass of metal is eight feet below her water-line, and guarantees a -stability adequate to resist any pressure which the wind can put upon -her sails and the sails withstand. Of course I am speaking with the -supposition that the boat receives, when under stress, judicious -management." - -The centerboard, which weighs two thousand pounds, is lifted by a -"differential hoist," by means of which "the helmsman, with one hand on -the tiller, can, if need occurs, with the other easily run the heavy -board rapidly up into the case. The value of this adjustment can only be -appreciated by a cruising yachtsman. It places him in perfect control of -his craft under all conditions of varying depth of water and difficult -weather. In a heavy seaway; in rapidly shoaling water on an unknown -coast; when suddenly compelled to beat up against a swiftly flowing -tide; or when finding himself unexpectedly near a reef, unobserved -through carelessness or not plainly charted—this hoist is simply -priceless. It is not over expensive, and can easily be adjusted to any -yacht." - -[Illustration: YAWL IN A SQUALL] - -The cockpit is roomy, and, because of its high coamings, is also deep. -The cabin is sixteen feet long, the forward half being permanently -roofed. The after-half of the cabin is constructed, as to its roof, in -equal divisions. The forward-half is tracked, and the after-half is -grooved to run upon it. Mr. Murray finds this arrangement most -convenient, as it gives to the yacht such coolness and comfort as cannot -be obtained in a cabin permanently roofed. The whole roof is so fitted -to the coamings that it can be quickly and easily removed and stowed, -leaving the yacht to be sailed as an open one, decked from stem to -midship section. This arrangement is an admirable one for harbor sailing -in bright weather or for racing. - -Regarding the handiness of _Champlain_ Mr. Murray says: "All yachtsmen -know what a disagreeable job it is to reef a sloop or cat-boat in rough -water, and from this cause many skippers will delay reefing as long as -possible and often until too late. And because of this many accidents -happen yearly. In this respect the yawl rig shows to the greatest -advantage and commends itself to all sensible yachtsmen. For when the -moment has come to reef, if the boat is running free her head is brought -up to the wind, the mizzen and jib sheets trimmed in, and with the main -boom well inboard the pennants are lashed and the reef points tied down, -when she is let off again and goes bowling along on her former course. -In _Champlain_ the three reef cringles on the leech of the mainsail are -all within easy reach from the cockpit, and the skipper, without leaving -the tiller, can lash the pennants, and hence, with only one assistant, -the three reefs can successively, if need be, be tied down. Indeed, so -well do the jib and mizzen sail work in unison, that unless the wind is -very puffy and variable, the helm can be lashed and she will hold her -course steadily onward while the skipper is tying down the after reef -points. It is a matter of pleasant surprise to one not accustomed to -this rig how easily and rapidly a reef in most trying conditions can be -taken in the mainsail of a yawl whose sails are well balanced. - -"Moreover, unless the squall is a very heavy one, a yawl can be eased -through it without reefing at all. For when the wind comes roaring down -and the white line of froth and spray is right upon you, the boat can be -brought up to the wind and the mainsheet eased handsomely out, and with -jib and mizzen drawing finely and the mainboom off to leeward the wind -whistles harmlessly between the masts, while the yacht, only slightly -disturbed in her balance, sails steadily along. Or, if the squall is a -heavy one and there is no time to reef down before it strikes, the yacht -can be luffed up, the mainsail let down at a run, and with the belly of -the sail held within the lazy-lines the yacht is under safe conditions. -But ordinarily it is better to reef or even tie down the mainsail -snugly, and as in a yawl it can be done rapidly and easily there is no -reason why it should not be done and everything be kept shipshape. - -"In cruising I often sailed _Champlain_ under jib and mizzen alone, with -the mainsail stowed and the boom crutched and tied snugly down -amidships, especially in the night time when it was very dark and the -weather foul. Under this scant canvas with a favorable wind she would -sail along at a very fair rate of speed and even make good progress in -beating up against quite a sea, and I need not say that it adds greatly -to the pleasure of cruising in a small yacht with only one man for your -crew to feel that you have your boat in a condition of perfect control. -It is evident that with no other rig can this condition to the same -degree be obtained or such a sense of absolute security be enjoyed. - -"To an amateur nothing is more trying than coming to or getting away -from moorings, especially if the wind is blowing strongly and the -anchorage ground is crowded with other yachts, not to speak of vessels -of commerce, bateaux, tugs and ferryboats. Under such circumstances it -is no easy matter for any, save an expert, to work a sloop or cat-boat -or schooner safety out through the crowded harbor or basin to the open -water beyond; and it is all the more trying to a skipper if there is a -strong tide running at the moment. But with a yawl the difficulties of -the situation are almost wholly removed. For with mainsail unlashed he -can hoist his anchor or cast off from moorings, and under his two small -sails work his boat out slowly and safely from the jammed basin or -crowded space within the breakwater. He must be a tyro indeed who cannot -safely manage a yawl under the worst possible conditions of this sort. - -"In cruising, if the weather is threatening it is well to carry a single -reef in the mainsail until it clears up, for a yawl works well under -such a sail with jib and mizzen furled. In such trim the yacht is as a -cat-boat with a small sail, and as her main boom is shorter than a -cat-boat's or a sloop's she can be worked in a very heavy sea with her -boom's end well above the rollers. And I know of nothing more trying to -a skipper than to sail his craft with his boom's end half the time under -water. In such a condition the spars, rigging and boat are under a -stress and strain which every prudent skipper dreads and seeks to avoid, -and it speaks volumes in favor of the yawl rig to say that with it such -a trying condition can never arise. Indeed a yawl under a double-reefed -mainsail alone is in perfect trim for scudding. If well modeled she will -neither yaw nor thrash the water with her boom's end, but career along -almost with the speed of the wind itself. For her canvas is low down, as -it should be, and her boom carried well above the seething water. In -this shape, moreover, she can lay a course with the wind well over her -quarter without strain, and it must be a very hard blow and rough water -indeed to give anxiety to any on board of her." - -That the _Champlain_ is a capital sea-boat is beyond question. Her owner -thus describes a run on the lower St. Lawrence in returning from a -cruise to the Saguenay: "We passed Baie St. Paul in the evening, whirled -along by a rising gale blowing directly up the river. The night was -pitchy dark, the tide running fiercely on the ebb at the rate of five -miles an hour at the least. The water was very wild, as one can easily -imagine. Stemming such a current it would not do to shorten sail if one -wished to pass Cape Tourmente and get into quiet water, the Isle of -Orleans and the north shore, so we let every sail stand, cleated the -sheets tightly and let her drive. How she did tear onward! The froth and -spume lay deep on her pathways and after-deck. The waves crested -fiercely, rolling against the current, and the black water broke into -phosphor as we slashed through it. I do not recall that I ever saw a -yacht forced along more savagely. How the water roared under the ledges -and along the rough shores of Tourmente! And I was profoundly grateful -when we were able to bear off to starboard and run into the still water -back of Orleans. Perhaps that midnight cup of coffee did not taste well! -Its heat ran through my chilled veins like Chartreuse. I can taste it -yet!" - -The ordinary jib-and-mainsail rigged boat, as seen in the waters round -New York, might easily be improved upon. In the first place, the -majority of them are too much after the skimming-dish pattern to suit my -fancy. Then the mast is stepped as a rule too far forward for the best -work, and renders reefing difficult, as she will not "lay to" -comfortably under her headsail, whereas if the mast of a boat is stepped -well aft, cutter fashion, the boat will lay to quite well, and reefing -the mainsail is easy. The American sloop rig is open to the same -criticism, and that is why the English way of rigging a single-sticker -has been adopted in all our new racing craft. To my mind there is -nothing more hideous than a "bobbed" jib. It renders good windward work -impossible, as it causes a boat to sag off to leeward and is in other -ways a detriment. A small boat with the mast stepped in the right place -and carrying a jib and a mainsail is, however, a very satisfactory -craft, good at beating to windward as well as reaching or running. I -should advise that a "spit-fire" or storm jib be carried along whenever -a sail of any distance is contemplated, and also a gaff-headed trysail, -so that the adventurous skipper may be always prepared for storm and -stress of weather. This extra "muslin" takes up little room when -properly rolled up. - -The simplest and safest rig in the world is the leg-of-mutton sail. It -is the one fitted exactly for river work, where one is sure to encounter -puffs of some force as ravines are reached or valleys passed. To -amateurs it is the sail _par excellence_ for experimenting with, for no -matter how many blunders are made a mishap is well nigh impossible. The -leg-of-mutton sail has no gaff, nor need it have a boom. There is little -or no leverage aloft, and all the power for mischief it has can be taken -out of it by slacking off the sheet and spilling the wind. The learner -might with advantage practice with a sail of this shape until he becomes -proficient. If he eventually determines upon a jib and mainsail or yawl -rig for permanent use, he may avoid wasting it by having it made over -into a storm trysail. - -I would strongly advise every amateur skipper to shun the ballast-fin -device as he would shun cold poison or a contagious disease. That is -unless he intends to go in for a regular racing career, in which case -the cups carried off might possibly compensate him for the woe, the -anguish and the premature gray hairs inseparable from this contrivance. -Mind you these remarks of mine apply only to amateurs and not to -grizzled sailing-masters of yachts who fully understand how to navigate -and handle all types of pleasure craft. Theoretically the ballast-fin -has many obvious advantages. - -[Illustration: TYPE OF FIN-KEEL.] - -The fin consists of a plate of iron or steel to the base of which is -affixed a bulb of lead, which, being in the best possible place, insures -stability. The fin proper gives lateral resistance in an almost perfect -form, for there is no deadwood either forward or aft and the least -possible amount of wetted surface. I remember when a little boy in a -fishing village on the bank of a land-locked arm of the sea, where the -water was always smooth, how we youngsters came to appreciate fully the -worth of an improvised ballast-fin. We used to enjoy the diversion of -model yacht sailing and the delights of many regattas. I owned one of -the smartest models in the village. She was rigged as a cutter with -outside lead, self-steering gear and all the latest maritime -improvements, and she generally came out a winner. I tell you I used to -put on a great many airs on this account, and as a natural result was -duly hated and envied by my playmates, who owned more or less tubby -craft that could scarcely get out of their own way. - -But the day arrived when my pride was destined to have a fall. A shrewd -youth of Scottish extraction came to our village for the summer with his -father. He had the keenest, greenest eye you ever saw, and one of those -money-making noses that are unmistakable. His whole physiognomy and form -indicated shrewdness. He mingled with us for some time on the beach, -mudlarked with the boys and watched our model yacht matches with -undisguised interest. We all got the notion that he was an inland -landlubber, though it is only fair to him to acknowledge that he never -told us so in so many words. - -One Saturday afternoon, after my little cutter had surpassed herself by -distancing all her opponents, I indulged in some unusually tall talk, -and challenged each and every one of my rivals to a race across the -"creek," as the sheet of water was called, offering to give them four -minutes' start, the distance being half a mile. - -To my surprise, our green-eyed friend came along and accepted the -challenge, saying that on the following Saturday he would produce a -craft that would knock spots out of my cutter without any time allowance -whatever, and without the aid of a longer hull or larger sailspread. He -also remarked that he had a month's pocket money saved up, and was -willing to wager it on the result. I accepted his offer without -superfluous parleying, and in my mind's eye was already investing that -pocket money of his in various little treasures for which I hankered. -But, for all that, I made every preparation for the fray, using very -fine sandpaper and pot lead till my boat's bottom was beautifully -burnished, and seeing that her sails and gear were in tip top racing -condition. All the boys wondered what sort of a craft my opponent would -bring out. He had never been seen with a boat of any description. We -laughed in our sleeves and whispered it about that he would probably -produce one of those showy vessels that one sees in the city toy store, -and that generally sail on their beam ends. - -The hour for the race arrived. The boys were all excited and flocked to -the water's edge, whence the start was to be made. There was a goodly -throng of them present, and, notwithstanding their contempt for the -Scotchman, it was no doubt the desire of their hearts that some of my -overweening conceit should be taken down a couple of pegs or so. -Presently my rival appeared on the scene, carrying in his arms the -queerest looking craft any of us had ever seen. Her hull was shaped like -an Indian birch bark canoe, except that to the rounded bottom a keel was -fastened. A groove was made in the keel, in which an oblong piece of -slate was placed, to the bottom of which a strip of lead was secured. -The rig was that of a cutter, and I noticed that her sails were well -cut. She looked quite business-like, and when she was measured we found -she was two inches shorter than my cutter. - -There was a nice, fresh westerly wind blowing, and quite a lop of a sea -running for diminutive craft such as were about to race. I had already -deemed it prudent to take in a reef in the mainsail of my vessel, and -set a No. 2 jib, but my Scotch friend said he thought his boat would -carry whole sail without any trouble. The course was south, so the craft -had to sail with the wind a-beam. The start was made, my boat being to -windward, as I had won the toss. And that was all I did win. The -"ballast-fin" craft beat my cutter so badly that even at this distance -of time my ears tingle and I feel ashamed. While my boat was burying -herself, her rival took the curling wavelets right buoyantly, standing -up to her work valiantly, and moving two feet to the cutter's one. We -accompanied the model yachts in row-boats, keeping well to leeward, but -quite close enough to observe their movements accurately. That was my -first experience of the ballast-fin. We all became converts, and shoal, -round-bottomed craft, with slate fins to give stability and lateral -resistance, were thenceforward the fashion. My successful rival, we -afterward discovered, was the son of a naval architect of repute, and he -is now practising his father's profession with a good deal of success. - -Thus I have not a word to say against the ballast-fin so far as racing -is concerned, but in cruising the average man who sails for pleasure -wants a craft that he can haul out of the water easily to scrub, clean -and paint. Now, if you put a ballast-fin boat on the mud for any one or -all of these purposes she requires a "leg" on each side to keep her -upright, and also supports at the bow and stern to prevent her from -turning head over heels. The stationary fin always represents your true -draught of water. It is always with you and is an integral portion of -the boat's hull. If you happen to get stuck on a shoal—and this is a -contingency that has occurred frequently to the most skillful and -careful navigator—in thick weather for instance, your lot is by no means -to be envied. This is particularly true if the tide is falling fast. The -boat would go over on her side as soon as the water got low enough. The -crew and passengers might have to wait aboard until high water, and a -precious uncomfortable time they would pass I am certain. When the flood -tide made it might be a moot question whether the boat would float or -fill with water. - -The movable centerplate will always let you know when you get on a -shoal, and will in nearly all cases give you warning in time to avoid -grounding, which is always an unpleasant predicament and one entailing -much labor. Then, again, the anchorages at which small boats can safely -lie are generally pretty shallow at low water and the ballast-fin is -found to be mighty inconvenient for such places. - -[Illustration: SAIL PLAN OF FIN-KEEL.] - - - - - V. - - THE KNOCKABOUT CLASSES. - - -The knockabouts, which had their origin in Boston, have much to -recommend them. They are free from freakiness. None of them at this time -of writing have been fitted with fin-keels to harass their skippers when -they come in contact with the ground. They have a moderate sail area, -and thus are under control at all times. In a blow one is as safe aboard -one of these craft as a converted Chinaman under the lee of his fair -Sunday-school teacher at church-time. The variety in vogue in Boston in -1897 was limited to 500 square feet of sail. All were keel boats, 21 -feet being the limit of length on the load water-line. - -This class gained popularity from the intrinsic excellence of the boats -themselves, combining capital cruising qualities with fair speed and -good accommodations. Several designers competed, the restrictions -governing their construction, dimensions, and sail area being such that -the boats were very even in speed, and the contests in which they took -part were keen, close, and exciting. - -[Illustration: SEAWANHAKA 21-FOOT KNOCKABOUT.] - -The type of knockabout chosen for the season of 1898 by the Seawanhaka -Corinthian Yacht Club and the Westchester Country Club has proved to be -quite admirably adapted for cruising and racing. They were designed and -built by Mr. W. B. Stearns, of Marblehead, their dimensions being: -Length over all, 33 feet; on the load water-line, 21 feet; beam, 7 feet -8 inches; draught, 4 feet; with board down, 7 feet. The area of the -mainsail and jib contains 550 square feet. The centerboard is a small -one of iron, and houses below the cabin floor. The trunk cabin is 8 feet -long, with 5 feet head-room. The price of these boats was $750 complete, -and, their construction being sound and strong, they will, if taken care -of properly, be good for many years. - -It is impossible to speak in terms too high of this class after a -surfeit of the racing machines and freaks like the 20-footers whose -alarming antics so often amused and amazed us whenever they happened to -meet in a reefing breeze. Another good property they possess is that -they look like boats when hauled up on the beach, and can never be -mistaken when their masts are unstepped for pig-troughs or fish floats. -There is no doubt of the seaworthiness of these craft. They are -perfectly safe in a northwest squall off Sandy Hook or in a dirty -easterly gale on Long Island Sound. - -[Illustration: SEAWANHAKA KNOCKABOUT.] - -Another craft of this type which was deservedly popular last year is of -larger size than the one described above. She is 25 feet on the load -water-line, 38 feet over all, with a beam of 8 feet 6 inches, and 5 feet -draught with centerboard up. The boat, which was designed by Mr. B. B. -Crowninshield, of Boston, has a commodious cabin with six feet -head-room, a seven-foot cockpit, and 800 square feet of duck in mainsail -and jib. A very able and roomy boat nearly twice as costly as the -Stearns craft, but indeed quite a little ship. - -[Illustration: - - SAIL-PLAN OF SEAWANHAKA KNOCKABOUT—550 SQUARE FEET. -] - -Personally I favor a short bowsprit in a knockabout, it being convenient -for hoisting the anchor, keeping it clear of the hull, and preventing -unseemly dents from the flukes. - -I fear that knockabouts, or raceabouts, even in restricted classes, are -destined eventually to be fitted with fin-keels. As a speed-inducing -factor the fin has fully demonstrated its capacity since the first -edition of this little book appeared. I have not, however, altered my -opinion one iota since my remarks on the ballast-fin made in the chapter -which precedes this. In my judgment the fin is admirably adapted as an -adjunct to a racing machine, but for cruising craft I like it not. Brand -me as an old fogy, if you will; half a century behind the times, if it -so pleases you, shipmates, but give me credit for sincerity. - -The keen sense of rivalry inherent in every American will not permit him -to be content with a good, honest sailing boat for cruising purposes -only. If one of his chums comes out with a faster craft, whether a -fin-keel or a modification thereof, he will become dissatisfied with his -own boat, no matter how seaworthy and comfortable she may be, and will -promptly discard her for a new-fangled design in which speed is the -principal characteristic. The so-called restricted classes, which are so -popular just now, are, I think, sure in the end to become purely racing -classes, something after the fashion of the Herreshoff 30-footers now so -fashionable in Newport. As racing boats, none afford more sport than -these wonderfully smart flyers, and I can well understand what -fascinating toys they have proved to their owners. But, after all, they -are only toys, vastly expensive, too, with no accommodations for -cruising and apt to be uncomfortably wet in a breeze. - -The one-design classes of small yachts are not confined to knockabouts -only. Cruising schooners, designed by Cary Smith, made their appearance -in 1898, and the class, from a modest beginning, seems likely to grow. -The features of the boats are their sound and wholesome characteristics. -They possess moderate draught, large accommodations, and strength of -construction. They are 64 feet 2 inches over all, 46 feet long on the -load water-line, 16 feet beam, draught without board 6 feet 6 inches, -least freeboard 3 feet. A rather low cabin trunk gives full head-room -for the greater part of the yacht's length, the main saloon being more -than 13 feet long with a floor width of 6 feet 9 inches. On each side -are two berths and two sofas with drawers beneath. There is -accommodation in the forecastle for four men. The yachts carry 20,000 -pounds of lead ballast, of which 18,000 pounds is on keel. Another -one-design division is the Riverside Yacht Club dory class, which has -been adopted by many of the clubs enrolled in the Yacht-Racing Union of -Long Island Sound. These boats are thirteen feet on the keel, seventeen -feet over all, with four feet beam, fitted with a centerboard and rigged -with a small jib and a leg-of-mutton sail. They are for single-handed -racing, but for pleasure cruising or fishing a man can take his chum -along. Fully equipped with oars, sails, etc., they cost about forty -dollars, and afford capital sport on fine afternoons. To encourage this -little class, prizes worth winning are offered by the club, and -sweepstake races are popular features. - -The idea was probably taken from the Nahant Dory Club, organized in -1894, which did much to encourage sport in this serviceable and -inexpensive class. Spectators will find amusement in watching "green -hands" in their maiden efforts at sailing these dories, as strange and -startling results often follow the rash experiments of an adventurous -tyro. But apart from the comic element, valuable lessons in yacht-racing -may be learned by steering and manœuvring a dory against a fleet of -half-a-dozen eager competitors. Thus, yachtsmen cannot help approving -this new Riverside venture, originated, I believe, by Mr. F. Bowne -Jones, of the Regatta Committee. - -The origin of the one-design class was Dublin Bay, where the "Water Wag" -type was first evolved. A Norwegian praam with a boiler-plate -centerboard, combining ballast and lateral resistance, and carrying a -big sail, was built in 1878 at Shankhill. She was christened -_Cemiostama_ and proved an ideal boat. The conditions were a sloping -sandy shore on which the high surf not infrequently broke, and from -which the craft had to be launched every time her owner wanted a sail, -and onto which she had to be beached after the cruise was finished. -_Cemiostama_ was a capital sea-boat; she pointed well, hit what she -aimed at, did not sag off to leeward, and was quite fast. When the -centerboard, weighing about one hundred pounds, was raised she ran up -easily on the beach, resting quietly on her flat bottom. Her centerboard -was then lifted out, and her crew of two hauled her up. - -The knowing Irish yachtsmen, appreciating a good thing, saw that there -was a lot of fun in a boat of this class, and several were built, and -many scrub races were indulged in. In 1887 the Water Wag Association was -started, the craft being built on the same lines and the sail-area being -limited. Their dimensions were thirteen feet in length, with a beam of -four feet ten inches, full lines and a flat floor. - -The Water Wags are presided over by a king and a queen, bishop, knights -and rooks; and although the boats were at first used principally for -pleasure, they are now racers pure and simple. Their headquarters are -now in Kingstown Harbor, and prizes are put up for them at all the local -regattas. They are very handy, too, and quite admirable for the purpose -for which they were designed. They cost from $75 to $100, and the rules -that govern their races provide that they shall be similar in every -respect except sail-plan. The mast must not exceed thirteen feet over -all, measured from top of keel to truck; the fore and aft sails must not -exceed seventy-five square feet in area, and the spinnaker (which is to -be used only before the wind and never as a jib) must not exceed sixty -square feet. - -Each boat shall carry no less than two or more than three persons in a -race, all of whom shall be amateurs. A member or a lady may steer. No -prize shall be awarded a boat for a sail-over, but she may fly a winning -flag therefor. A pair of oars and a life-buoy must be carried in every -race. It is only right to mention that these sailing regulations are -vigorously enforced. - -The latest one-design class established by our rollicking Irish cousins -is known as the 25-footers of the Dublin Bay Sailing Club. These craft -are of such noteworthy type as to deserve a few lines of description and -approval here, especially as it was wisely decided that the type shall -not be altered for five years from January 1, 1898. The boats, of which -quite a number were built and raced, are deep-keeled cutters of the -following dimensions: Length over all, 37 feet 3 inches; length on load -water-line, 25 feet; beam, 8 feet 8 inches; draught, 6 feet 3 inches; -lead on keel, 3 tons 5 cwt., and sail area, 845 square feet, divided -into a mainsail laced to the boom, gafftopsail, foresail and jib. A -second jib, jibtopsail, balloon foresail, spinnaker, storm jib and -trysail may also be carried. The design, made by Will Fife, Jr., of -Fairlie, is handsome, the type being eminently adapted for Dublin Bay. -Restrictions of the strictest kind ensure the boats being exactly alike -in size, material, construction and canvas. - -The "Mermaids," a craft much used by the B division of the same club, -are large Water Wags, 18 feet long, with 6 feet beam, fitted with -centerboards, but carrying no ballast, and limited when racing to 180 -square feet of sail. These are vastly popular, and a dozen or so race -every Saturday afternoon during the season. - -Although one-design racing originated on the other side of the Atlantic, -it is questionable if any one class has been sailed with more spirit or -persistency than were the Herreshoff 30-footers at Newport during the -yachting season of 1897 and since. - -That the classes are destined to prosper there is no doubt, the only -condition being that the type must be carefully adapted to the location -for which it is intended, and the more it is available for fishing -excursions and pleasure trips the greater favor will attend it. Another -helpful feature is the substantial economic gain from the construction -of several boats by the same builder from the same design. - - - - - VI. - - KEEP YOUR WEATHER EYE OPEN. - - -The sailer of a boat, little or big, should keep his weather eye open -all the time. When sailing in a river where the banks are of irregular -height he should be especially on his guard, because puffs of -considerable violence frequently come with little or no warning. A few -inches of sheet eased off, and a gentle luff not quite sufficient to -spill the sail, will generally prevent the shipping of water over the -lee gunwale, and a possible capsize. Thus the mainsheet should never be -made fast permanently, and should always be coiled so as to be clear for -running. A neglect of either of these precautions has often been -attended with fatal results. If by any mischance the mainsheet becomes -jammed do not hesitate, but cut it. A sharp knife in such an emergency -has often saved life when an upset has seemed inevitable through the -boat being nearly on her beam ends. If you are sailing in a jib and -mainsail craft, and the squall has a good deal of weight in it, let fly -the jib sheet and let the boat come up in the wind, at the same time -lowering away the mainsail and taking care to spill it as it comes down. -A reef should then be taken in, and the boat be filled away on her -course. - -While sailing anywhere in the vicinity of New York, and when one of -those heavy thunder-squalls that are so frequent in the summer time is -seen rising in the northwest, waste no time. If not in too deep water, -anchor at once and stow your sails snugly. You can then ride out the -fury of the squall in perfect safety; that is, if your ground tackle is -sufficiently strong. If your cable parts and you are on a lee shore and -there is a harbor to run for, scud for it under bare poles or with a -fragment of sail set. If there is no refuge under your lee, set as much -sail as your boat can safely carry and thresh her off shore. The chances -are that you will be successful, because these squalls while often very -dangerous seldom last long, and are generally followed by a flat calm -which is more exasperating than a blow. - -We will take it for granted, however, that your anchor and chain are of -the correct strength and quality, and that you bring up before the -squall strikes you. If you have time it would be well to close-reef your -mainsail before furling it, and then you would be prepared for any -emergency. But let me impress upon all who are in charge of boats with -women and children aboard, that it is their duty, when one of those -peril-fraught thunder-squalls is seen approaching, to dowse every stitch -of sail at once and let go the anchor. There is a wide gulf between -bravado and bravery, and no truly courageous man would imperil the lives -of anyone, especially of helpless women and children. The rash carrying -on of canvas has been responsible for more loss of life on the water -than any other cause. It is a seaman who shortens sail in time, but a -lubber who "cracks on till all's blue." - -Great caution is necessary when passing under the lee of a vessel at -anchor or under way, especially in a fresh breeze. Your boat is sure to -get becalmed and may possibly nearly lose her way, so that as she draws -clear of the object the full force of the breeze will strike her when -she has scarcely steerage way on. The result may be a complete knockdown -or even a capsize. Therefore have your mainsheet clear for running, and -do not hesitate to let it fly in a hurry before your little vessel's -gunwale is anywhere near the water. By all means endeavor to keep clear -of vessels at anchor. Do not try to get in the wash of steamboats, as -some foolhardy persons do, "just for fun." On the contrary take special -pains to avoid them. When you must encounter their wash, which in the -case of large and fast steamers is heavy and dangerous, do your best to -let your boat take the brunt of the waves on the bluff of the bow. If -they strike her broadside on, swamping is a possibility not far remote. - -In sailing a boat in rough water the greatest precaution is necessary. A -craft that in smooth water could safely carry all sail, might when the -sea is perturbed be forced to stagger along under double reefs, the -force of the wind being the same in both instances. Especially is this -the case when the wind and sea are both abeam, the former strong and the -latter heavy. This is probably the most dangerous point of sailing there -is, and requires the most careful touch of the tiller. A boat heeled -over to fifteen degrees by the force of the wind, by the joint influence -of a sudden puff and a heavy roll to leeward may be inclined to such an -angle that a capsize is inevitable. When there seems to be any danger of -this mishap occurring the helmsman must not close his eyes to keep them -warm. When he sees a larger wave than usual coming along he should put -his helm up a little, so that it may strike the boat abaft the beam and -so reduce the danger to a minimum. The judicious application of weather -helm in a beam sea has saved many a big ship's deck from being swept, -and many a small boat from being capsized. - -It is in my judgment rash to sail a small boat under these conditions -unless it is imperative, such as when a harbor is being entered, or when -the boat's course must necessarily be steered with wind and sea abeam. I -should strongly advise the hauling of the boat on a wind until she -reaches the point where her sheets may be eased off and she can be -headed for her destination with wind and sea on the quarter. A boat with -any pretensions at all can be sailed close-hauled in rough water with -safety if certain elementary precautions are observed. Everybody on -board except the helmsman should sit amidships in the bottom of the -boat, so as to keep the weight as low as possible and the craft herself -in her natural trim. No unusual weight is wanted in the bow of the -vessel, which should lift in a prompt and lively manner to each sea. In -an open boat and a nasty sea no more sail should be carried than will -keep her under proper command. - -A great deal depends upon the nerve and skill of the man at the tiller. -Keep her moving all the time. If a big wave threatens to come aboard -over the weather bow, luff smartly into it and meet it as nearly end on -as possible. Then up with the helm at once and fill on her again, -repeating the process as often as it may be needful. Never let the lee -gunwale get under water in a seaway, nor at any other time, but always -luff before it is too late, and help her to come up in the wind if -necessary by easing away the jib sheet. - -If the wind keeps increasing and the sea rising, haul down the headsail -and pass a gasket round it, close-reef your mainsail, previously seeing -your sea anchor clear for letting go. If you have no sea anchor with -you, rig some sort of a raft with oars, boathook and sails, the latter -lashed securely to the spars. Make a line fast to this raft and pay out -about twenty fathoms and let the boat ride to it as to an anchor. It is -surprising what a good effect this contrivance has in breaking the waves -and keeping the boat head to sea. Nothing else can now be done until the -gale moderates sufficiently for sail to be made and the boat headed for -her destination. It may be consolatory to those aboard a craft in such a -contingency to buoy themselves up by remembering that some of the -heaviest gales known have been safely ridden out in cockleshell boats -without any damage to crew, hull or gear. - -[Illustration: DROGUE, OR SEA ANCHOR.] - -The sea anchor consists of a hinge-jointed galvanized ring about three -feet in diameter. A conical bag made of stout canvas is sewed to the -ring and roped, as shown in sketch. A bridle is fitted to the ring, to -which the riding hawser is bent. A cork buoy prevents the anchor from -diving. When thrown overboard the mouth of the anchor opens and fills. -To hoist the anchor on board, the tripping line, shown in diagram, is -hauled on. When not in use the ring is folded together by the joints, -and the bag is made fast snugly round it. - -[Illustration: - - DIAGRAM OF FLOATING ANCHOR. -] - -Another plan for making a floating anchor is shown below. K, M, N, O, -are the ends of two iron bars formed into a cross and connected by a -stout bolt, nut and pin at their intersection, S. At each end of the -bars is an eye through which a strong rope is rove, hauled taut, and -well secured. Thus a square is formed, and over the square a piece of -strong canvas is laced to the roping. Four ropes are made fast to the -iron bars, forming a bridle. To this the riding hawser is made fast. To -prevent the anchor from sinking, a buoy, B, is made fast to one corner -by a rope, with five or six fathoms of drift. The buoy rope, P, leads on -board. H is the hawser to which the boat is riding, A is the anchor, and -B the buoy. To get the anchor aboard haul in on the line, P. This will -cause the anchor to cant edgewise, and it can then be easily hauled in. - -[Illustration: FLOATING ANCHOR IN USE.] - -In scudding before a strong wind and a heavy sea in a small craft, a -trysail is always preferable to a sail with a boom, which may effect -much mischief by trailing in the water or suddenly gybing. The helmsman -must be always on the alert to prevent the boat from "broaching to," -which means flying up in the wind; or from being "brought by the lee," -which means running off so as to bring the wind on the other quarter. A -long, narrow boat will always run before the wind better than a short, -beamy craft, as she is better adapted for taking the seas, and she also -steers easier, not yawing about so much or turning round every few -minutes to take a look at her wake. The inexperienced boat sailer should -bear in mind that scudding in a seaway is ticklish work, and is not -unlikely to be attended with peril. If you have no trysail, reef the -mainsail and lower the peak. Hoist on the weather topping lift so as to -keep the boom as high as possible out of the water. By no means run a -boat before the wind until it blows too hard and the sea is too high to -heave to with safety. If the breeze seems likely to pipe up, make up -your mind immediately. Delay is dangerous. Have your sea anchor ready. -Watch for a smooth. When it comes put your helm down smartly, trimming -in the mainsheet. When she gets the wind on the bow, heave your sea -anchor overboard and ride to it either with the mainsail set or lowered, -as may be deemed best. - -If you happen to be on a lee shore, with the surf breaking high on the -beach, and you cannot claw off, do not wait until it is too late and -your boat is in the breakers. Let go the anchor, and if it holds try to -ride out the storm. If your ground tackle gives way, do your best to set -the mainsail and steer boldly for the shore. The faster you go the -better chance you have to be carried high and dry. Remember that this -will give you a fighting chance for your life, whereas if your boat gets -broadside on in the breakers she will most likely roll over and over and -in all probability drown you and your crew. - -It may be thought preposterous for me to advocate the use of oil to -break the force of curling wave-crests when a small craft is riding to a -raft or sea anchor. Most people would naturally suppose that a boat -could not carry enough oil aboard her for it to have any beneficial -effect in smoothing a turbulent sea. Nor could it if it was poured into -the ocean out of its original package, or out of "bags with small holes -punctured in their bottoms," as some marine experts advise. The proper -way to apply oil is to fill a round bottomed canvas bag, about two feet -long and eight inches in diameter, three parts full of oakum or cotton -waste. Do not pack too tightly. Pour into this as much fish or animal -oil as the oakum or waste will suck up. Sew the mouth up tightly with -palm and needle. Secure a lanyard to it. Make a few holes in its sides -with a marlinespike and hang it over the lee bow, and you will be -surprised at the result. The seas, instead of breaking over the boat and -threatening to swamp her, will become comparatively smooth as soon as -they approach the limits of the film of the oil as it oozes slowly out -of the bag. When running over a harbor bar where the sea is breaking -badly, a couple of these bags suspended from either bow will prevent the -waves from pooping the little craft and help her materially in her -struggle for existence. Mineral oil will do if no other is available, -and a gallon of it will go a long way if used in the manner mentioned -above. These bags should be carried all ready for use when cruising, so -that all you will have to do is to pour the oil in, sew up the mouths -and hang them over the bows by the lanyards. A ship's boat with a dozen -men aboard once safely weathered an Atlantic gale by riding to a couple -of buckets and a cork fender saturated with kerosene. Pouring oil on -troubled waters is by no means a case of bluff or the dream of an opium -smoker, but a capital "wrinkle" by means of which many a good man has -been saved from Davy Jones' yawning locker. I trust that these little -bags will form part of the outfit of all going on long cruises. They may -serve as pillows or may be made in the shape of cushions, so long as the -above general idea is followed. - -[Illustration: THE BOSTON KNOCKABOUT "GOSLING."] - -As a striking instance of the value of oil in a heavy gale I will quote -the case of the British ship _Slivemore_, which took fire in June, 1885, -while in the Indian Ocean about eight hundred miles northeastward of the -Seychelle Islands. The ship was abandoned and the boats steered for the -islands. Capt. Conly, of the _Slivemore_, gave orders that each boat -should take aboard two cans of paint oil for use in bad weather, and he -also instructed the officer in command of each boat in the use of the -oil. Three days after the ship was left the boats encountered a cyclone. -Drags made from spars, oars and sails lashed together were rigged, and -to these improvised sea anchors the frail craft rode securely. Stockings -filled with oakum saturated with the oil were hung over the bows of the -boats and formed an oil-slick of considerable expanse. Before the -stockings were hung out the boats narrowly escaped being swamped and the -men had to bail hard with buckets. The oil prevented the seas from -breaking and the boats rode over the enormous waves in safety. Little -water was shipped, and those on board the boats were able to lie down -and sleep while a tropical cyclone was raging furiously. All the boats -reached the islands in safety without the loss of a man, but had it not -been for the oil the loss of the _Slivemore_ would have remained an -untold mystery of the ocean. - -A still more wonderful example of the efficacy of oil is told by the -captain of the ship _Martha Cobb_, and it relates to the achievement of -a sixteen-foot dinghy. In December, 1886, the _Martha Cobb_, petroleum -laden, encountered a heavy gale in the North Atlantic. She shipped some -tremendous seas which swept away all her large boats, washed away her -bulwarks and played havoc generally with her decks. The only boat that -was left uninjured was the aforesaid sixteen-foot dinghy, intended -solely for smooth water work. - -While laboring and plunging in the mountainous sea, the _Martha Cobb_ -fell in with a sinking vessel flying signals of distress to the effect -that the water was fast gaining on her and that all her boats were stove -in. The captain of the _Martha Cobb_ determined to stand by the vessel -in distress, in the hope that the gale would abate. He knew that his -little cockleshell of a dinghy could not possibly live in such weather, -and that it would be suicidal to lower her and attempt a rescue. - -After standing by till near nightfall with no prospect of the storm -moderating, the commander of the _Martha Cobb_ determined to make an -effort to save the crew of the fast foundering craft. The _Martha -Cobb's_ petroleum was in casks, some of which leaked. The captain had -noticed that when the pumps were being worked the sea in the wake of his -ship was always much smoother. He got the _Martha Cobb_ to windward of -the wreck and started the pumps, in the hope that the oil in the well -and bilges would create a smooth when it reached the sea, so that the -dinghy could be lowered in safety. - -He found, however, that the ships drifted faster than the oil, so that -while the sea to windward was comparatively smooth the water to leeward -was rough as ever. So he kept his ship away, ran down under the vessel's -stern and luffed up under her lee. Then he started the pumps and also -allowed a five-gallon can of fish oil to trickle into the water through -the scuppers. The effect was almost miraculous. In less than -half-an-hour the crested surges and breaking combers were converted into -long heavy swells such as you see when a calm has succeeded a heavy -gale. - -The little dinghy was lowered, and manned by three men was pulled to -windward alongside the wreck with little difficulty. All hands were -rescued, and the tiny boat, while engaged in the gallant work, shipped -no water. All this time the waves were breaking furiously outside the -magic limit of the oil-slick. - -One more illustration and I am done. Capt. Amlot, of the steamer -_Barrowmore_, on January twenty-fourth, 1885, while in 51 degrees north -latitude and 21 degrees west longitude, fell in with the sinking ship -_Kirkwood_. This ship had for part of her cargo several hundred casks of -canned salmon. In order to make a smooth and allow the boat of the -_Barrowmore_ to come alongside in safety, the crew of the _Kirkwood_ -broached a number of the cases, and opening the cans poured the oil from -them into the sea. This had the desired result, and although the sea was -very heavy the oil reduced it rapidly, and the boat of the _Barrowmore_ -had no difficulty in taking off the twenty-six men that composed the -ship's company of the _Kirkwood_. - -Two quarts of oil used per hour will produce effective results. A ship -scudding before the wind, with a mountainous sea running and threatening -to poop her, has expended this amount and kept dry. Experts have -calculated that this quantity of oil has covered the sea with an -infinitesimal film measuring thirty feet in width and ten nautical miles -in length. As the thickness of this film is only .0000047 of an inch, -its efficacy is indeed marvelous. - -A simple and excellent device for distributing oil has been invented by -Capt. Townsend, of the United States Signal Office. It is cheap and -convenient, and is especially adapted for use in boats or small yachts. -It has been thus described: - -"It consists of a hollow metal globe ten inches in diameter, with a -capacity of about one and a-half gallons of oil. It has an air chamber -separated by a partition to keep it afloat in a certain position, and -there are two valves. When filled with oil the upper valve is adjusted -to allow oil to flow out at any desired rate, while the lower valve -admits water. When placed in the sea it floats with the upper valve a -little above the surface, and water will enter to displace the oil from -the graduated upper valve. The specific gravity of oil will keep it in -the upper part of the distributor, and the motion of the globe on the -breaking waves or swell will insure the ejection of the oil through the -graduated valve in any quantity." - -[Illustration: OIL DISTRIBUTOR.] - -This may be used by towing over the bow when running, or made fast to a -sea anchor when hove to. - -People inclined to be skeptical are, of course, at liberty to doubt the -efficacy of oil to lessen the dangerous effect of heavy seas, but the -examples I have quoted are simply a few culled from several hundred well -authenticated cases. - -[Illustration: PLAN OF OIL DISTRIBUTOR.] - -The lesson learned from the Shipwash lightship ever so many years ago, -has not been without profit and benefit to naval architects. Let me spin -you the yarn. The Shipwash lightship is moored in one of the most -exposed places on the east coast of England, and is thus continually -encountering particularly heavy seas. It came to pass that the old -lightship was replaced by a new and scientific vessel. The new-fangled -craft was, however, so remarkably unsteady and rolled so heavily that to -the storm-tossed mariner beating up the coast her light appeared to be -of crescent shape. Her crew got scared. They were afraid she would turn -turtle. A surveyor from the Trinity House was sent aboard, and he made a -report which was submitted to her designer, who eventually said the -fault complained of could be easily remedied by the addition of extra -ballast. Accordingly this was done, and the next gale she rode out her -rolling was worse than ever, and produced quite a panic among her crew, -who were afraid to go below while the storm lasted. Another report was -made to headquarters. Other students of naval architecture were -consulted, who not only advised that the extra ballast be taken out, but -that four tons of lead be attached to the frame or cage supporting the -light. These instructions were carried out, and the result was the -steadiest lightship on the east coast. - -A vessel will carry herself full of coal and behave herself in heavy -weather. But when she comes to be laden with copper ore or lead, a -certain amount of ingenuity has to be used in the storage of such heavy -cargo to make her seaworthy at all. If it were all stowed in the bottom -of the vessel she would roll so heavily in a seaway as to get dismasted, -and would probably become a total wreck. It is now that the experienced -art of the stevedore comes in. The man who follows the proper -authorities would construct a bin or compartment in which to stow this -dangerous freight thus: - -[Illustration: Fig. 1] - -The result would be highly satisfactory. The vessel's center of gravity -would be the same as though she were laden with coal, and her movements -in a seaway would therefore be quite as easy. - -Another man might construct his compartment thus: - -[Illustration: Fig. 2] - -The vessel in this case would labor quite heavily on the slightest -provocation and would not be so steady or so seaworthy as the one first -mentioned, with the narrow bin or compartment extending to the upper -deck. - -The same remarks apply to the ballasting of yachts. Before the days of -outside lead, when pleasure craft shifted their racing for a cruising -rig preparatory to a deep-water voyage, it was customary to raise the -inside lead ballast by placing layers of cork beneath it, thus ensuring -easy movements in a seaway. Racing yachts nowadays have all their weight -outside, and this device for their relief cannot therefore be resorted -to. When crossing the Atlantic, say for a race for the _America's_ Cup, -they are always in danger of getting caught in a gale of wind and an -accompanying mountainous sea. In order to prevent excessive rolling, -which might endanger the mast and consequently the vessel herself, it is -necessary to keep a press of sail set. For this purpose a trysail with -plenty of hoist to it is indispensable. It should not be one of those -jib-headed impostors that some racing skippers most unaccountably -affect, but one with a good long gaff that will successfully prevent the -otherwise inevitable and peril-fraught roll to windward. - -A yacht under these circumstances, it is true, cannot carry a great -press of canvas when on the top of one of those big rollers that a gale -soon kicks up in the Atlantic. But she wants as much of her sail area as -possible exposed to the gale when she is in the hollow of the wave. -Otherwise there will not be sufficient pressure to prevent her from -rolling to windward. - -Rolling to windward—easy enough to write, you may think—but every sailor -knows what may follow. Green seas fore and aft, mast sprung, men washed -overboard; and if the gale does not abate, why, Davy Jones' locker for -all hands and the cook! - -The storm trysail must necessarily be a sheet-footed sail set over the -furled mainsail. It is a sail comparatively narrow at the foot, but it -should for obvious reasons be made as broad as possible at the head, in -proper proportion of course to the breadth of the foot. It need not have -quite as much hoist as the mainsail, for the throat halyards at such a -time must have a good drift, while to keep the sail inboard the peak -should be quite extreme. It follows, therefore, that although the -rollers may be high the peak of the trysail is above them, and the yacht -is kept jogging along steadily without any sudden and violent shocks or -strains to spar or rigging. - -The following rough sketches will, I think, serve to demonstrate the -superiority of the gaff-headed trysail over that abortion, the -thimble-headed variety, which I do not hesitate to condemn as useless -for a modern yacht ballasted with outside lead in a seaway. - -[Illustration] - -No. 1 shows vessel with gaffheaded sail on the crest of a wave. She -drops down into the hollow of the wave and becomes No. 2. The shaded -part of the sail catches the wind over the crests of the waves, and the -area so exposed is sufficient to steady the vessel and give her a safe -heel or list. - -[Illustration] - -Now I wish to call your attention to No. 3. She has enough sail spread -when on the crest of a wave. But observe her when in the hollow. She has -scarcely a stitch of sail above the level of the crest. The consequence -is that her weight being so low down, and her form having so much -stability, she swings with a violent roll to windward and her mast is -thereby imperilled. This is the result of not having the requisite -amount of pressure at the head of the sail. - -The commanders of square-rigged vessels always bear this in mind. They -heave to under a close-reefed maintopsail, never under a lower course, -and the ship when in the trough of the sea has enough sail exposed to -keep her steady. The smart schooners that used to ply between St. -Michaels and London in the fruit trade, and that were bound to make -smart passages or lose money, were always fitted with gaffheaded -trysails, and found them most efficacious in beating to windward in -strong gales. Their sturdy skippers would have looked with contempt and -ridicule upon any person so fatuous as to recommend a jibheaded trysail. -And they were skilled sailors of fore-and-aft rigged craft, and were -well acquainted with that stretch of the wild Atlantic between the -Lizard and the Azores. These vessels used to beat up the English Channel -in the teeth of an easterly gale and fight their way homeward inch by -inch, and I consider the practical experience of their captains as far -more reliable than the theoretical vagaries of men who were never out of -soundings in a small craft. - -What is true of comparatively large yachts in an Atlantic gale applies -equally to the small cruiser. The theory is precisely the same, and in -ordering a storm trysail from his sailmaker the aspiring owner of a -smart, seaworthy cruiser might well be guided by the few hints given -above. A gaffheaded trysail is just what he wants to steady his boat -when hove to, and to counteract that tendency toward rolling that -outside lead always has on the hull of a boat in a seaway. - -When coming to anchor at any other time than low water, do not forget to -allow for the fall of the tide. For instance, if you bring up in 10 feet -of water when the tide is high, in a boat drawing, say 5 feet, and the -range of rise and fall is also 5 feet, at low water your vessel would be -aground and perhaps under untoward circumstances in danger of damage or -even total loss. This hint is worth remembering in many parts of the -world, especially in some parts of the Bay of Fundy, where there is a -range of no less than 50 feet! Soundings on the chart denote the depth -at mean low water. - -[Illustration] - - - - - VII. - - OVERHAULING THE YACHT. - - -No matter how small a craft the yachtsman owns she will, after a -winter's lay-up, require a good deal of attention before she is fit for -the water; and there is no reason why a keen yachtsman who owns a tidy -little craft should not fit her out himself in his spare time. In fact, -I am acquainted with many boat-owners who find nearly as much delight in -getting their own vessels into proper fettle for the season's sport as -they do in navigating them. There is much to be said in favor of this -enterprise. The principal argument is that a man overhauling the hull of -the boat which belongs to him will not be at all likely to "scamp" the -work. On the contrary, it is to his interest to do the job thoroughly -while he is about it, for he is improving his own property; whereas if -he employs a mechanic to do it by piece work, or by the day, the task -may be performed in a manner more or less perfunctory, or at any rate -without the attention to minor details which the actual proprietor would -be expected to bring to the task. - -I would not counsel a man to attempt repairs which call for the skilled -shipwright or boat-builder. The result would in all probability be a -lamentable failure, and in the end a mechanic would have to be called -in. But the work of cleaning, painting and varnishing a hull -intrinsically sound may be accomplished by the man or boy of average -intelligence and industry. - -What is true about a hull is still more so of her rig. When I first went -to sea on a deep-water voyage, as soon as the ship was out of soundings -the crew's first duty was to undo the work of the professional rigger, -stay the masts anew by shrouds and backstays, and replace the hurried -botch-work of knots and splices by seamanlike and shipshape work. - -Anything in the shape of a boat may be made water-tight, no matter how -leaky she may be, if treated with careful ingenuity. I would be the last -man to suggest patching and puttying up a ramshackle craft whose frames -and planking are rotten. Supposing, however, that the hull is fairly -sound, but through exposure to the hot sun her planks are cracked in -sundry places, and that in fact she leaks like a sieve, there is no -reason why she should be condemned. There is a lot of good fun to be got -out of a craft of this kind, if the proper repairs are made. If put in -the hands of a professional boat-builder the cost would be very high, -even if he could be induced to undertake the work. Here, then, is where -a handy man or boy has a capital opportunity to try his hand as a -craftsman. I repaired an old 18 foot boat in my younger days, when money -was scarce and I had the alternative of giving up my pet diversion of -sailing or making the ancient bucket tight. - -This is how I went about it. - -The craft in question was hauled out on the shore above high-water mark. -She had been abandoned by her rightful owner, who had moved inland and -left her to the tender mercies of the sun in summer and the snow in -winter. For sixteen months she lay on the beach neglected. Every day I -cast covetous eyes on her. I will make a clean breast of it now in my -old age and confess that I had contemplated stealing her. That sin was, -however, spared me, as I found her owner's address and wrote, asking if -he would sell her. He replied that he would give her to me and welcome, -and thus made me the happiest youth in the land. - -The boat was originally a first-class little lap-streaker of good model, -built of teak throughout and copper-fastened; but there were many cracks -in her planks and most of her fastenings were loose, and in a general -way she might be described as "nail-sick" all over. With the help of a -couple of chums I placed her on chocks and shored her up on an even -keel, supporting her well, so that she should not suffer from any -unequal strain when I filled her later on with water. She was very dirty -inside, and I remember it took me the greater part of a day to -thoroughly clean her with soap, hot water and a scrubbing brush. Then I -put the plug in and started to fill her up with water. Although I had -plenty of help from the village boys, who were never so joyous as when -pottering about a boat, it took a long time to fill her, for the water -poured out of her like the streams from a shower-bath. But her dry and -thirsty planks soon began to swell a little and the leaks to diminish. I -kept her as full of water as possible for two or three days, marking -with chalk every leak that appeared. I may remark that the chocks on -which her keel was raised were high enough for me to crawl completely -under her bottom and get at every part of her. Her hull, which -originally had been varnished to show the grain of the natural wood, was -pretty well checkered with chalk-marks by the time I had finished. Then -I let the water drain out of her, and waited until she was dried -thoroughly by wind and sun. - -Meanwhile I bought a lot of copper nails of the requisite length and -rooves to match, with the use of which I had become thoroughly familiar -from watching the men in the boat-shop hard by. - -Then I began operations, aided by an apprentice from the boat-builder's -establishment whom I induced, by the proffer of pocket money, to turn -out of his bed at dawn and lend me a hand till the clang of the bell -summoned him to his daily toil. We replaced all the rivets that had -worked very loose with new ones of a larger size, and drove an -additional nail between every two originally driven. The old nails, -which were only a little slack, I hardened with a few taps of the hammer -from the inside, while Toby, the afore-mentioned apprentice, "held on" -against the heads of the nails with another hammer on the outside. This -was slow and tedious work, but it paid in the long run, for it made the -boat almost as good as new, her frames, as I have already mentioned, -being in capital condition. - -My next operation was to borrow a pitch-kettle from the boat shop and to -put in it a pound of pitch and a gallon of North Carolina tar. Kindling -a fire under it I let it boil until the pitch had melted, stirring it -constantly. This mixture I applied boiling hot to the inside of the boat -with a paint-brush, filling every crevice and ledge up to the level of -the underside of the thwarts. It was astonishing what a quantity of this -composition the planks absorbed. I put only half a ladleful of the tar -into my paint-pot at a time, so that it should not stand long enough to -cool, replenishing every few minutes from the boiling kettle. Tar when -at the boiling point is comparatively thin, and has superior penetrative -qualities, so it can be worked with the point of the brush into every -crevice, no matter how minute. When it hardens it forms a water-tight -seam which possesses, from the nature of its ingredients, a certain -amount of elasticity. - -There were a number of sun-cracks in the planking, which I filled with -fish glue, run in hot from the outside. This composition dries very hard -and does not crack. My next task was to sandpaper the outside, smoothing -the very rough places with pumice-stone after wetting them well. I ached -all over by the time this process was completed but I got her as smooth -as glass. Then I gave her outside a couple of good coats of raw linseed -oil applied on a hot day. As a finish, not caring to waste money on -varnish, I gave her a final coat of boiled linseed oil, in which a -generous lump of rosin had been melted. This is the mixture used from -time immemorial by the Dutch on the bottoms and topsides of their -galliots, and it wears well and looks well, resisting the action of both -fresh and salt water. I may say that this method of making my boat -water-tight was economical and successful. The example may be followed -with similar results by anybody who owns a leaky lapstreak craft. - -Another method, as practiced on a St. Lawrence skiff that was badly -checked and rotten in places, is thus described by a veteran boatman who -made the successful experiment: "The boat was of lapstreak construction, -and many of the seams had opened. I went entirely over the boat, first -closing the seams as much as possible by drawing together with -clout-nails. Next, where there were cracks through the 3/16-inch -planking, I cleaned the painted surface, and where the paint had -blistered I removed all of it by scraping. When the surface was in -proper condition I cut a strip of eight-ounce duck of a length and width -to cover the crack (generally 3/4 inch was wide enough) and smeared one -side, by means of a stick, with liquid glue. The canvas was applied to -the crack and pressed down, and the glue-stick drawn over the raveled -ends from the center outward, to make them adhere closely to the boat. -Then the canvas and surrounding wood were brushed over with enamel -paint. The painting must be done before the glue sets, as otherwise the -canvas is apt to warp. Open cracks 1/8 inch wide were covered in this -manner, and also cracks at the butts of the strakes. After all of the -cracks were treated I gave the boat two good coats of paint over all, -and the result was a comparatively smooth surface, and one that was -absolutely watertight." The veteran very truly adds that an old boat -repaired in this way will not stand any rough usage, and the patches are -not proof against being dragged over rocks, or even a sand-beach; but by -a little labor a boat that is practically worthless may be so made -serviceable for an indefinite time. - -By either of the methods mentioned above a lapstreak boat may be made -tight as a bottle. A carvel-built craft—that is, one with the planks -flush, edge and edge, and the seams between calked and payed—may -generally be made tight by recalking her with threads of cotton prepared -for that purpose and sold by ship-chandlers, driving the cotton well -home with iron and mallet, and afterward puttying up the seams. Care -should be taken, however, not to put the cotton in too tight, or drive -it right through the seam. Serious damage has often been done to a boat -in the way of increasing her leakiness by too hard calking. Or the -boat's hull may be completely covered with light duck nailed on with -copper tacks, and afterward well painted. This, however, is rather -difficult for a greenhorn to accomplish so as to make a neat fit of it; -but I have seen several boats repaired and renovated in this manner by -young men gifted with ingenuity, and a great deal of patience. I may say -that the result, if the work is well done, is worth the pains thereon -expended. - -Rowboats, sailboats, and launches propelled by any kind of power may -have their hulls treated after one of these fashions, with quite -satisfactory results. - -If the owner does not think he is sufficiently handy to undertake the -stopping of leaks he can, at any rate, paint and varnish his craft. To -paint a boat outside or inside a perfectly smooth surface is necessary, -and to obtain this all rough spots should be smoothed with pumice-stone -and sand-paper. Enamel paint should be used above the water-line, and -the bottom may be painted with any one of the excellent compositions now -in the market, which prevent grass and barnacles from flourishing too -luxuriantly on the underbodies of boats. - -The interior of the boat, after being thoroughly washed and scrubbed, -should also have a coat or even two coats of enamel paint, as this -composition is lasting and wears three times as long as the ordinary -preparation of white lead, oil, turpentine, and pigment. One thing, -however, is worth remembering. Never use washing soda or boiling water -to clean wood covered with enamel paint. Rub it with a sponge or flannel -cloth dipped in lukewarm water and a little soap. For protecting and -beautifying natural wood above deck or below, use a good brand of spar -varnish. This will resist the damp, salt air of the ocean, or the more -penetrating moisture of fresh-water lakes and rivers, far better than -the higher grade of varnish used for the indoor decoration of dwelling -houses, which, when it gets damp, acquires a plum-like bloom on its -surface by no means beautiful. - -Mr. W. Baden-Powell, than whom there is no better authority, says very -truly, that there is no more dangerous time in their lives for the spars -of canoes than when stowed away in a boat-house roof for the damp -winter's rest. Bamboo spars are more liable to suffer than pine, or -solid spruce, but each and all are in danger of splitting or kinking, -especially so in the case of built spars, if glued up, instead of -screw-built. With such convenient lengths as are found in canoe spars, -there is no excuse for leaving them in damp boat-houses, as they can be -stacked in a room corner, on end, and the sails and rigging in drawers -or boxes. In this way each item of rigging can be overhauled, mended, -improved, and set in order for the coming year, just as convenient spare -time offers. - -About the middle of March in these latitudes we generally are blessed -with ideal sailing breezes, a trifle blustering and boisterous, perhaps, -when the merry music of the stiff nor'wester pipes through the rigging, -but nevertheless vastly enjoyable to the ardent amateur, who grasps the -tiller of his stanch shippie and fearlessly luffs up to the strident -puffs, knowing that he has a stout hull beneath him, and that sails and -gear are of trusty strength. - -It is all very well for the steam-yachtsmen and such-like marine -Sybarites to wait for the hot days of July to arrive before ordering -their floating palaces to go into commission, but he who depends upon -sails can ill afford to allow all the glorious winds of the fresh and -fragrant springtime to blow themselves to waste in such reckless, -feckless fashion. There may be a chilly sting or bite in the spray that -breaks on the weather bow in a silver shower and smites the helmsman -mercilessly in the face, but there is invigorating ozone in wind and -water, and a glow of triumph after a successful battle with breeze and -billow. - -[Illustration: IN DRY DOCK.] - -[Illustration: - - Photo by Dr. Titus. - - HAULED OUT FOR PAINTING. -] - -It is prudent, too, to fit out early and lay up late, for life, alas! is -brief, and it behooves us, my boating brethren, to enjoy as many brave -sailing days as possible ere we make our final voyage across the Styx, -with grim Charon, the ferryman, taking his perennial trick at the -tiller, while his pets, the frogs, plash and play and croak in his muddy -wake. - -If the yacht is a small one—a knockabout or a 30-footer—and she has -wintered afloat, the first thing is to haul her out and prepare to clean -her hull of barnacles and grass, of which a goodly crop is sure to have -grown on her below the water-line. Start in with scrubbing brushes, sand -and canvas and use plenty of elbow grease until she is thoroughly -cleaned and all rough places smoothed with pumice stone. Use plenty of -fresh water, with a flannel cloth as a final application to her hull. -Then leave her until she is thoroughly dry. Carefully examine her seams -for leaks, calking where necessary. - -When your boat is out of water open her wide to the fresh air. Rig up a -windsail, and let the healthful breezes circulate through her interior. -If she has hatches or skylights, lift them off; if portholes, unscrew -them and give the wind a chance to blow all close impurities away. Rig -the pump and relieve her of all malodorous bilge water, the most -nauseating and offensive evil that is met with by mariners. Take up the -cabin flooring. If the ballast consists of pig iron, rout it out, clean -off the rust, and before replacing give it a good coat of coal tar, -applied hot. Clean the limbers and flush them with plenty of water, -using a bristly broom to remove the dirt. Splash the water about -lavishly, and then pump it out dry. If there happens to be a cooking -stove below, as there generally is in a vessel of any size, light a -roaring fire and do your best to kill all fungoid germs or spores that -may have gathered in damp places during the winter. Examine the ceiling -for leaks. - -Should, through imprudent oversight, any bedding, matting, carpet, or -clothing, have been left in the boat since last season, take them out -and have them cleansed and dried. If mold and mildew have attacked them, -destroy without compunction, and resolve to take better care next time. - -After thoroughly cleansing the craft inside from the eyes of her to -right aft with soap and hot water, you can paint her cabin, if you deem -she needs it, using enamel paint if you are willing to go to a little -extra expense, or, at any rate, if not, using a generous quantity of -spar varnish with the oil and dryers you mix your white lead with. This -dries good and hard and is easily cleansed with warm water, soap and a -sponge, and is far more durable and satisfactory than paint mixed in the -ordinary manner. Two coats should be given. - -The next process is to clean the deck of the coat of varnish with which -it was doubtless covered when the yacht was prepared for the winter. To -accomplish this in the most efficacious manner, procure from a ship -chandler a sufficient quantity of one of the many preparations of -caustic soda, with which the market is well equipped. Dissolve it in an -iron bucket in hot water, mixing it strong enough to act as a powerful -detergent. These preparations vary in power, so it will be well to -experiment on a section of the deck with a sample and then add more soda -or more water as required. - -After sundown apply plentifully to the deck with a mop, rubbing the -mixture well into the planks. Next morning before sunrise arm yourself -with a good hard deck-scrubber, and set to work in earnest, using plenty -of hot water and scrubbing the deck planks (fore and aft, mind you, -always, and never athwart-ship) until every particle of the old varnish -and every speck and stain is removed. If the detergent is allowed to -remain on the deck while the sun is shining, it is bound to eat into the -planks and burn them. - -The next operation is the painting of the boat inside and out. There are -many excellent compositions for coating the hull below the water-line, -but if you do not care to experiment with them, use the recipe given in -the chapter on "Useful Hints and Recipes." Choose a clear, dry day and -apply the paint. For above the water-line use pure white lead of the -best quality reduced to the proper consistency with equal parts of raw -and boiled linseed oil and copal varnish. Add a dash of dryers and a few -drops of blue paint, strain and apply. - -Personally, I prefer to varnish the deck of a small craft, though I am -quite willing to acknowledge the superior beauty of a spotless deck -white as a hound's tooth. The friends of a yachtsman often wear boots -with ugly nails in them, both on soles and heels, and these are apt to -play havoc with the spick and span appearance of a deck innocent of -varnish. After cleaning the decks thoroughly let them dry well. Wait for -a sunny morning and a northwesterly wind, when the air is comparatively -free from moisture. Get your can of spar varnish out, and after sweeping -the decks and dusting them thoroughly with a feather-duster, apply with -a regular varnish brush of convenient size. It is advisable to pour out -the varnish into a shallow jar, a marmalade pot for instance, in small -quantities as required, as varnish loses its virtue rapidly by exposure -to sun and air. It is expedient, therefore, that the varnish can, or -bottle, should never be left uncorked. The varnishing process should not -be undertaken until the last thing, after the boat has been cleaned and -painted inside and out, spars and blocks scraped and polished, standing -rigging set up, running rigging rove and sails bent. Two thin coats of -varnish will be ample for the decks and spars, as well as all the -hardwood fittings and trimmings of the yacht inside and out. - -Should the varnish be too thick to flow freely from the brush, _don't_ -thin it with oil or spirits of turpentine unless you wish to dim its -luster and deprive it of much of its preservative quality. Simply place -the varnish can in a bucket of hot water, and let it remain there until -it gets warm, when you will experience no difficulty in applying it to -advantage. Another hint worth taking is never to buy cheap and inferior -varnish. The best is none too good. - -These suggestions may appear superfluous to a professional yachtsman, -who, if he happens to read this yarn, might feel tempted to observe: -"Why, every darned chump knows that!" As a matter of fact, amateurs as a -rule are not familiar with these little "wrinkles," which are in many -cases tricks of the trade. This yarn is spun for amateurs only, and not -for the edification or instruction of veteran professionals. About half -a century ago, when I first became a boat owner, I should have been -delighted to get the fruits of a practical man's ripe experience. - -Fashionable craft with spoon bows and long overhangs forward have -abolished the long bowsprits and simplified the head gear. The short -bowsprit is secured with a steel bobstay extending from the stem to the -cranze iron on the bowsprit, the bobstay being set up taut with a -turnbuckle of galvanized iron. The bowsprit shrouds are of steel wire -also set up by turnbuckles. - -The polemast has also done away with all the topmast gear, the mast -being secured by a forestay which sets up to the stem head and by one or -sometimes two shrouds on each side set up by turnbuckles. The days of -deadeyes and lanyards and of reefing bowsprits are departed. A sailor to -be quite down-to-date should combine with his nautical knowledge some of -the art of the blacksmith. Strength and lightness and handiness are the -watchwords of to-day, and with modern methods the gear of a small craft -is so simple that it takes little time to rig her. - -I suppose I may take it for granted that all the running rigging was -neatly coiled up and labeled and stored ashore when you went out of -commission last fall. I know many smart young yachtsmen who while away -many a long winter evening with pleasure and profit overhauling sheets -and halyards, stropping blocks, varnishing them, splicing, serving and -generally repairing all of the running gear that needs attention, making -manropes, scraping and polishing the gangway ladder, the tiller, etc., -and in other ways preparing for their summer's amusement. The study of -navigation, the rule of the road at sea, the coast pilot, the learning -of marlinspike seamanship and a rudimentary knowledge of the use of the -palm and needle, so that if a sail should need some simple repairs they -may be made without loss of time and without seeking aid from a -sailmaker—all these the amateur will find useful. It is astonishing how -much one can learn in one winter if he devotes only an hour a night to -the acquirement of nautical lore. - -But supposing that his running gear has not been touched since it was -unrove, it will take only a short time to get it in tip-top order, and -the work may be done in the evening when it is too dark to potter about -the yacht. - -While you are about it you may as well make a thorough job of this -fitting out. Shin up the mast and make a tail-block fast to the masthead -as high as possible, reeving a gantline through it so that you may sit -in a boatswain's chair or in a bowline while you survey the stick. If -the collars of the shrouds or forestay show any sign of chafe, they must -come down and be served over again with spun yarn or covered with canvas -sewn on with a palm and needle, using plenty of lead colored paint in -the process to prevent rust. Examine the masthead carefully for weak -parts, which generally are to be found in the wake of the rigging. If -rot and signs of serious strains are met with, it is evident that a new -mast is needed. Longitudinal cracks may be disregarded unless they are -glaringly apparent, but transverse cracks should be viewed with -suspicion. - -If, after close inspection, you conclude that the mast is good enough to -stand, you may as well begin to scrape it, engaging your chum to lower -you down by your gantline. After scraping, use sandpaper until it is -polished smooth. Then give it a couple of coats of spar varnish. If the -boat has a bowsprit, treat it in the same way. If she carries a topmast, -scrape and varnish it and the boom, gaff, spinnaker-boom, boathook and -the oars of your dinghy as well as all blocks ashore, wherever -convenient. - -Next set up your rigging good and taut, taking care to stay the mast -perfectly plumb—no rake aft or forward. If you carry a topmast, send it -up and stay it in the usual way. Get your boom in position by means of -the gooseneck and the crotch; reeve your topping-lift and hook it on to -its place at the end of the boom. Get the gaff in place, hook on the -throat and peak halyards, and there you are all ready to bend sails. - -It is imperative that your vessel, whether she be a cruiser pure and -simple or a racer, should have a well cut suit of sails. If it is your -intention to treat her to the luxury of a brand new suit, I hope that -you placed your order with a responsible sailmaker weeks ago. The winter -is the correct time to have your sails made, when the knights of the -palm and needle are not so apt to be rushed. - -Yacht owners have the habit of procrastinating where sails are -concerned, and postpone their orders for new canvas to the very last -moment. This causes such a hurry in the loft that large orders are apt -to receive the first and best attention of the sailmaker, while the -owner of a moderate-sized vessel has to wait the foreman's convenience; -whereas, if an order is placed before, say, Christmas, one of the firm -is as likely as not to give the matter his personal attention, measure -your craft himself, and let the cut and the sit of the sails have the -benefit of his own supervision. It is also a fact that the sailmaking -firms make it a point to keep their best men at work all the year round, -while the mere ordinary workmen are "laid off" when the season closes. -The consequence is that the yachtsman who orders his sails in good time -has the advantage of the most skillful craftsmen in the market, and he -is likely, too, to have better prices quoted him than in the rush of the -season, when all hands are hard at it. Therefore, my advice is to take -early action and win the best results at the most favorable figure. - -It was always my custom, before unbending my yacht's sails preparatory -to going out of commission, to summon my sailmaker aboard and take him -for a short trip, pointing out what I considered to be the defects in -the muslin and listening to his suggestions for their remedy. He would -make notes in his memorandum-book and inscribe certain hieroglyphic -marks on the sails themselves. When the canvas was unbent he would send -for it, make the repairs and alterations at his leisure and store the -sails for me until the spring, when I would find them in perfect -condition for setting. All this was done for moderate compensation, -considering the excellence of the workmanship. - -The importance of a well-cut and well-sitting suit of sails cannot be -over-estimated. No matter how well the naval architect may have executed -his work in the design of a vessel's hull, if the sailmaker has failed -in his task, success in racing is an impossibility. You might just as -well expect a fast homing pigeon to attain his normal speed with a -crippled wing as a yacht to win a cup hampered by sails of poor material -and faulty construction. - -If low-grade material is used, despite the best efforts of the -scientific sailmaker, the sails are sure to be unsatisfactory. The -climate on the Atlantic coast is peculiarly trying even to the finest -grades of cotton duck, which is assuredly the best fabric known that can -be used for the purpose of the sailmaker. The hot and arid westerly -winds dry out the sails so that they become soft and open, causing them -to stretch abnormally and to get full of what are technically termed -"hard places." The wind shifts to the eastward, a damp, moist quarter, -and the result is a severe shrinking, which, in conjunction with the -previous violent stretching, is enough to play havoc with the best and -closest woven material, no matter how scientifically designed and -constructed. You can imagine how a suit of sails of cheap and common -duck, botched by some ordinary tentmaker, would be likely to behave -under such circumstances. - -My advice is to order your sails of a reputable firm of experience, have -them made of the best material, and take care that they are bent by a -man of judgment and skill and not by some habitué of a hay-mow or a -pig-drover fresh from the farm. I have known a suit of sails that cost -several hundred dollars irretrievably ruined by being overstretched in -the first instance by a sailing-master ignorant of the first principles -of his calling. - -A well-known sailmaker, who has made sails for some of the crack racing -yachts of America, gives the following admirable instructions for -setting the sails of a 40-foot single-sticker: Cast off the tyers from -the mainsail; hook on the peak halyards; see that the gaff goes up -between the topping-lifts as you hoist up on the throat and peak -halyards; hoist up on the throat until the luff-rope is straight; if the -sail has a slide on the boom, haul out on it till the canvas is just -straight and smooth on the foot; too hard a pull will throw a heavy -strain on the diagonal, from the end of the boom to the jaws of the -gaff, giving a bad after leech when the peak is swayed up; next sway up -the luff pretty taut; it is not necessary to top the boom up to too -great an angle out of the crotch; man the peak halyards and hoist on -them until the after leech is so lifted that it spreads and stretches -every square inch of the after angle of the sail; as soon as the peak -begins to lift the outer end of the boom, the mainsheet should be made -fast (unless the boom extends so far over the taffrail that it would -bring an undue leverage on the boom and spring it to breaking); now -sweat up the peak halyards until the stretch is entirely taken out of -the halyard canvas; if the peak is hoisted beyond its proper angle, it -puts an undue strain on the diagonal, from the end of the gaff to the -center of effort of the sail, the consequence being a nasty gutter just -inside the leech, which gives rise to the groundless complaint that -there is a tight cloth inside the after leech. It should be remembered -that the trouble lies in stretching the head and foot of the sail too -taut, and over-setting, the peak. - -These instructions are so clear as to be intelligible to the merest -tyro, and should be followed out on all occasions. A good mainsail costs -a large sum, and there is no reason why it should be ruined by neglect -of proper precautions. - -In setting a thimble-headed topsail hoist away on the halyards, then -bowse the tack down with a purchase, then sheet it out to the gaff end -so that there shall be an exact and even strain on both foot and leech. - -The proper angle of the jib-sheet depends entirely on the position its -clew occupies in relation to the stay. It should always hold the foot of -the sail a little more than it does the after leech, so as to allow the -proper flow, which is so effective as well as so beautiful. - -If you determine that the craft's old suit is good enough for another -year, overhaul it for holes. Perhaps the sails have been stowed away -where rats or mice have had free access to them. If so, they will need -repairs. If they were rolled up damp, or stored in a damp place, they -will probably be badly mildewed. The unsightly stains of mildew can be -partially removed by scrubbing the sail on both sides with fresh water -and soap, and afterward rubbing whiting over it and leaving it to dry -and bleach in the sun. - -If the sails are discolored, they may be improved by laying them on a -plot of clean sand, scrubbing them on both sides with sea-water and -salt-water soap, and afterward sprinkling them with salt-water in which -whiting is dissolved until it looks like milk. Let them bleach in the -sun until one side is quite dry, and then turn them over. - -To prevent mildew from spoiling the sails, keep them dry and well -ventilated. If a sail is furled when damp, the inner folds will mildew. -Always roll up a wet sail loosely, and shake it out and dry it the first -chance you get; in any case open it out and give it air, even if rain -continues to fall. Remember that new sails will mildew very quickly -because of the "dressing" in the duck, which sets up a fungoid growth or -fermentation. For these reasons don't depend too much on your watertight -sail-covers, but give your canvas frequent air and sun baths if you wish -your "white wings" to remain things of beauty. - -The same attention to the sails to avoid mildew should be given to the -hull to prevent dry rot, which is quite as frequently caused by the lack -of ventilation as by the use of unseasoned timber in the construction of -a vessel. - -The principal labor of fitting out has been described, but the cabin is -yet to be fixed up for occupation, and stores taken aboard for the -opening cruise. It is well to have a list prepared of the actual -necessities in the way of supplies that must not be left ashore when you -get under way. Here are a few things that cannot be dispensed with: -Anchor and chain, small kedge anchor, tow-rope, life-buoy, side-lights, -anchor light, oil and wicks, bell, foghorn, compass with binnacle, hand -lead, chart of waters you intend to navigate, dinghy, either on board or -towing astern, properly fitted with oars, boathook, rowlocks and plug, -all secured by lashings. A good supply of fresh water should be taken -along, and a stock of provisions suitable to the tastes of the skipper -and his guests. An awning for the cockpit may prove a great comfort both -in hot and rainy weather, when becalmed or at anchor. - -I recommend that a storm trysail, a storm jib and a drogue, or -sea-anchor, form part of the yacht's equipment, and that they be stowed -away in some place convenient for instant use. Perhaps they may never be -needed, but it is often the unforeseen that happens, and in this world -of uncertainty it is best to be always ready for an emergency. - -Thus prepared the yachtsman may safely venture for a cruise, selecting -those waters with which he is most familiar or most anxious to explore. -He will find April an ideal month for yachting, and if he puts in his -time to the best advantage he will have his craft "tuned up" to racing -pitch, his amateur crew so admirably drilled and disciplined, and his -sails and gear in such capital shape that, if there is really any speed -in the craft at all, prizes should be the inevitable reward of his skill -and his enterprise. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: "MAKING READY FOR A NEW DRESS."] - - - - - VIII. - - FITTING OUT FOR A CRUISE. - - -In equipping a boat for a cruise, even in summer, it is always well to -remember that gales of wind are not unusual even in July. I once knew it -to blow with spiteful ferocity in the last week of that month, and to -disperse the Atlantic Yacht Club squadron and drive them to seek shelter -in various harbors of Long Island Sound, between Black Rock and New -Haven. Out of the whole fleet only two yachts reached their destination, -New London. One was the sloop _Athlon_, Vice-Commodore E. B. Havens, on -board of which I was a guest, and the forty-footer _Chispa_. It was -quite an exciting and hard thrash to windward in the teeth of an -easterly gale, but we got there. Had not the two yachts mentioned been -properly prepared for such an exigency, they also would have been forced -to bear up and run for some land-locked haven in which to linger until -the wind had blown itself out. Although these summer gales generally -exhaust themselves in twenty-four hours, they are often quite savage -while they last, and the sensible yachtsman will always be prepared to -meet them. His standing and running rigging will be in first-class -condition; whatever storm canvas he carries will be ready for bending at -a moment's notice; his sea anchor or drogue will also be at hand for -letting go should the necessity arise. - -Of course I need not impress upon the amateur boat sailer that a compass -should be taken along on a cruise. But I have mingled a good deal with -the owners of small craft, and have met many who either did not carry -one at all or, if it was aboard, as likely as not stowed it away in the -same locker with a hatchet, marlinespike and other tools not likely to -improve it. A compass should always form part of a boat's outfit. A fog -often makes its appearance when a party of pleasure seekers are enjoying -a sail on sound or bay, and when it shuts down on you thick as a hedge I -will defy you not to lose your bearings, and consequently your way. In -times such as these a compass will prove a source of great comfort, and -instead of being compelled to anchor and await clear weather you can -steer for your destination under shortened sail. In such cases never -fail to blow the foghorn, which should be of regulation size and not a -penny squeaking trumpet such as a six-year old schoolboy affects. The -ordinary boat's compass will answer admirably if only short sails are -contemplated, but on a long cruise where a heavy sea is not unlikely to -be encountered, a fluid compass should be carried. The motion of a small -craft in rough water causes the common compass card to jump about so -much as to be perfectly useless to steer by, while a fluid compass -remains steady and reliable under all circumstances and conditions. -There are several fluid compasses in the market at a reasonable price, -which can be depended upon in an emergency. The fluid on which the -needle floats is generally alcohol, to guard against freezing, and is -simply a development of a primitive compass used by the daring seamen of -the twelfth century. This old-fashioned instrument consisted of an iron -needle, one end of which was stuck into a piece of cork. The other end -was well rubbed with a loadstone, and when the cork was floated in an -earthenware bowl of water the end so treated pointed to the magnetic -North. In spite of the meager knowledge of those early navigators -concerning variation and deviation, they generally managed to make a -sufficiently good land-fall. It may not be generally known that a sewing -needle rubbed on a magnet and carefully dropped into a vessel of water -will float and point to the North. - -The rule of the road at sea requires vessels in a fog to go at a -moderate speed and to blow the foghorn at intervals of not less than two -minutes; when on the starboard tack one blast, when on the port tack two -blasts in succession, and when with the wind abaft the beam three blasts -in succession. It also has certain imperative rules for a vessel at -anchor in a fog. - -The law provides that a vessel not under way in a fog shall at intervals -of not more than two minutes ring a bell. It will be seen therefore that -a bell is quite as necessary as a foghorn. If a boat at anchor or under -way in thick weather, with neither bell nor foghorn in use as provided -by the law, should be run into and damaged or sunk by any other vessel, -her owner would have no redress. On the contrary, if he escaped with his -life he could be forced to pay for any damage, however trifling, the -vessel colliding with him sustained in the act. If he was drowned his -estate would be liable. - -A bell should form part of the careful boatowner's outfit. But if you -have neglected providing one, don't despair. Get out a frying pan or a -tin kettle and kick up as much racket as you can by beating one or both -with a hammer or a marlinespike. A fishhorn has many times answered the -purpose of a foghorn, but I would not recommend it as a steady -substitute. All I wish to convey is that a frying pan and a fishhorn are -better than nothing. - -The variety of anchor to be carried depends very much upon choice. There -are several kinds for sale quite suitable for small cruisers, all of -which have good points to recommend them. - -[Illustration: PLEASANT CAT-BOAT SAILING.] - -The law is imperative as regards the carrying of lights by night when at -anchor or under way. If your craft is very small, there is a light in -the market fitted with green and red slides to be shown when required, -which may suit your purpose. But if your craft has any pretensions to -size provide yourself with a pair of brass side lights and also a good -brass anchor light. Avoid those flimsy articles with which the market is -flooded. The best are cheapest in the end. See that all the lamps you -have aboard take the same sized wick. Buy the brand of oil known as -mineral sperm, which is used by all first-class steamship lines. Its -quality has borne the test of years and has never been found wanting. -For lamp cleaning take a plentiful supply of cotton waste and old -newspapers, the last named for polishing the glass. A hand lead and line -must not be forgotten, while an aneroid barometer, a thermometer and a -marine clock will be both useful and ornamental. Do not forget a canvas -bucket and a deck scrubber. - -A few tools will be found necessary. A hatchet, hammer, chisel, file, -jack-knife, gimlet, screw driver, small crosscut saw and an assortment -of screws and nails will be about all that is essential in this -direction. A few yards of duck, palm and needles and sewing twine, a -ball of marline, one of spun yarn and a marlinespike may be stowed away -snugly, and their possession in case of need is often a great boon. The -adventurous voyager must use his own discretion as to his wardrobe. The -marine "dude" is in evidence in our midst, and who am I that I should -condemn a man for trying to look his prettiest, both ashore and afloat? -Don't forget to buy a good suit of oilers, and don't fail to slip them -on when it rains. When you come to get to my age, and feel the -rheumatism in your old bones, you will wish you had followed my advice. - -Tastes differ so widely that it is hard to advise a man as to his -_cuisine_ when afloat. What would suit an old sea dog "right down to the -ground" might not be palatable to the nautical epicure with a taste for -humming-bird's livers on toast, or other such dainty kickshaws. -Personally, I can enjoy a good square meal of sardines and hardtack, -wash it down with a cup of coffee and wind up with a pipe of plug -tobacco, and conclude that I have feasted like a prince. This is -probably due to my forecastle training. Others are more fastidious. -Luckily this is the age of canned viands, and almost every delicacy -under the sun is put up in convenient form, requiring only a can-opener -to extract the hidden sweetness. - -The culinary difficulty that confronts the sailer of a small craft is -the cooking stove. Like the servant girl problem, it is still unsolved. -Many great geniuses have wasted the midnight oil and have nearly -exhausted the gray matter of their brains in trying to invent a stove -that shall be suitable for a little cockleshell of a boat with a -_penchant_ for dancing over the waves in lively style. Some have tried -cast-iron stoves with a smokestack, and coal for fuel, and have cursed -their folly ever after. Gasoline stoves, so long as they don't explode -and set fire to the boat, are convenient and cleanly. Various kinds of -alcohol lamps, hung on gimbals to accommodate themselves to the -perpetual motion of a vessel, are in use and are thoroughly adapted for -making a pot of coffee, tea or chocolate, and for heating a can of soup -or preserved meat. A hungry boatman should not ask for more luxurious -fare. There are preparations of coffee and milk and cocoa and milk in -cans, which can be got ready in a hurry and with the least possible -trouble. They are also nice, and I do not hesitate to stamp them with -the seal of my approval. By looking over the catalogue of the canned -goods of any first-class grocer, you will find a quantity of varieties -to select from, all of excellent quality and moderate in price. In order -to provide against waste it would be advisable if cruising alone to buy -the smallest packages in which the viands are put up. Hardtack should be -kept in airtight tin boxes to guard against damp. Matches can be stowed -in a glass fruit jar, and in this snug receptacle defy salt spray and -sea air which threaten the integrity of brimstone and phosphorus. The -man who indulges in tobacco (and what lover of the sea does not?) will -find it well to pack a supply of wind matches in a glass jar, so that he -can keep his match safe replenished and be able to light his pipe or -cigar no matter how the breeze may blow. I have found tobacco a mighty -source of comfort under adverse mental and physical conditions, and its -soothing influence has made many a trick at the tiller seem less weary. - -Cooking in a small craft tossed like a cork on the waves is a confounded -nuisance, but a hot meal tastes well after you have been stuck at the -tiller for four or five hours in squally weather. I remember an incident -that occurred on board my cutter, the _Heather Bell_, when ingenuity -provided a hot breakfast which otherwise we should not have enjoyed. We -were caught in a southerly gale in the English Channel, and under -trysail and spitfire jib we were doing our best to claw off a lee shore. -I had been at the tiller nearly all night, and when day broke I was -thoroughly exhausted. The little cutter—she was only fifteen tons—was -pitching and 'scending at such a lively rate that lighting a fire in the -stove was out of the question. My chum, however, managed to make some -coffee with the aid of a spirit lamp, and also to cook a couple of plump -Yarmouth bloaters. This last-named feat was difficult, but my chum was a -man of genius. An inspiration came to him. He split the bloaters down -the backs, put them in an extra deep frying pan, such as should always -be used at sea, deluged them with Scotch whiskey, old and smoky, and set -fire to it. I can see him now, hanging on to the cabin ladder with one -hand and balancing the frying pan in the other, so that the blazing -whiskey should not overflow and set fire to the cabin. Those bloaters -were fine. They went right to the spot. It was rather an expensive mode -of cooking, for the whiskey in question was choice, but we both agreed -that the fishes were worthy of it. I suppose they would have tasted just -as well if they had been cooked in alcohol, but that idea did not occur -to my friend. A beefsteak prepared in the same way was delicious. We had -it for dinner and soon after there came a shift of wind which enabled us -to run for Newhaven and sleep comfortably. - -You should take with you a box of seidlitz powders, a bottle of -vaseline, court plaster, a box of your pet pills, a bottle of extract of -witch hazel, a bottle of extract of ginger, a bottle of _Sun_ cholera -mixture, and a bottle of Horsford's acid phosphate. These should be -stowed away in a medicine-chest, which, if you have any mechanical skill -at all, you can make yourself. If you are no hand at a saw or a chisel, -a small medicine-chest, filled with all the requisites and adapted for -use in a boat, can be obtained from any good drug-store at a reasonable -figure. - -A locker for the storage of ice is indispensable for one's comfort when -sailing in these latitudes in summer. The locker should be lined with -zinc, and should be fitted with a brass tap to draw off the waste water. -Wrap your ice up in paper first, and then in a piece of coarse flannel, -and you will be surprised at the length of time it will keep. A porous -earthenware bottle should form part of your equipment. It can be -suspended in a draught, and will supply you with a moderately cool drink -when your ice is all used. - -Remember that sea air generates damp very quickly in a cabin. Bedding -should be aired and sunned if possible every day, and the cabin should -be well ventilated. Cleanliness and comfort go together in a boat, and -scrubbing-brush and swab should not be allowed to get dry-rot by disuse. -Cultivate order and tidiness so far as the domestic economy of your -yacht is concerned. Have a place for everything and everything in its -place, or your little cabin will present a slovenly appearance instead -of looking pretty and snug. - -If the interior of your cabin is painted white, use enamel paint, which -dries hard and smooth, and can be easily cleaned by washing with warm -(not hot) water, soap and sponge. - -Cocoa-nut matting is better than carpet or oil-cloth as a covering for a -small craft's cabin floor. It is difficult to dry carpet when it gets -thoroughly drenched with salt water. Oil-cloth is comfortless and cold -to bare feet, but cocoa-nut matting is open to neither of these -objections. It is easily washed and dries quickly. - -The cushions for the cabin may be stuffed with cork shavings or -horse-hair and covered with india-rubber sheeting. These may again be -covered with corduroy or blue flannel, as the india-rubber sheeting is -cold. Mattresses made of deers' hair are in the market, and are quite -comfortable. Being buoyant, they can be used as life-savers in an -emergency. - -Cups, saucers, plates and dishes of enameled iron or agate ware are -unbreakable and much superior to those of tin, which rust and are hard -to keep clean. Crockery and glassware are easily destroyed in a cruising -craft, in spite of the ingenious racks and lockers invented to preserve -them. - -Don't omit to include fishing tackle among your stores. There is lots of -sport in catching blue-fish or mackerel when under way, and many a weary -hour when your craft is becalmed may be beguiled with hook and line. -Besides, a fish fresh from the water forms an agreeable and appetizing -change from the monotony of canned goods. There is no necessity to -purchase expensive tackle for sea-fishing. All that is wanted is strong -and serviceable gear. For blue-fishing provide yourself with a well-laid -cotton line, which is not liable to kink. The line should be -seven-sixteenths of an inch in circumference for the big fish one -catches in spring and fall, and the hooks should be strong. It is well -to carry with you several varieties of squid. For smaller blue-fish a -lighter, cotton-braided line is good. When I go blue-fishing I take -rubber finger-stalls along to prevent my fingers being chafed by the -line. My readers should do the same. Horse-mackerel and Spanish mackerel -are often taken with a blue-fish line. - -For navigating purposes all that is really necessary for a coasting -voyage is a chart of the waters you propose to sail in, a pair of -dividers and parallel rulers, and a book of sailing directions. A patent -log may be added if so desired, and will add to the accuracy of your -dead reckoning. - -Thus equipped, the navigator may boldly venture forth either by himself -or with a congenial companion. If he does not enjoy every moment of his -cruise, and gain health and strength from the tonic sea breezes, he can -safely conclude that Nature never intended him for a sailor. In that -case he should dispose of his craft at once and seek such consolation as -agricultural pursuits afford. - -[Illustration] - - - - - IX. - - BEATING TO WINDWARD. - - -There is an old nautical truism to the effect that a haystack will sail -well to leeward, but that it takes a correctly-modeled vessel to beat to -windward. It is easy to comprehend how a straw hat thrown into a pond on -its northerly edge will, under the influence of a brisk breeze from the -north, make a fast passage to the southerly bank. It is more difficult -to understand how the same straw hat, if put into the water at the -southerly end of the pond, might be so manœuvred as to make a passage to -the northern extremity of the sheet of water, though the wind continued -to pipe from the north. This was, no doubt, a tough nut for the early -navigators to crack, and the problem may have taken centuries to solve. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 1. - Sailing under Varying Conditions - of Wind. -] - -The paddle was naturally the first means of propelling a rude craft -through the water, and the ingenious savage (probably an indolent -rascal) who discovered that a bough of a tree, or the skin of a beast -extended to a favoring breeze, would produce the same effect as constant -and laborious plying of paddles, was presumably hailed as a benefactor -by his tribe. But this device, artful no doubt in its inception, was -only of avail while the wind blew towards the quarter in which the -destination of the enterprising voyager lay. If the wind drew ahead, or -dropped, the skin or leafy bough was no longer of use as a labor-saving -contrivance, and the wearisome paddle was necessarily resumed. - -The primitive square sail of antiquity embodies the same principle as -that governing the motion through the water of the modern full rigged -ship, which is admirably adapted for efficient beating to windward, or -sailing against the wind. Superiority in this branch of sailing is the -crucial test of every vessel whose propelling power is derived from -canvas, and the shipbuilders and sailmakers of all seafaring nations -have vied with each other for centuries to secure the desired -perfection. - -Beating to windward may be described as the method by which a vessel -forces her way by a series of angles in the direction from which the -wind is blowing. Some vessels will sail closer to the wind than others. -That is to say, with their sails full they will head a point or more -nearer to the direction from which the wind comes than vessels of -different rig. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 2. - Running Before the Wind. -] - -Broadly speaking, an ordinary fore-and-aft rigged yacht with the wind -due north, will head northwest on the starboard tack, and northeast on -the port tack. That is, she will head up within four points of the wind. -Some will do better than this by a good half point. The famous old sloop -_Maria_, owned by Commodore J. C. Stevens, founder of the New York Yacht -Club, is said to have sailed within three points and a half of the wind, -and I am informed that _Constitution_, in her races this year, achieved -a similar remarkable feat. - -A square-rigger, because the sails cannot be trimmed to form so sharp an -angle to the breeze as a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, rarely sails closer -than six points of the wind. Consequently, she has to make more tacks -and consume a longer time in accomplishing a similar distance in the -teeth of the breeze than a vessel driven by fore-and-aft canvas. It is -possible to make my meaning clearer by means of simple diagrams, and to -these I refer the reader. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 3. - Gybing. -] - -A vessel is said to be close-hauled when the sheets are trimmed flat aft -and the boat is headed as near to the wind as the sails will permit -without their luffs shaking. When a vessel is so trimmed, she is said to -be sailing "full and bye," which means as close to the wind as the craft -will point with the sails bellying out and full of wind. If a vessel is -sailed so close to the wind that the sails quiver, the pressure is -diminished and speed is decreased. Thus the art of beating to windward -successfully consists in keeping the boat's sails full, while her head -should not be permitted to "fall off" for an instant. This requires a -watchful eye and an artistic touch. To become an adept, one should have -plenty of practice. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 4. - Close Hauled on Port Tack. -] - -A boat is on the starboard tack when the main boom is over the port -quarter and the port jib sheet is hauled aft. The wind is then on the -starboard bow. The conditions are reversed when the craft goes on the -port tack. In diagram No. 1, four conditions of sailing are shown, the -figures representing a boat sailing with the wind astern, on the -quarter, abeam, and close hauled. It will be observed how the main boom -is trimmed to meet the varied changes of wind or course. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 5, - Close Hauled on Starboard Tack. -] - -Diagram No. 2 shows a racing yacht running before the wind with all her -balloons expanded to the breeze. The spinnaker set to starboard not only -adds greatly to her speed, but it also makes the steering easier, as it -counteracts the pressure of the huge mainsail and club topsail on the -port side, thus causing a nicely-adjusted balance. The balloon -jibtopsail catches every stray breath of air that is spilled out of the -spinnaker, and it also has considerable possibilities as a steering -sail, in addition to its splendid pulling power. For a vessel, however -finely balanced and carefully steered, owing to various conditions of -breeze and sea, has a tendency to yaw and fly up in the wind. Thus a -strong puff or a heavy sea striking the boat may make her swerve from -her course in an effort to broach to. Then the jibtopsail does good -service as, when it gets full of wind, it pays the head of the boat off -the wind, and materially assists the helmsman in steadying the vessel on -her course. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 6. - Dead Beat to Windward. -] - -It may be remarked that steering a yacht under these conditions, in a -strong and puffy breeze with a lumpy, following sea, calls for the best -work of the ablest helmsman. A boat will generally develop an -inclination to broach to, which means to fly up in the wind. Sometimes, -however, the notion may strike her to run off the wind so much as to -bring the wind on the other quarter, causing her to gybe. This would -mean disaster, probably a broken boom and a topmast snapped off short -like a pipe-stem, with other incidental perils. - -Diagram No. 3 shows the manœuvre of gybing, which is to keep the vessel -away from the wind until it comes astern, and then on the opposite -quarter to which it has been blowing. Fig. 1 shows a boat sailing before -the wind with the main boom over to starboard. Fig. 2 shows the -operation of luffing to get in the main sheet. Fig. 3 shows the boom -over on the port quarter, and the operation complete, except trimming -sail for the course to be steered. - -It may be remarked that gybing a racing yacht "all standing" in a strong -wind requires consummate skill and care. A cool hand at the helm is the -prime requisite, but smart handling of the main sheet is of scarcely -less importance. The topmast preventer backstays should be attended to -by live men. When a vessel is not racing, gybing in heavy weather may be -accomplished without the slightest risk; the topsail may be clewed up -and the peak of the mainsail lowered, and with ordinary attention the -manœuvre is easily performed. - -Diagrams Nos. 4 and 5 show the same racing yacht close hauled on the -port and starboard tack. The spinnaker and balloon jibtopsail are taken -in. A small jibtopsail takes the place of the flying kite. This sail, -however, is only carried in light winds, as it has a tendency, when a -breeze blows, to make a craft sag off to leeward. - -Diagram No. 6 shows a boat beating out of a bay with the wind dead in -her teeth, a regular "nose-ender" or "muzzler." She starts out from her -anchorage on the port tack, stands in as close to the shore as is -prudent, goes about on the starboard tack, stands out far enough to -weather the point of land, then tacks again, and on the port tack -fetches the open sea. - -Diagram No. 7 illustrates a contingency frequently met with in beating -to windward, when a vessel can sail nearer her intended course on one -tack than another. Thus suppose her course is East by South and the wind -SE, she would head up East on one tack (the long leg) and South on the -other (the short leg). - -Diagram No. 8 depicts the manœuvre of tacking that is the method of -"going into stays," or shifting from one tack to the other. Fig. 1 shows -a boat steering "full and bye" on the starboard tack. It becomes -necessary to go about. "Helm's a-lee!" cries the man at the tiller, at -the same time easing the helm down to leeward and causing the boat's -head to fly up in the wind. The jib sheet is let go at the cry "Helm's -a-lee!" decreasing the pressure forward and making the boat, if well -balanced, spin round. A modern racer turns on her heel so smartly that -the men have all they can do to trim the head sheets down before she is -full on the other tack. Some of the old style craft, however, hang in -the wind, and it sometimes becomes necessary to pay her head off by -trimming down on the port jib sheet and by shoving the main boom over on -the starboard quarter (Fig. 3). Soon she fills on the port tack, and -goes dancing merrily along, as shown in Fig. 4. - -In beating to windward in a strong breeze and a heavy sea leeway must be -considered. - -Leeway may be defined as the angle between the line of the vessel's -apparent course and the line she actually makes good through the water. -In other and untechnical words, it is the drift that the ship makes -sideways through the water because of the force of the wind and the -heave of the sea, both factors causing the craft to slide bodily off to -leeward. - -This crab-like motion is due to a variety of causes, to the shape of the -craft, to her trim, and to the amount of sail carried, and its quality -and sit. Boats deficient in the element of lateral resistance, such as a -shallow craft with the centerboard hoisted, will drift off to leeward at -a surprising rate. A deep boat of good design and fair sail-carrying -capacity will, on the other hand, if her canvas is well cut and -skillfully trimmed, make little or no leeway. In fact, she may, under -favorable circumstances, eat up into the wind and fetch as high as she -points. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 7. - A Long Leg and a Short Leg. -] - -Leeway is always a dead loss, and to counteract it is always the aim of -the practical seaman and navigator. Captain Lecky, in his admirable -work, "Wrinkles in Practical Navigation," puts the case clearly, and his -advice should be followed whenever feasible. He says: "Suppose a vessel -on a wind heading NW by N, under short canvas and looking up within -three points of her port, which, accordingly, bears north; but, owing to -its blowing hard, she is making 2-1/2 points leeway. Clearly this vessel -is only _making good_ a NW by W1/2W course, which is 5-1/2 points from -the direction of port. Let her speed under these conditions be, say, -four knots per hour. Now, if the yards are checked in a point or so, and -the vessel be kept off NW by W, she will slip away much faster through -the water, and probably will make not more than half a point leeway. -This keeps the course _made good_ exactly the same as before, with the -advantage of increased speed. Therefore, if you can possibly avoid it, -do not allow your vessel to sag to leeward by jamming her up in the -wind. Keep your wake right astern, unless it be found from the bearing -of the port that the course _made good_ is actually taking the vessel -away from it, in which case it is obvious that the less the speed the -better." - -This excellent counsel applies to every kind of sailing vessel, whether -square-rigger or fore-and-after, whether used for business or pleasure. -It is of no avail to pinch a boat for the purpose of keeping her -bowsprit pointed for her destination, when it is obvious that she will -only fetch a point several miles to leeward. Keep the sails clean full -and the boat will make better weather of it, as well as greater speed. -It may frequently be necessary to "luff and shake it out of her" when -struck by a hard squall, or, by the aid of a "fisherman's luff," to -clear an object without tacking, but a good rule is to keep a sailing -craft moving through the water and not permit her to pitch and rear end -on to the sea. - -[Illustration: - - Diagram No. 8. - The Manœuvre of Tacking. -] - - - - - X. - - COMBINATION ROWING AND SAILING - BOATS. - - -[Illustration: - - Whip purchase - and traveler. - Fig. 1. -] - -A boat intended for both rowing and sailing should be partly decked, and -have as high a coaming as possible round the cockpit. A folding -centerboard should be fitted as in Fig. 10, so as to avoid the -awkwardness of a trunk, which in a small craft takes up too much room. -Outside ballast is not necessary; a few bags of sand will do instead. An -open boat under sail is dangerous except in the hands of a skilled -boatman. In a scrub race the helmsman cracks on until the lee gunwale is -almost on a level with the water. He may go along like this for some -time, but if the water is rough, ten to one a sea will sooner or later -come in over the lee bow, and the weight of water to leeward may cause -the boat to capsize before the sheet can be let go and the helm put hard -down to bring her head to wind. This in itself is not agreeable; and -failing to right the boat one may be compelled to cling to the keel or -rail until relief comes, or till he gets too tired to hang on any -longer. The excellent sport of sailing in a stiff breeze is obtained at -its best only in a partly decked boat. The half-decked craft may also be -made into a life-boat with the aid of water-tight boxes of tin or zinc. -The cockpit should be made as narrow as is compatible with comfort. - -The combination rowing and sailing boat should have as little gear as -possible. Sheets and halyards should always be kept clear for running -and never be allowed to get foul. If you are so unlucky or so imprudent -as to meet with a capsize, keep clear of the ropes, for a turn of one -round the leg may send you to Davy Jones's locker. - -[Illustration: Jib and Mainsail Rig. Fig. 2.] - -In writing of rigs suitable for small craft I shall not weary my readers -with descriptions of sails that are not at all adapted for practical use -in American waters. The amateur desirous of becoming acquainted with the -rig of boats suitable for Bermuda waters, the Norfolk Broads, the Nile, -or the inland lakes of Timbuctoo must look elsewhere. Nevertheless the -amateur may rest confident that I give practical instructions for the -best possible rigs, and he may adopt any one of them after due -consideration of the comments on each variety without any fear of future -regret. - -The mast of the combination sailing and rowing boat which is shown in -Fig. 2, should be so stepped that it can be taken down at a moment's -notice. It should not be stepped into the keelson through a hole in the -thwart, but should be fitted with a strong iron clamp and pin screwed to -the after part of the thwart, so that it may be unshipped in a hurry. -The mast should be light and strong. The sheave-hole in the head should -be fitted with a galvanized-iron or yellow-metal sheave, and should be -sufficiently large for the halyards to travel freely when the rope is -swollen with water. A block may be fitted to the mast-head for the jib -halyards. The boat should be provided with a galvanized-iron horse for -the lower block of the mainsheet to travel on. This is a great -convenience in beating to windward as the boom will go over by itself -without the aid of the helmsman. The sail also sets better with the aid -of a horse to keep the boom down. - -The jib sheets and all halyards should lead aft within easy reach of the -helmsman so that he may be able to handle them without letting go the -tiller. The cushions of the stern sheets should be stuffed with cork -shavings such as grapes come packed in from Spain. They should have life -lines sewed to them so that in case of need they may be used as -life-preservers. - -[Illustration: Sprit Rig. Fig. 3.] - -The boat should be equipped with three oars (as one may be broken), a -boat-hook and a baler; and the plug in the bottom should be secured to -the boat by a lanyard and screw-eye. A tiller should be used for -steering when sailing and not a yoke and lines. - -Remember that you must luff when the first breath of the squall strikes -the boat, for if way is lost and the boat is hove down on her beam ends, -lee helm ceases to possess its virtue and the boat may capsize. This is -a sound and wise axiom and one that a beginner should impress rigidly on -his mind. Never allow skylarking in a boat. Never attempt to climb the -mast of an open boat, as it is an operation fraught with danger. Rather -unstep the mast for any repairs that may be necessary. Never stand on -the thwarts of a small boat when under way. - -If women and children are on board never gybe the boom over. Many -accidents have happened through the neglect of this precaution. No -matter how expert a boat-sailer you may be, never take women and -children out in a boat with only yourself to handle her. Always take -care that you have with you either a skilled professional hand or an -amateur who knows the ropes, can take his trick at the tiller and does -not lose his head in a squall or other emergency of sea, lake, sound or -river. In default of being able to command the services of such a man, -leave the women and children ashore and postpone the excursion heedless -of the tears and entreaties of your best girl and the black looks of -your prospective mother-in-law. A lovers' quarrel is easily made up, but -a capsized boat may mean loss of life and agonies of regret and -self-reproach. - -I was once persuaded against my better judgment to take out a party of -ladies for a sail in a jib-and-mainsail boat. We put out from a dock at -Perth-Amboy in the afternoon, with a cloudless sky and a soft, sweet -summer zephyr blowing. There was one other of my sex aboard and he told -me he perfectly understood the handling of a boat. He wore a yachting -suit and cocked his eye aloft in a knowing and nautical manner that -deceived even an old stager like myself. A huge black bank of clouds -arose in the northwest presaging the speedy approach of a savage -thunder-squall. I told my nautical-looking shipmate to lower the jib, -but he did not know how to find the halyards, and he was equally -ignorant of the whereabouts of the sheet. I gave the tiller to one of -the girls to hold, hauled down the jib, made it fast, lowered the -mainsail and furled it as snugly as I could and then let go the anchor -which, luckily, hadn't been left ashore. All this time my -nautical-looking chum was star-gazing. As a matter of fact he knew no -more about a boat than a bull knows of trigonometry. His specialty, I -was afterwards informed, was measuring off tape by the yard and ogling -his customers. I had to do a good deal of hustling to get the craft snug -for the squall and to stow away my girl guests in the shelter of the -little half-deck forward, where they fitted as tight as sardines in a -box. - -When the squall struck us it was a hummer and no mistake. I veered out -all the cable there was and she rode to it quite well. There came a -deluge of rain with the blast, and the boat was soon nearly half full. -The girls screamed and prayed. The counter-jumper looked pale about the -gills and being too scared to bail flopped on his marrow-bones. Now -praying on shipboard is not to be scoffed at, but it should be delayed -until man has exhausted every possible means of saving the ship. I had -to do all the bailing myself and when the squall had blown itself out I -had to set the sails and hoist the anchor without any aid from the -linen-draper. - -That is one reason why I don't go sailing single-handed anymore with a -boatload of girls. Do you blame me, shipmates? They are as likely to get -cranky as the boat herself, and one female at a time is all the average -man can keep on an even keel. Of course I know many girls who can give -me points and beat me easily in yachting and all that appertains -thereto; but fair ones of that sort are not so plentiful as they might -be. - -It should be remembered that these small rowing and sailing boats are -not intended for a spin round Sandy Hook lightship. They are for smooth -water and in their place are capable of affording their owners an -immense amount of wholesome enjoyment. On a pinch they will stand a hard -tussle with wind and wave, but it is never wise to tempt Providence. I -once knew an Irishman who often declared that he was so favored by -fortune that he could fall off a dock into the water and not get wet, -but the average man is not built that way. An ambitious amateur may well -begin his career on the water with one of these interesting little toys -I have described, and even if he aspires to become the owner of a -stouter and more seaworthy craft in which to essay adventurous cruises -of great emprise, he will learn much that is of value from her. - -With these cautionary remarks I will proceed to describe the rigs which -in my judgment are suitable for boats measuring from twelve to seventeen -feet over all. - -[Illustration: Leg-of-mutton Rig. Fig. 4.] - -The leg-of-mutton rig, whether combined with a jib or not, is the -simplest and safest known, for there is no weight aloft such as is -inevitable with a gaff. It is a sail exactly adapted to the requirements -of a learner. The most nervous mother need not be alarmed if her boy -goes sailing in a boat equipped with this rig. The sail is hoisted by a -single halyard bent to the cringle at the head of the sail and rove -through either a sheave or a block at the masthead. Sometimes the luff -is laced to the mast, but it is better that it should be seized to -hoops, as shown in Fig. 4. If a boom is used a larger sail can be -carried, but it should be only a light spar and the foot of the sail -should be laced to it. The boom may be fitted with a topping lift and -the sheet be rove as shown in the illustration. In a small open boat no -stays are necessary for the mast, but the jib halyards should be belayed -to a cleat on one gunwale of the boat and the main halyards on the -other, so as to afford support to the mast. - -[Illustration: Cat Rig. Fig. 9.] - -The jib and leg-of-mutton sail is a deservedly popular rig. A short -bowsprit may be fitted to a boat and secured to an eyebolt in the stem -by a wire bob-stay. A wire forestay may be set up to the bowsprit end -and a jib may be bent to iron hanks on it and hoisted by a single -halyard. Or it may be set flying. - -The advantages of the cat rig (Fig. 9) for general handiness have been -often explained. I should advise that the sail be hoisted by both throat -and peak halyards and not by a single halyard as is sometimes the case. -It is often most convenient to be able to drop the peak, when gybing, -for instance, or when struck by a squall. A single topping lift should -be fitted with an eye splice to the end of the boom and rove through a -block at the masthead and belayed to a cleat on the mast. The main sheet -should travel on an iron horse. A short boomkin, with forestay and -bob-stay, may help to secure the mast. - -The balance lug, which is illustrated in Fig. 8, is quite a popular rig, -and it has much in its favor. The sail is laced to a yard and boom and -is hoisted by a single halyard rove through a sheave-hole in the -masthead and spliced to the eye of the hook of a galvanized-iron -traveler, to which a strop on the yard is hooked, as shown in the -illustration. On the other end of the halyard a single block is turned -in, through which a rope is rove, the standing part of which is made -fast to an eyebolt at the foot of the mast and the hauling part rove -through a block and led aft within easy reach of the helmsman. The tack -should be made fast to the boom and set up to the mast thwart after -being passed round the mast. The main sheet should work on a -galvanized-iron horse. This rig is quite handy and a boat so equipped is -smart in stays. - -[Illustration: - - Balance Lug Rig. Fig. 8. - Showing Traveler and Halyards. -] - -[Illustration: Sliding Gunter Rig. Fig. 5.] - -[Illustration: Detail of Sliding Gunter Rig, Fig. 6.] - -The sliding gunter rig, which is shown in Fig. 5, has this much to -recommend it: it is easily set if rigged as shown in the illustration -and it can quickly be reefed. It will be seen that the mast is in two -pieces, the topmast sliding up and down the lower mast on two -wrought-iron rings or travelers. The halyards are sometimes made fast to -the lower traveler and sometimes to the upper. They reeve through a -sheave-hole in the lower masthead and may be set up with a single whip -purchase. The lower mast may be supported with a single wire shroud on -each side and, if the double headrig is carried, with a wire stay to the -stem head. The sail should be laced to the topmast and secured to the -lower mast by hoops or iron rings leathered. These should be large -enough to slide easily up and down the mast, which should be kept well -greased. The topmast should be so rigged that the upper iron can be -unclamped and the topmast lowered down so as to permit the sail to be -stowed like a gaff-sail along the boom. With the sail thus furled the -boat will ride much easier in a breeze or a seaway. In Fig. 6 the -working of the rig is shown: 1 is the lower mast, 2 the topmast, 3 the -halyards, 4 the upper ring, or traveler, with a clamp and pin to permit -the lowering of the topmast, 5 the lower ring or traveler, which is -fitted with a hinge at 6; 7 is the gooseneck of the boom to which the -foot of the sail is laced. Reefing is simple. Lower away on the -halyards, make fast the cringle on the luff of the sail, at whatever -reef band is desired, to the gooseneck on the boom. Haul out the -corresponding reef earing, make it fast, tie your reef points and hoist -up the sail again by the halyards. A topping lift is necessary. - -The spritsail is not often seen in these waters, but it is a good sail -for a small boat. I warn the beginner, however, against its use in a -craft of any pretensions to size, for he will find the heavy sprit much -more difficult to handle than a gaff. A spritsail is similar in shape to -the mainsail of a cutter, with the peak higher and the foot shorter, as -in Fig. 3. The sprit is a spar which crosses the sail diagonally from -luff to peak. It is thick in the middle, and each end is tapered. The -upper end fits into a cringle or eye in the peak of the sail and the -lower end into a snotter on the mast. The sprit stretches the sail quite -flat and thus a boat is able to point well to windward. The snotter is a -piece of stout rope having an eye in each end, one being passed round -the mast and rove through the eye in the other end, the heel of the -sprit fitting in the remaining eye. If the snotter carries away, the -heel of the sprit may be forced by its own weight through the bottom of -the boat; accordingly, as it has to stand considerable strain, it should -be made of stout stuff. To set the sail, hoist it up by the halyards, -slip the upper end of the sprit into the cringle in the peak, push it up -as high as you can and insert the heel into the snotter; then trim the -sheet. In large boats the snotter is made fast to an iron traveler which -is hoisted by a whip purchase as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. - -[Illustration: Folding Centerboard. Fig. 10.] - -[Illustration: Turtles] - -The sprit rig cannot be said to be pretty, and when the sail is large it -is difficult to reef it. I should not counsel its use except in a boat -intended for both rowing and sailing, where the sail would be so small -as to be easily muzzled in case of a squall. The spritsail is hoisted by -halyards, rove through a block or sheave-hole at the masthead and hooked -to a cringle at the throat of the sail. The tack of the sail is lashed -to an eyebolt in the mast. In reefing the sprit must be lowered by -shifting the snotter further down the mast. - - - - - XI. - - RIGGING AND SAILS. - - -Wire has entirely superseded rope for standing rigging, and deadeyes and -lanyards are fast giving way before the advance of the turnbuckle. An -old sailor cannot help regretting the decline and fall of his profession -and the growing popularity of the art of the blacksmith. So far as the -rigging of ships is concerned, when wire rigging was first introduced it -was thought that its rigidity would prove a fatal objection to its -successful use. - -Science has, however, set its foot down firmly on such objections. The -decree has gone forth that rigging cannot possibly be set up too taut, -and the less it stretches the better. The old argument that a yacht's -standing rigging should "give" when the craft is caught in a squall, -which old sea dogs were so fond of advancing, has been knocked on the -head by scientific men who declare that a vessel's heeling capacity -affords much more relief than the yielding quality of rigging. Thus all -or nearly all of the modern immense steel sailing vessels in the East -Indian and Australian trade have their steel masts stayed as rigidly as -possible by means of turnbuckles, and practice seems to have -demonstrated the truth of the theory. These ships encounter terrific -seas and gales off the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, and their masts -are thus subjected to violent and sudden strains, but I have been -assured by the commanders of several of these great freight carriers -that they have never known their "sticks" to be imperiled by the -rigidity of the rigging, and the tauter it can be set up the more secure -the masts are supposed to be. - -[Illustration: - - SHROUD, DEADEYE, LANYARD. -] - -There are, however, a number of old salts who condemn this theory as -rank heresy, and go in for deadeyes and lanyards of the old-fashioned -kind, and the greater the stretch between the upper and the lower -deadeyes the better are they pleased. There is no doubt that turnbuckles -look neater than deadeyes, and they are probably well suited for small -craft. The Herreshoffs have long used them for setting up the rigging of -the sloops and yawls of moderate size which they used to turn out in -such numbers, and which first laid the foundation of their fame. The -boat owner can please himself as to which method he may choose, and he -can rely that with either his mast will be perfectly secure. Both -methods are shown in the accompanying cuts. - -There is one thing in connection with wire rigging that I must warn the -amateur against. Beware of shod wire rigging. "Shoes" are iron plates -riveted to the ends of wire rigging to receive shackle bolts. They are -never reliable. Eye splices in wire never draw. "Shoes" often collapse -without notice. - -[Illustration: TURNBUCKLE.] - -Turnbuckles are very handy appliances for setting up rigging in a hurry, -whereas the same operation conducted by means of a deadeye and a lanyard -takes much more time and trouble. A small craft rigged as a sloop, -cutter or yawl, requires only one shroud on each side to afford lateral -support to the mast, and a forestay—which in the case of a cutter or -yawl should set up at the stem head, but on a sloop is set up on the -bowsprit. A simple way to fit the rigging is to splice an eye in each -shroud, forming a collar sufficiently large to pass over the masthead, -first covering the part that is to form the eye with canvas sewn on and -painted. The starboard shroud goes over the masthead first, then the -port one and last the forestay. In large yachts the lower rigging is -often fitted in pairs, the bight of the shrouds being passed over the -masthead and secured in the form of an eye with a stout wire seizing. - -Many riggers shackle the shrouds to an iron band fitted to the hounds. -This plan is open to objection. There may be a flaw in the iron and the -band may give way suddenly, causing the mast to snap off short like the -stem of a clay pipe. Bands may look a little more snug than the collars, -but they are heavier aloft and not so reliable, and for these reasons I -am old-fashioned enough to prefer the collars. - -[Illustration: - - TOPMAST RIGGING. -] - -For a small sloop, cutter or yawl, a pole mast is preferable; but all -boats more than twenty feet on the water line should be fitted with -topmasts, the rigging of which is shown in the cut. - -The running bowsprit is almost obsolete now-a-days, but the device still -finds favor with certain owners of cutters and yawls of large size. It -certainly has its advantages. The length of the bowsprit is reduced as -the jibs are shifted, until when the "spitfire" or storm-jib is set the -bowsprit is run so far inboard that it looks like a mere stump. In a -sea-way the benefit of this is obvious, the weight being materially -reduced forward and the pitching consequently lessened. The jib also -sits well and does its work, and is far preferable to that horror of -horrors the "bobbed" jib of a sloop, which always makes a sailor's flesh -creep when he sees it. How it has managed to survive is a marvel to me. -It is a lubberly and slovenly device not good enough for a scow. The -rigging of a running bowsprit is shown in the cut. - -[Illustration: RIG OF RUNNING BOWSPRIT.] - -When it becomes necessary to set the storm trysail, lower away the -mainsail and furl it as fast as possible. Lower the boom down into the -crutch amidships, and secure it by hauling the sheet taut and by tackles -or lashings from each quarter. Unhook the throat and peak halyards and -hook them on to the trysail gaff, the jaws of which parral on to the -mast, allowing the gaff end to rest on the deck. The topping lifts must -be unhooked from the main boom and taken in to the mast or the rigging, -so as to be out of the way of the trysail. Lace the head of the trysail -to the gaff. The clew of the trysail is hauled aft by a luff-tackle -which forms the sheet. Another tackle should be hooked to the clew and -made fast to windward over the main boom and gaff, so that in case of a -shift of wind the sheet may be hauled aft on the other side without -delay or the danger of getting aback. Then you can man the throat and -peak halyards and set the sail, trimming the sheet well down. - -If you should have the misfortune to carry away the main boom, and you -have no trysail on board, lower away the sail, unlace it from the boom, -close-reef it, and set it with a luff-tackle for a sheet. When about to -set the storm trysail and your vessel is yawl rigged, set the storm -mizzen. It will keep her head up to the sea while the sails are being -shifted. In a cutter, heave to by hauling the fore sheet to windward, -keeping the jib full. Shifting jibs in heavy weather in a cutter -requires care. The first thing to do is to get the sail up from below -and stretch it along the weather side of the forward deck with the head -aft. Haul the foresheet to windward and trim the mainsheet in flat, -tricing up the tack if the sail is loose-footed. Keep the boat as close -to the wind as possible. Let go the jib outhaul, and the sail will fly -in along the bowsprit. Muzzle it, man the down-haul, let go the halyards -and down with it! Then reef the bowsprit. Some cutters are fitted with a -rack and pinion wheel, with a handle like that of a winch, for this -purpose. If not supplied with this handy contrivance, reeve a heel rope, -and after slacking the bobstay fall and the falls of the shrouds and -topmast stay, heave on it until you can knock the fid out. Then rouse -the bowsprit in by the shroud tackles to the second or third fid holes, -as desired; ship the fid and set up the gear, beginning with the -bobstay, the weather shroud next and the lee shroud last, at the same -time taking in the slack of the topmast stay. Now to set the jib. First -hook on the sheets and take a turn with the lee one; next hook on the -tack to the traveler and the halyards to the head. Man the outhaul and -bowse the tack out to the bowsprit end. Hoist up on the halyards and -sweat up with the purchase. Trim the sheet, let draw the foresheet, ease -off the mainsheet and sail her along again. If these instructions are -carried out a storm jib may be set on a reefed bowsprit without parting -a rope yarn. - -[Illustration: HORSE FOR MAIN SHEET.] - -To shake a reef out in the mainsail, set up on the topping lift so that -it may take the weight of the boom. Untie all the reef points. Cast off -the lashing at the tack if the sail is laced to the boom, or come up the -tack tackle if it is loose-footed. Then ease off the reef earring and -hoist the sail, setting up the throat first. You can then ease up the -topping lift and trim sheet. - -A convenient method of bending and unbending a storm trysail is shown in -Fig. X and Fig. E. - -[Illustration: - - FIG. X. - - FIG. E. -] - -Fig. X represents the shape of the mast hoops, to each of which two iron -hooks are fastened. The hoops are of the ordinary size, but about -one-quarter of their length is sawn out and to the ends the iron hooks -are riveted. Fig. E shows how the thimble toggles are seized to the luff -of the sail at regular intervals. When it is necessary to set the -trysail, adjust the jaws of the gaff to the mast, make fast the parral, -hook on the throat and peak halyard blocks and mouse them. Hoist up -slowly, slipping the thimbles over the hooks on the ends of the hoops as -the sail goes up. The sheet must be hauled aft before the sail is -hoisted, and should be slacked off handsomely to allow the sail to be -properly set. Then all hands should clap on it and flatten it in. - -If your boat is rigged as a cutter or yawl the foresail may have the -tack made fast to the eyebolt to which the stay is set up. The luff of -the sail is seized to galvanized iron hanks that run up and down on the -stay. If the foresail has a reef band in it (as it should) a lacing is -used between the reef and tack cringles. Don't bowse up the halyards too -taut the first time you set the sail, and don't break your back -flattening in the sheet. Give it a chance to stretch fairly. The same -remark also applies to the jib, whether set on a stay or flying on its -own luff, as it must necessarily do if your craft is equipped with a -running bowsprit. - -For the sake of lightness, blocks are frequently made too small. Manilla -rope, of which both sheets and halyards should be made, has a habit of -swelling when wet. It is generally rove on a dry day, and renders -through blocks quite easily when in this condition. A rain squall will -swell this rope to such an extent, and halyards will jam so hard, that -sails will not come down when wanted, and disasters happen. The work of -setting and taking in sail is made very laborious through small blocks -and large sized halyards. It should be borne in mind that halyards ought -to run through blocks as freely when wet as dry. Blocks should always be -fitted with patent sheaves. - -The running rigging of a mainsail consists of peak and throat halyards, -topping lifts, main sheet and peak down-haul. To bend a mainsail, -shackle the throat cringle to the eyebolt under the jaws of the gaff, -stretch the head of the sail along the gaff, reeve the peak earring -through the hole in the end of the gaff and haul it out, securing it in -the manner shown in the illustration. The earring is represented with -the turns passed loosely in order to give the amateur a clear and -distinct view of the proper method. It will be seen that _a a_ is the -peak end of the gaff; _b_ is a cheek block for the topsail sheet; _c_ is -a block for the peak down haul, used also as signal halyards, hooked to -an eyebolt screwed into the end of the gaff, the hook of the block being -moused; _d_ is a hole in the gaff end through which the earring is -passed. The earring is spliced into the cringle with a long eye splice. -It is then passed through _d_ round through the cringle _e_; through _d_ -again and through _e_ again; then up over the gaff at _i_ and _k_, down -the other side and through _e_ again, and so on up round the gaff four -or five times; at the last, instead of going up over the gaff again, the -earring is passed between the parts round the gaff as shown at _f_, -round all the parts that were passed through _d_, as shown at _m_, and -jammed by two half hitches _m_ and _h_. - -[Illustration] - -If the sail is new from the sailmaker's loft, only haul the head out -hand taut or you will ruin it. I have seen yacht skippers clap a "handy -billy" tackle on the head of a new mainsail and haul on it till they -could get no more. I have seen them treat the foot in the same way, the -result being a great bag of canvas of no possible use in beating to -windward. A mainsail costs a good deal of money and is easily spoiled. -One of Mr. John M. Sawyer's splendidly cut sails can have all its -utility and beauty taken out of it in half-an-hour by a lubberly sailing -master. - -After the head earring is passed, lace the head of the sail to the gaff, -taking a half hitch at each eyelet hole. Next seize the luff of the sail -to the mast hoops with marline. The foot of the mainsail should next be -made fast to the boom in the same manner as the peak, the lacing going -round a wire jackstay rove through eyebolts on the top of the boom. Do -not "sweat up" either the throat or peak halyards too taut the first -time you set it, and avoid reefing a new sail. Lower it down altogether, -set the trysail, or do the best you can under head sail and the mizzen -if on board a yawl. A mainsail should always be allowed to stretch -gradually, and the slack of the head and the foot should be taken up at -intervals. Remember that no greater injury can be done to a new sail -than to try and make it sit flat by hauling out the foot too taut before -it has been properly stretched. The best authorities advise that the -sail should be set with the leech slack, and the boat run before a -strong wind for several hours. Another excellent plan is to hoist the -sail up with the foot and head slack while the boat is at anchor, and as -it flaps about in the breeze the sail will stretch without injury. Of -course when the head and foot are thoroughly stretched they can be -hauled out taut as they can be got. - -Personally, I prefer a mainsail with the foot laced to the boom, but all -are not of my way of thinking. A loose-footed mainsail still has -admirers and this is how it works. The mainsail outhaul consists of an -iron horse on the boom, a shackle as traveler, a wire outhaul made fast -to the shackle and rove through a sheavehole at the boom end and set up -by a purchase. - -[Illustration: GEAR FOR HAULING OUT LOOSE-FOOTED MAINSAIL.] - -If the mainsail is of the loose-footed variety it should be fitted with -a tack tricing tackle and a main tack purchase. The last named is handy -for bowsing down the luff of the sail "bar taut" for racing. Sweating-up -the throat halyards lowers the peak slightly, and peaking the sail -slackens the luff. By hauling up on the main tack tricing tackle till -you can get no more, and at the same time lowering the peak, the -mainsail is "scandalized" and the boom can then be gybed over in a -strong breeze with the least possible risk of carrying away something. - -To prevent masthoops from jamming when the mainsail is being hoisted or -lowered, a small line is seized to the foreside of the top hoop and then -to every hoop down the mast. When the throat halyards are pulled on, the -foresides of the hoops feel the strain and go up parallel with the after -sides. The accompanying figure shows this at a glance. - -[Illustration] - -It is true that this method has found little favor with amateurs, but I -tried it with great success on my first cruising craft, and later on in -a yacht of far greater pretensions. The "wrinkle" should by no means be -despised. - - - - - XII. - - LAYING UP FOR THE WINTER. - - -The judicious yachtsman will personally superintend the laying up of his -craft. If he has that inestimable blessing, a good skipper, he should -not discharge him at the close of his summer season. If he does he will -bitterly regret it. A yacht requires as much watchful care as a baby, -and this is especially true during the trying winter season. So wise -yacht-owners who have in their employ faithful captains should hold on -to them like grim death to a deceased army mule. Good men are not too -plentiful these times. - -A few practical suggestions as to preparing the vessel for the winter -are here appended. In the first place, sails should be well dried before -being unbent, and then should be carefully stopped and labeled, and the -same remark applies also to the running gear. By all means secure -storage ashore for sails, gear, cabin fitments and furniture, carpets, -upholstery and bedding, otherwise you may have cause to regret it in the -spring. In most of the buildings devoted to the storage of yacht gear -proper platforms or stages are provided, so that a free current of air -may circulate, and thus prevent damp, mildew and decay. The lower tier -on the platform should consist of the warps and running gear, on top of -which the sails should be snugly coiled. Above these the furniture, -bedding and upholstery should go. All can be covered over with an old -light sail to protect them from dust. This can be removed as often as -necessary for airing purposes. - -On the other side of the Atlantic judicious owners of storage warehouses -make their platforms rat-proof, following out the same idea as the -farmer does with his wheat stacks. Each support to the stage is capped -with a metal cone, which effectually stops the upward progress of the -sail-devouring vermin. Well-conducted warehouses are well ventilated, -and the temperature is kept tolerably even by heat. - -Of course, all articles of value, such as plate and nautical -instruments, should find repository in their owner's dwelling. - -All light spars should be sent ashore and lashed up under the beams of -the warehouse. The same with the rowboats, but with attention to the -fact that they should be so supported as to have their weight evenly -distributed, and thus prevent them from being pulled out of shape. - -Many expensive boats are hopelessly ruined by neglect of this -precaution. This is the proper method of supporting a rowboat so that -straining her is impossible. Six eyebolts should be screwed into the -under side of the beams of the warehouse at proper intervals to take the -weight of the boat amidships and at the third of her length forward and -aft. From these eyebolts ropes of sufficient length should depend, to -which, in the bight, a handspike is passed, on which, bottom upward, the -boat is hung. - -A yacht laid up without the greatest care deteriorates in value to an -enormous extent. The first process after dismantling is to clean the -vessel thoroughly inside and out, just as carefully as if she was about -to be continued in commission. After getting her as bright as a new pin, -all the hardwood—that which is varnished or gilded—should be covered up -with canvas. - -After the yacht has been thoroughly skinned, as far as her internal -arrangements are concerned, the last process preliminary to paying her -out of commission, is to give her decks a coat or two of bright -varnish—shunning that mixture known in the trade as pure oil, as -deleterious to all decks. - -It is cheaper in the long run to provide a yacht with properly fitted -winter hatches which entirely cover the hardwood deck fittings and -secure thorough ventilation, as then the regular skylights can be left -open. - -In small craft the sailing master will be sufficient to keep the boat in -first-class condition. On larger vessels, according to size, he should -have competent assistance. - -Whether a yacht is moored alongside a quay or another vessel, winter -storms cause her to do a little rolling, which invariably induces -chafing. Unless a vessel is properly protected by fenders, her -planksheer and bulwarks are sure to be seriously injured, and to repair -this part of a ship is costly in the extreme, especially in regard to -the planksheer. Should the planksheer be "shoved up" by contact with the -dock or the ship to which she is moored alongside, the damage done could -only be properly repaired by the removal of both bulwark and rail. To -guard against severe injuries of this kind unceasing vigilance is -necessary. If you can induce your skipper to live on board, all the -better. In such a case your yacht will be kept in as dainty condition as -your wife's boudoir. Snow is very penetrating. It will find its way even -through rubber boots. A little leak may at first have no significance. -But the leak increases and rot follows, fastenings are corroded and -paintwork discolored. - -Every vessel afloat suffers more or less from "sweating," caused by the -difference between the temperature of the air outside and inside the -ship. To obviate this a fire should be kept going; not a furious furnace -that would involve a great expenditure of coal, but simply some heating -device that gives a moderate amount of warmth all through the ship. -Thus, when the owner returns to his yacht in the spring, he will find -her sweet and clean, and will never regret the few paltry dollars it has -cost him to keep his floating summer home in seagoing condition. The -careful skipper will see that his extra help is kept busy, so that not -only a casual visitor must compliment her owner on her spick and span -condition, but a naval architect or a Lloyd's surveyor can find no flaw -or fault to peck at. For, down to her deadwood and timbers, by the -application of soap, hot water and plenty of elbow-grease, she is made -fit for repainting right down to her keel. - -By conservative and preservative methods such as these a yacht's life is -prolonged, and she will always fetch her value in the market, the -noisome odor of bilge water being unknown. - -The foregoing remarks are applicable to pleasure craft that are kept -afloat during the winter. It is needless to expatiate on the benefit of -hauling out yachts of any size or construction, whether of wood, -composite, iron, steel or Tobin bronze or aluminum. The expense of -hauling large boats out is considerable, for obvious reasons, and thus -it is that yacht owners do not care to incur the cost. This objection -does not apply to small craft, which should invariably be landed for the -winter and efficiently protected by canvas, or other covering, from the -destructive influence of snow and rain. All that has been said above in -relation to the storage of sails and gear applies as much to a -one-tonner as to the largest pleasure craft afloat. - -When we go into the question of steam yachts, no better advice can be -given than that contained above, so far as hull and equipment are -concerned. It is different when the proper care of machinery is -considered. There it is where the services of a loyal and skillful -engineer come into full play. Unless sufficient attention is paid to a -vessel's boilers and engines during the critical time when she reposes -in dock, disastrous results, entailing vast expenditure, are sure to -follow. The complicated and ingenious mechanism which propels the modern -steam yacht requires devoted regard. Very expensive when new, repairs -during their second season, if in any way neglected in the winter, call -for the resources of the purse of a Crœsus. In matters of this kind the -old adage which relates to a stitch in time should be noted by the -prudent yacht owner. Thus it is that an engineer and a sufficient staff -should be kept on the pay roll in the winter for economic reasons alone. -By this means extravagant bills for unnecessary repairs will be avoided. -The engineer will take pride in his work and do justice to a liberal -employer. - -It is well known that engineers can only become acquainted with the true -capacity of machinery by long and careful study. Statistics have proved -that marine engines in the navy under the direction of good men have -been run with less coal, less oil and greater working power year by year -when the same man has had control of the engine-room. All of which means -less strain on the owner's bank account. - -Lincoln's famous aphorism about the unwisdom of swapping horses when -crossing a stream applies with great precision to skippers and -engineers. It takes time for the most masterly and adroit captain to -become acquainted with the peculiar idiosyncrasies of a vessel, for it -is true that each one has her own individuality, and it takes time to -comprehend her. In this they much resemble the fair sex. It is a case of -whip and spur on one hand, and saddle and bridle on the other. Which is -to wield the whip or wear the saddle is a question between captain and -ship. The struggle is sometimes a long one, but in the end mind conquers -matter. - -The captain, as in the case of Gen. Paine and the _Mayflower_, -eventually gets the hang of her, brings her into a state of submission, -and compels her to become a cup winner. The engineer in his own sphere -accomplishes similar results. His machinery runs with the regularity of -a chronometer. His owner's bills for coal and oil are confined within -reasonable limits. There are no breakdowns. His firemen implicitly obey -his orders, and all goes well in engine-room and stoke-hold. - -If these few practical suggestions and hints prove of any service to -yachtsmen, captains and engineers, the writer will feel happy. He has -simply touched on the limits of a wide and fertile subject that might be -expatiated upon at a large expense of paper and printer's ink. - - - - - XIII. - - USEFUL HINTS AND RECIPES. - - -To whiten decks, mix oxalic acid with fresh water in the proportion of -one pound to the gallon. Apply lightly with a mop and wash off -immediately. - -Good elastic marine glue for paying seams after they are caulked, can be -made of one part of india rubber, twelve parts of coal tar heated gently -in a pitch kettle, and twenty parts of shellac added to the mixture. -When about to use this preparation, dip the caulking iron, used to drive -the oakum or cotton thread into the seams, in naphtha, which dissolves -the glue and helps to closely cement the seams. If oil is used instead -of naphtha, the glue will not adhere. When melting marine glue for -paying, take care to heat it very slowly. - -Mildew on sails is almost impossible to remove, but the stains can be -rendered a little less unsightly by well scrubbing the sail on both -sides with soap and fresh water, and then leaving the sail to dry and -bleach in the sun. Avoid the use of chloride of lime or other caustics -or acids, which, while they might take out the mildew stains, would -certainly rot the duck. Sometimes sails must necessarily be stowed when -damp or wet, but they should be hoisted up to dry as soon as -practicable. Every boat should be provided with water-proof sail covers. - -Composition paints and other mixtures for preventing the fouling of -boats' bottoms are plentiful as clams. Each one is warranted to be a -specific against weeds and barnacles. But wooden or iron vessels, -however treated, if left for any length of time at anchor anywhere on -the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, are sure to become encrusted with -barnacles and to be covered with such a rich growth of marine grasses as -would take some particularly active work with a lawn mower to remove. -Luckily small boats can easily be hauled out and scrubbed, but those -with any pretension to size should most certainly be coppered. Copper in -salt water will keep clean for a long time, the exfoliation being -extensive. Some authorities recommend that the copper be coated with one -or other of the compositions prepared for that purpose, but I think that -to leave the copper clean will be more satisfactory in the long run. A -coppered cruising vessel should not require her bottom to be cleaned -more than four times in the season, but the oftener a racing yacht is -hauled out to have her copper burnished the better should be the result, -so far as speed is concerned. - -There are several capital paints in the market with which to coat a -yacht or boat below the water-line. But admirable though they may be, -they are by no means weed or barnacle proof. - -In choosing a binocular marine glass, take care not to be persuaded into -buying a trashy article. A good one should have a magnifying power of -seven times, as well as what is known as good definition—that is, the -quality of showing all the outlines of an object with complete -distinctness and without any haziness. To find out if a glass has this -quality, direct it at any object clearly outlined against the sky—a -church steeple, for instance. If the outlines of the object are -indistinct, or if they are bordered with violet, blue, orange or red -light, reject the glass, as it will never be worth anything. The frame -of the glass should be rigid, or the tubes will become twisted and then -you will see two objects in place of one. The more powerful a glass is -the less field it possesses. While high power is desirable, it is well -that a glass should have a large field. A poor glass is worse than none -at all. - -That sterling seaman, Capt. S. T. S. Lecky, tells a capital story about -a marine glass, which I commend to anybody about to purchase one. In the -window of a shop he noticed a binocular with a tag on it, which asserted -that the glass had rendered an "object" visible at the distance of -ninety miles. This was attested by a letter to be seen within. The -captain's curiosity was excited. On inquiry in the shop he found out -that the "object" was none other than the peak of the Island of Tristan -d'Acunha, in the Southern ocean, which is so lofty that it can be seen -in clear weather by the naked eye at a distance of one hundred miles. -Therefore I say let your motto be _caveat emptor_ when you go cruising -about in search of either a cheap marine telescope or binocular among -marine store dealers or pawnshops. Remember that clearness of definition -is more to be sought than high magnifying power, as in misty weather the -glass with the last-named quality in a marked degree magnifies the haze -as well as the object, and, of course, makes it still more blurred and -indistinct—a defect on which it is unnecessary for me to further -enlarge. - -It is hard to distinguish with a low-priced binocular on a thick or -rainy night the color of a vessel's lights, a white one sometimes -appearing with a green or reddish tinge, and a green one looking like a -white one. This applies also to lightships and lighthouses, and should -make you careful as to your selection of a glass. - -Captain Lecky says the proper way to test a binocular for night use is -not to stand at a shop door in broad daylight, trying how much the glass -enlarges some distant clock-face, but to wait till nightfall and test it -by looking up a dark street or passage, and if figures before only dimly -visible to the naked eye are rendered tolerably clear by the aid of the -glasses, you may rest assured you have hit on a suitable instrument. It -is well to go in the first place to an optician, and not to a -"shoptician" versed in cheap-jack methods. - -[Illustration: LUNCHEON IN THE COCK-PIT] - -Iron ballast should be coal-tarred, painted, or white-washed with hot -lime. - -Masts and spars should be scraped and sand-papered. If there are any -cracks in them, they should be stopped with marine glue before scraping. -Apply a coat of wood-filler, then a coat of spar composition. When hard, -give a second coat. Never apply varnish when there is much moisture in -the atmosphere. In the vicinity of New York, wait till the wind is -northwest if you wish to secure the best and most brilliant results. - -If your boat is white, when repainting don't forget to mix a little blue -with your white lead, raw linseed oil and dryers. This cerulean dash -improves the look of the paint, and is far better than black, which -produces a ghastly tint. - -[Illustration: SCOWING AN ANCHOR.] - -When for any purpose it becomes necessary or desirable to anchor a small -boat on ground known, or suspected, to be foul, it is advisable to scow -the anchor. Unbend the cable from the ring; make the end fast round the -crown shank and flukes with a clove hitch, and bring the end _a_ back to -_s_, and stop it round the cable with a piece of spunyarn; take the -cable back to the shackle and stop it as at _b_. When the cable is -hauled upon by the part _o_, the stop at _b_ will part and the fluke of -the anchor can be easily broken out and lifted. For larger vessels a -trip-line is sometimes bent to the crown and buoyed instead of scowing -the anchor. - -A capital composition for painting the bottoms of boats up to the -water-line is made as follows: Take one pound of red lead, four ounces -of copper bronze powder, the same weights of arsenic, chrome yellow and -paris blue, one pint of dryers, one pint of boiled oil and one pint of -copal varnish. Mix thoroughly, strain and apply. If too thick add more -varnish. It will dry a rich copper color. It is neither barnacle nor -weed proof, but is as good as some of the more expensive paints which -pretend to possess both these qualities. Before painting, scrub the wood -well and smooth down with pumice stone. Let it thoroughly dry before you -begin to use the brush. - -A good black paint for the outside of boats is made thus: To six pounds -of best black paint add one pound of dark blue paint and half a pint of -dryers. Mix with equal quantities of raw and boiled linseed oil until of -the proper consistency. Stir well. Strain carefully, and then add one -pint of copal varnish. - -To stop cracks in a spar: When the spar is thoroughly dry run in marine -glue. When the glue is hard scrape some of it out and stop the crevice -with putty stained the same color as the spar. - -Iron mould and other stains can be removed from a deck by a solution of -one part of muriatic acid and three parts of water. - - - THE LEAD LINE. - -The hand lead weighs fourteen pounds. The line to which it is attached -is twenty-five fathoms long, and is marked as follows: At two fathoms, -leather with two ends; at three fathoms, leather with three ends; at -five fathoms, white muslin; at seven fathoms, red bunting; at ten -fathoms, leather with hole in it; at thirteen fathoms, blue serge; at -fifteen fathoms, white muslin; at seventeen fathoms, red bunting; at -twenty fathoms, strand with two knots in it. By the different feel of -the materials used it is easy to distinguish the marks in the dark. In -sounding when the boat is in motion, swing the lead round and heave it -as far forward as you can. By filling the hollow at the base of the lead -with grease or tallow, a sample of the bottom mud or sand adheres to it, -which may be useful in verifying the position of the boat by comparing -it with the chart on which the nature of the bottom is indicated. - -The first fathom of the hand lead line for use in a boat of light -draught may be marked off in feet in any legible manner satisfactory to -the marker. - -The marks on the deep sea lead line commence with two knots at twenty -fathoms, another knot being added for every ten fathoms, and a single -knot at each intermediate five. - -A hand lead for use in a small craft need not be so heavy as fourteen -pounds. - -It may not be generally known that all watches are compasses if used -according to the following instructions. Point the hour hand to the Sun, -and the South is exactly half-way between the hour and the figure XII on -the dial. For instance, suppose it is four o'clock; point the hand -indicating four to the Sun, and II on the dial is South. Suppose again -it is eight o'clock; point the hand indicating eight to the Sun, and the -figure X on the dial is South. Some cranks carry a compass card in their -watch case so that they may always determine without delay or trouble -the direction of the wind whenever the Sun is visible. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: - - Photo by J. S. Johnston. - - "HALF RATERS." -] - - - - - XIV. - - RULE OF THE ROAD AT SEA. - - -The boat sailer must possess a knowledge of the rule of the road at sea, -unless he wants his sport brought to an untimely end by collision. He -should become thoroughly familiar with the International Steering and -Sailing Rules, so that if he encounters steamships, fishing craft, pilot -boats, etc., he will be able so to maneuver his own vessel as to escape -collision. - -The prudent skipper of a little vessel should always give steamships and -ferryboats a wide berth. Big steamships sometimes are slow to answer -their helms, and often will not get out of the way of small craft, -although compelled to by international law. Should your boat be run down -by one of these monsters of the deep you, of course, have your remedy in -a court, but you are apt to find litigation very expensive when suing a -steamship company, and a suit often lingers for years until, having -exhausted every process, it finds itself at last on the calendar of the -Supreme Court of the United States. - -It is not advisable to attempt to cross the bows of a steamer unless you -have plenty of room and you are a good judge of distances. Steam vessels -go at a faster rate than they seem to, and the momentum of their impact -is very great. Instead of crossing a steamer's bow go about on the other -tack, or haul your foresheet to windward till she has passed. Discretion -is always the better part of valor. Not to monkey with ocean steamships -or ferryboats is as valuable advice as that time-honored warning to boys -not to fool with the buzz-saw. - -Do not get "rattled," whatever you do, but keep your eyes "skinned" and -your head clear. - -Skippers of ferryboats often try to show off their smartness by steering -as close as possible to small pleasure boats and then giving them the -benefit of their wash, sometimes swamping their unfortunate victims. It -is fun for the fellow in the ferryboat's pilot-house, but it is the -reverse of pleasant to the man wallowing in the seething water. -Therefore, do not court danger by approaching too near these unwieldy -marine brutes, but if you are so luckless as to get into their wash -handle your boat so that she shall not get into the trough of the waves, -but take the sea on the bluff of the bow, where it will do the least -harm. - -Navigation by daylight in fine, clear weather is easy, but when it is -dark and foggy special precautions must be taken or collision is -inevitable. I do not propose to reprint in this little book the full -text of the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, -but I have prepared an abstract, which will be sufficient for the -practical purposes of an amateur sailor. - - - LIGHTS. - -Between sunset and sunrise the following lights shall be carried by a -steamship when under way: - -At the foremast head a bright white light, visible on a clear night at a -distance of five miles, showing the light ten points on either side of -the ship from right ahead to two points abaft the beam. - -On the starboard side a green light showing from right ahead to two -points abaft the beam, visible at a distance of two miles. - -On the port side a red light similar in all respects, except color, to -the green light. - -To prevent these green and red lights from being seen across the bow -they must be fitted with inboard screens projecting at least three feet -forward from the light. - -Steamships towing other vessels shall carry two white masthead lights in -addition to their side lights. - -Sailing vessels when under way or being towed shall carry only the green -and red lights as provided for steamships under way. - -Small vessels that cannot carry fixed side lights in bad weather must -have them on deck on their respective sides ready for instant exhibition -on the approach of another vessel. - -All vessels at anchor shall show where it can best be seen, at a height -not exceeding twenty feet above the hull, a white light in a globular -lantern of eight inches in diameter, visible all round the horizon at a -distance of at least a mile. - -Pilot vessels shall only carry a white light at the masthead, visible -all round the horizon, and shall exhibit a flare-up light every fifteen -minutes. - -Open boats are not required to carry fixed sidelights, but must, in -default of such, be provided with a lantern, having a green slide on one -side and a red slide on the other, which must be properly shown in time -to prevent collision, taking care that the green light shall not be seen -on the port side nor the red light on the starboard side. - -Fishing and open boats, when at anchor or riding to their nets and -stationary, shall exhibit a bright white light, and may, in addition, -use a flare-up light if deemed expedient. - - - FOG SIGNALS. - -In fog, mist, or falling snow, whether by day or night, a steamship -under way shall blow a prolonged blast of her steam whistle every two -minutes, or oftener. A sailing vessel under way shall blow her foghorn -(which must be sounded by a bellows or other mechanical device and not -by mouth power) at intervals of not less than two minutes, when on the -starboard tack one blast, when on the port tack two blasts in -succession, and when with the wind abaft the beam three blasts in -succession. - -Vessels not under way shall ring the bell at intervals of not less than -two minutes. - - - STEERING AND SAILING RULES - FOR SAILING VESSELS. - -A ship running free shall keep out of the way of a ship closehauled. - -A ship closehauled on the port tack shall keep out of the way of a ship -closehauled on the starboard tack. - -When both are running free with the wind on different sides, the ship -which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the -other. - -When both are running free with the wind on the same side, the ship -which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the ship to leeward. - -A ship which has the wind aft shall keep out of the way of the other -ship. - - - FOR STEAM VESSELS. - -If two ships under steam are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to -involve risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard so -that each may pass on the port side of the other. - -If two ships under steam are crossing so as to involve risk of -collision, the ship which has the other on her own starboard side shall -keep out of the way of the other. - -Steamships must, in cases where there is risk of collision, keep out of -the way of sailing vessels. - -A vessel, whether sail or steam, when overtaking another, must keep out -of the way of the overtaken ship. - -Where by the above rules one of two ships is to keep out of the way, the -other shall keep her course. - -The following rhymes should be committed to memory: - - When both sidelights you see ahead, - Port your helm and show your red! - Green to green or red to red, - Perfect safety—go ahead! - - If on the port tack you steer, - It is your duty to keep clear - Of every closehauled ship ahead, - No matter whether green or red. - - But when upon your port is seen - A stranger's starboard light of green, - There's not so much for you to do, - For green to port keeps clear of you. - -A ship which is being overtaken by another shall show from her stern to -such last-mentioned ship a white light or a flare-up light. This rule -was only adopted in 1884, but I saw it practically exemplified in the -ship _Rajah of Cochin_ in the year 1874. The _Rajah_ was running down -the Southeast trades one pitch dark night in April, homeward bound; I -was in charge of the deck. We had studdingsails set on both sides, on -the mainmast and foremast. Suddenly out of the darkness astern there -loomed up the sails on the foremast of a big ship whose jibboom seemed -to be right over the _Rajah's_ stern. She carried no side lights, her -skipper being probably of an economical turn of mind. I took the lighted -lamp out of the binnacle, and jumping on the wheel gratings waved it as -high as I could, at the same time yelling with all my might. I could -hear the man on the lookout aboard the pursuing vessel roar out, and -then came a clatter and a rattle of ropes and a flapping of sails as -with her helm hard to port the ship that was pursuing us luffed out -across our stern. She snapped off a few stunsail booms, but that was -better than running us down. Capt. Sedgwick, who was in command of the -_Rajah_, was awakened by the noise and came up from below in his -pajamas. He quickly realized what a close shave his ship had -experienced. - - - BUOYS AND BEACONS. - -In approaching channels from seaward red buoys marked with even numbers -will be found on the starboard side of the channel and must be left on -the starboard side in passing in. Black buoys with odd numbers will be -found on the port side of the channel and must be left on the port hand -in passing in. - -Buoys with red and black horizontal stripes will be found on -obstructions with channel ways on either side of them, and may be left -on either hand. - -Buoys painted with black and white perpendicular stripes will be found -in mid-channel, and must be passed close aboard to avoid danger. - -All other marks to buoys will be in addition to the foregoing and may be -employed to mark particular spots, a description of which will be found -in the printed Government lists. - -Perches, with balls, cages, etc., will, when placed on buoys, be at -turning points, the color and number indicating on what side they shall -be passed. - - - - - XV. - - THE COMPASS. - - -I have no space in this volume to write an exhaustive chapter on -navigation. It is, however, an art easily acquired, and may be wholly -self-taught. There are certain rudimentary rules for finding one's way -at sea by dead reckoning, that everyone starting out on a cruise should -master. The instruments needful are a compass, parallel rulers, -dividers, patent log, lead line, aneroid barometer, clock, and the -necessary charts of the sea which it is proposed to navigate. - -In a small cruiser a compass is generally carried in a portable -binnacle. When steering by it take care that the lubber's point is in a -direct line with the keel or stem and sternpost. For the benefit of the -uninitiated, I will explain that the lubber's point is the black -vertical line in the foreside of the compass bowl, by which the -direction of the vessel's head is determined. A misplaced lubber's point -is sure to cause grave errors in the course actually made. The compass -should be as far removed as possible from ironwork of any kind. A spirit -compass, as I have remarked elsewhere, is the only kind suitable for -small craft. Those with cards of hard enamel, floating in undiluted -alcohol, which renders freezing impossible, are the best. The amateur -boat sailer should become familiar with the compass, be able to box it -by both points and degrees, and to name its back bearings. - -[Illustration: compass] - -The points of the compass are thirty-two in number, as follows: - -North - -North by East - -North, North-East - -North-East by N. - -North-East - -North-East by E. - -East, North-East - -East by North - -East - -East by South - -East, South-East - -South-East by E. - -South-East - -South-East by S. - -South, South-E. - -South by East - -South - -South by West - -South, South-W. - -South-West by S. - -South-West - -South-West by W. - -West, South-W. - -West by South - -West - -West by North - -West, North-West - -North-West by W. - -North-West - -North-West by W. - -North, North-W. - -North by West - -North - -These points are sub-divided into quarter points, and again into -degrees. The table given on pages 142-143 shows the angles which every -point and quarter point of the compass makes with the meridian: - -POINTS, ANGLES AND BACK BEARINGS OF THE COMPASS. - - - _Opposite or Back _Pts._ _Dgrs. _Pts._ _Opposite or Back - Bearings._ &c._ Bearings._ - - North. South. 0 0 0 0 0 North. South. - - 0-1/4 2 48 45 0-1/4 - - N. 1/2 S. 1/2 0-1/2 5 37 30 0-1/2 N. 1/2 S. 1/2 - E. W. W. E. - - 0-3/4 8 26 15 0-3/4 - - N. b. E. S. b. W. 1 11 15 0 1 N. b. W. S. b. E. - - 1-1/4 14 3 45 1-1/4 - - N. b. E. S. b. W. N. b. W. S. b. E. - - 1/2 E. 1/2 W. 1-1/2 16 52 30 1-1/2 1/2 W. 1/2 E. - - 1-3/4 19 41 15 1-3/4 - - N. N. E. S. S. W. 2 22 30 0 2 N. N. W. S. S. E. - - 2-1/4 25 18 45 2-1/4 - - N. N. E. S. S. W. N. N. W. S. S. E. - - 1/2 E. 1/2 W. 2-1/2 28 7 30 2-1/2 1/2 W. 1/2 E. - - 2-3/4 30 56 15 - - N. E. b. S. W. b. N. W. b. S. E. b. - - N. S. 3 33 45 0 N. S. - - 3-1/4 36 33 45 - - N. E. S. W. 39 22 30 N. W. S. E. - - 1/2 N. 1/2 S. 3-1/2 39 22 30 1/2 N. 1/2 S. - - 3-3/4 42 11 15 - - N. E. S. W. 4 45 0 0 N. W. S. E. - - 4-1/4 47 48 45 4-1/4 - - N. E. S. W. N. W. S. E. - - 1/2 E. 1/2 W. 4-1/2 50 37 30 4-1/2 1/2 W. 1/2 E. - - 4-3/4 53 26 15 4-3/4 - - N. E. S. W. N. W. S. E. - - b. E. b. W. 5 56 15 0 5 b. W. b. E. - - 5-1/4 59 3 45 5-1/4 - - N. E. b. S. W. b. N. W. b. S. E. b. - - E. 1/2 W. 1/2 5-1/2 61 52 30 5-1/2 W. 1/2 E. 1/2 - E. W. W. E. - - 5-3/4 64 41 15 5-3/4 - - E. N. E. W. S. W. 6 67 30 0 6 W. N. W. E. S. E. - - 6-1/4 70 18 45 6-1/4 - - E. b. N. W. b. S. W. b. N. E. b. S. - - 1/2 N. 1/2 S. 6-1/2 73 7 30 6-1/2 1/2 N. 1/2 S. - - 6-3/4 75 56 15 6-3/4 - - E. b. N. W. b. S. 7 78 45 0 7 W. b. N. E. b. S. - - 7-1/4 81 33 45 7-1/4 - - E. 1/2 W. 1/2 7-1/2 84 22 30 7-1/2 W. 1/2 E. 1/2 - N. S. N. S. - - 7-3/4 87 11 15 7-3/4 - - East. West. 8 90 0 0 8 West. East. - -The mariner's compass does not, however, give the true direction of the -various points of the horizon. The needle points to the magnetic North -and not to the true North, the difference between them being called the -variation of the compass, which differs widely in various parts of the -world, being sometimes easterly and sometimes westerly, and constantly -changing. The amount is generally marked on the charts. In New York the -variation for 1894 was 8° 26´ West, or three-quarters of a point to the -West of the true North. Thus, to make good a true North course, the -vessel would have to steer North three-quarters West. A rule easy to -remember is that westerly variation is allowed to the left of the -compass course, or bearing, and that easterly variation is allowed to -the right of the compass course or bearing. - -To convert true courses and bearings into compass courses and bearings -with variation westerly, allow it to the right of the true course or -bearing, and with variation easterly allow it to the left of the true -course or bearing. - -Deviation is another error of the compass caused by local attraction, -such as the ironwork and iron ballast in a boat, or the proximity of a -marlinespike to the binnacle. In a wooden boat, if proper care is taken, -there should be no appreciable deviation of the compass. Deviation can -be discovered by swinging the boat as she lies at her moorings, having -first obtained the true magnetic bearing of some distant object, such as -a lighthouse or a church steeple. As the vessel's head comes to each -point of the compass, a compass bearing is taken of the object, and the -difference between that bearing and the true magnetic bearing is -observed and noted, and afterward tabulated. It will often be found that -the deviation differs not only in amount, but in name, for different -directions of the ship's head, being easterly at certain points and -westerly at others. - -The rule is to allow westerly deviation to the left to get the correct -magnetic course, and easterly deviation to the right to get the correct -magnetic course. - -To find out the error of the compass in order to steer a true course, -the _sum_ of the deviation and the variation when both are of the same -name, and their _difference_ when they have different names, must be -ascertained. For instance, deviation 20° West and variation 25° West, -would give an error of compass 45° West, which should be applied to the -left. - -If the deviation was 20° East and the variation 10° West, the difference -between them would be 10° East, which compass error should be applied to -the right to steer a true course. - -In order to find the compass course or course to steer, proceed as -follows, the true course being North 40° East, the variation being 38° -West and the deviation 18° East: - - Variation, 38° W., being of contrary names, take their difference. - Deviation, 18° E. - ------ - Correction, 20°, apply to the right, being westerly. - - True course N.40° E. - ------ - Compass course N.60° E. - -Another example is given where the variation and deviation are both -easterly and the true course is S., 75° West. - - Variation, 24° W., being of same name. - Deviation, 16° W., add together. - ------ - Correction, 40°, apply to the left, being easterly. - - True course, S. 75° W. - ------ - Compass course, S. 35° W. - -A volume might be written on the mariner's compass. It is a fascinating -study, but unfortunately my space is limited. - -There is another correction to the compass that the amateur should have -cognizance of. It is called leeway, and is, in untechnical language, the -drift that the ship makes sideways through the water because of the -force of the wind or the impulsive heave of the sea. Some craft, because -of deficiency in the element of lateral resistance, such as in the case -of a shallow, "skimming-dish" sort of a boat, with the centerboard -hoisted up, will go to leeward like a crab. Others of a different type, -such as the "plank-on-edge" variety, with a lead line attached, will -hang on to windward in a wonderful manner. It requires, therefore, a -certain amount of judgment as well as of knowledge in this particular -section of nautical lore to be able to estimate with any degree of -approximate certainty the leeway a vessel may happen to make. It should -not be forgotten that build has much to do with this, and that trim and -draught of water are also two powerful elements in this connection. For -instance, a boat with outside lead and a centerboard in a strong breeze -and a lumpy sea, so long as the wind permitted her to carry a commanding -spread of sail, might make no appreciable leeway, but, on the contrary, -might "eat up" into the wind. But given the same boat without the lead -and without the adventitious aid that the centerboard affords, she would -be compelled to dowse her muslin at the first puff, and as a purely -physical consequence she would retain no hold on the water and would -drift off to leeward like an irresponsible she-crab. - -Thus leeway must be estimated by experience. It is often a most -disturbing quantity, especially when the weather is foggy and the -channel in which you are steering is perplexing on account of rocks or -shoals. I have already expatiated on the wisdom of anchoring in such a -contingency as this whenever the elements will permit. But, of course, -one is a slave of the winds and the waves, and "bringing-up" is not -always possible. I should, therefore, advise the amateur to carefully -watch his boat and endeavor to find out approximately the amount of -leeway she makes when the first reef is taken in by comparing the -direction of the fore and aft line of the boat with that of her wake. -This method may also be pursued with advantage under all conditions of -wind and weather, and by this means a moderately correct and very useful -table may be made. - -The old navigators like the Drakes and the Frobishers had this matter -arranged for them, so when they sailed forth on voyages of great emprise -and portent they were guided by certain tabulated formula that gave them -full and implicit directions for the allowance of leeway. Thus the -skipper of a ship with topgallantsails furled was told to allow one -point; when under double-reefed topsails, one point and a half; when -under close-reefed topsails, two points; when the topsails are furled, -three points and a half; when the fore-course is furled, four points; -when under the mainsail only, five points; when under the balanced -mizzen or mizzen staysail, six points; and when under bare poles, seven -points. - -This antiquated method of computation answered very well, for those -sterling and sturdy navigators of the olden times seemed to have had a -rare faculty of achieving their adventurous purpose and of gaining, too, -both fame and fortune. But the commander of a clipper ship, with whom I -sailed as a youngster, undertook to demonstrate to me the absurdity of -any such hard-and-fast rule. We had carried away our three topgallant -masts, off Cape Agulhas, while threshing hard against a westerly gale. -They were whipped out of us like pipe-stems. It took all hands a whole -day to clear away the wreck. Next day the weather moderated sufficiently -for us to have carried every stitch of canvas could we have set it. -There were a number of vessels beating round the Cape, and all took -advantage of the cessation of the gale to spread all their flying kites -to the breeze. Our ship, under three topsails, inner and outer jibs, -foresail, mainsail, crossjack, spanker, foretopmast, maintopmast and -mizzentopmast staysails, beat all the fleet. When it came on to blow -again we were the first to reef, because some of our rigging had got -badly strained in the squall that took our topgallantmasts away. Still -we maintained our lead, although jogging along comfortably while our -opponents were driving at it, hugging their topgallantsails and with lee -rails under. - -"Now," said our captain, coming on the poop after he had worked up his -dead reckoning at noontime, "you see all those ships dead to -leeward—well they ought to be to windward of us unless all the books on -navigation are wrong. I have entered in my traverse-table the courses we -were supposed to have made good under the old rule, and have thus proved -its falsity. The fact is the ships that were turned out in the days when -these nautical axioms were first propounded were built by the mile and -cut off in lengths to suit. They had no shape to speak of below the -water-line, and perhaps the rule applied to each alike. Times are -different now, and leeway must be determined by the model of the ship." - -The rule for reckoning leeway is as follows: - -Wind on starboard side, allow leeway to the left. - -Wind on port side, allow leeway to the right. - -Or you may thus define it: - -Vessel on starboard tack, allow leeway to the left. - -Vessel on port tack, allow leeway to the right. - -In this connection it might be well to urge the young mariner against -keeping his boat all a-shiver and bucking against a head sea, and all -the while sagging off bodily to leeward. It is better far to keep the -wake right astern and keep way on the vessel—unless, of course, the -weather is too violent. - -The direction and rate of tides and currents have also to be allowed for -when correcting a compass course. Thus in crossing Long Island Sound -from Larchmont to Oyster Bay in thick weather, the magnetic course as -given in the Government chart would have to be rectified and allowance -made for the condition of the tide, whether ebb or flood, or your boat -might never reach her destination. - - - - - XVI. - - CHARTS. - - -There are no better charted coasts in the world than those bounded by -the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The United States Navy has done -and is doing magnificent hydrographic work. The charts issued by the -Government are accurate, reliable, up-to-date and reasonable in price. - -The top of a chart when spread out in front of you so that the reading -part appears to you like the page of a book, and you can read it from -left to right, is the North, the bottom is the South, the side on your -right is the East, and the side on your left is the West. There are -always compasses on a chart, either true or magnetic, by reference to -which and with the aid of the parallel rulers the bearing of one point -from another may easily be ascertained by the following method: - -Lay the edge of the rulers over the two places; then slide them -(preserving the direction) till the edge of one ruler is on the center -of the nearest compass; when this is done read off the course indicated -by the direction of the ruler. - -To measure the distance between two places on the chart spread out the -dividers till their points are over them, then apply to the graduated -scale at the bottom of the chart, which will give you the required -distance. This method, it should be remembered, is only accurate when -applied to the large coasting charts. When measuring distances on -general charts which extend across many degrees of latitude, the mean -latitude of the two places must be measured from. - -There are certain signs and abbreviations used on charts which are -easily comprehended, such as _hrd_ for hard, _rky_ for rocky, etc. -Lighthouses and lightships are clearly marked, and shoals, rocks and -other obstructions to navigation are plainly defined. All the marginal -notes on the charts should be made familiar by the navigator. I need -scarcely say that charts, instruments and books of sailing instructions -should be kept dry. There are cylindrical tin boxes for charts which are -quite cheap, and these I recommend. - -[Illustration: Fig. 6.] - -The position of a vessel may be ascertained simply and accurately by -cross-bearings. Suppose you are in a ship at _A_ in Fig. 6. The point -with the lighthouse on it bears correct magnetic N. by W., and the point -with the tree on it E. by N. You lay the parallel rules over the compass -on your chart at N. by W., and work them to the lighthouse, preserving -the direction. You then draw the line from the lighthouse to _a_. You -then lay the parallel rules over the compass on your chart at E. by N., -and work them in a similar way to the tree. Then draw the line from the -tree to _a_. The spot where the two lines cut was the vessel's position -on the chart when the bearings were first taken. The distance of the -ship from both lighthouse and tree can be measured by taking in the -dividers the distance between either and the ship, and referring to the -scale on the chart. - -It should be remembered that when sailing along the land cross-bearings -will always determine your position, always allowing the proper -corrections on the compass. In taking cross-bearings, try to have a -difference between the two objects of as nearly ninety degrees as -possible. - -The old-fashioned log-ship and log-line for determining the distance run -by a vessel need have no place in the equipment of a small yacht. There -are several patent self-registering logs which record the distance run, -either on the taffrail or on dials on the log itself. Their performance -is fairly satisfactory, but they should be kept well oiled, and should -be often examined and tested—for instance, in a run between two objects -whose distance apart is well known. - -By careful attention to the Lead, the Log and the Look-out, a boat may -be navigated, by dead reckoning, with a certain amount of accuracy. - -A nautical mile, or knot, is the same as a geographical mile. Its length -is six thousand and eighty feet. A statute mile in the United States -measures five thousand two hundred and eighty feet. - -[Illustration] - - - - - XVII. - - MARLINESPIKE SEAMANSHIP. - - WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING SPLICES - KNOTS AND BENDS. - -[Illustration: MARLINESPIKE.] - - -The amateur yachtsman should be able to make all the splices and most of -the knots in common use. This knowledge will come in quite handy when -fitting out his craft in the spring, and will save him the expense of -hiring a sailor to do the work. I have spent many happy hours in rigging -a fifteen-ton cutter, doing all the work myself (except stepping the -mast) with the aid of a boy. - -A few fathoms of rope, a marlinespike, a knife, a small pot of grease, a -ball of spun yarn, another of marline and one of roping twine, and you -are equipped for work. Splicing ropes and making fancy knots may be made -a quite pleasant way of spending a winter's evening. It keeps one out of -mischief, and the art once learned is rarely forgotten. I think if you -follow my directions and take heed of the diagrams that accompany them -(which I have taken pains to make as clear as possible) you will have no -difficulty in becoming quite expert in the use of a marlinespike. - -[Illustration] - -The ends of all ropes, whether belonging to the running or standing -rigging, must be whipped with tarred roping twine or they will unravel. -Take the rope in your left hand and lap the twine round it very tight a -dozen times, taking care that the end lies under the first turns so as -to secure it. Then make a loop with the twine and continue the lapping -for four turns round the rope and the end of the twine, as shown above. -Haul taut and cut off the end. - -[Illustration] - -EYE SPLICE—Unlay the rope and lay the strands E, F, G at the proper -distance upon the standing part, as shown at A. Now push the strand H -through the strand next to it, as shown in B, having first opened it -with a marlinespike. Strand I is then thrust over the part through which -H was passed. Strand K is thrust through the third on the other side. -Repeat the process with each strand, and then hammer the splice into -shape with the butt of the marlinespike. Stretch and cut off the ends of -the strands. If particular neatness is required, the strands, after -having been passed through the standing part the first time, should be -halved and passed again, and then still further tapered by being -quartered before being passed for the third and last time. An eye splice -is useful. Standing rigging should have eyes spliced in to go over the -mast-head, and for dead-eyes to be turned in, etc. - -[Illustration: - - FIG. 1. - - FIG. 2. -] - -SHORT SPLICE—Unlay the ends of two ropes of the same size and bring -their ends together, as shown in Fig. 1. Hold the rope D and the strands -A, B and C in the left hand. Pass the strand E over A and under C of -rope H and haul taut. Pass strand G over B and under A. Pass strand F -over the strand next to it and under the second. Turn the rope round and -treat the other side in the same way, when the splice will be like Fig. -2. The single tucking of the strands will not, however, be strong -enough, and the process should be repeated on both sides, halving the -strands for the sake of neatness. This splice is used only for rope that -is not required to run through a block. - -[Illustration: - - Fig. 1. - - Fig. 2. -] - -LONG SPLICE—Unlay the ends of the two ropes that are to be joined some -two or three feet, according to the size of the rope. Place the two ends -together, as shown in Fig. 1. Unlay strand C and lead it back to A; then -take D and lay it up in the space left by C. Do this with the strands E -and F on the opposite side. The rope will now look like Fig. 2. Give the -two middle strands, G and H, a lick of tar if the rope is of hemp, and -grease if of manilla, and knot them together with an overhand knot, -taking care that the knot is so formed as to follow the lay of the rope. -Then halve these strands and pass them over one strand and under two. -Treat the remaining strands in the same way, after which stretch the -rope well and cut off the ends of the strands. A long splice is the -neatest way there is of putting two ends of a rope together. If well -made it does not increase the diameter of the rope, and therefore -renders through blocks as though it did not exist. If one strand of a -rope is chafed through while the other two are sound, a new strand may -be put in to replace it, and the ends may be finished off in the same -way as in a long splice. - -[Illustration] - -CUT SPLICE—A cut splice is made the same as an eye splice, only with two -ropes instead of one. - -[Illustration] - -OVERHAND KNOT—It is used at the ends of ropes to prevent them from -unreeving. There should always be one in the end of the mainsheet, which -is difficult to reeve again in anything like a breeze. - -[Illustration] - -REEF KNOT—It is always used to tie the reef points of a sail. First make -an overhand knot and then pass the ends so that they take the same lay -as the crossed parts of the overhand knot. If passed the other way, the -knot will form what sailors call a granny, which will slip when it is -subjected to a strain. - -[Illustration] - -BOWLINE KNOT—Take the end (1) of the rope in the right hand and the -standing part (2) in the left hand. Lay the end over the standing part -and turn the left wrist so that the standing part forms a loop (4) -enclosing the end. Next lead the end back of the standing part and above -the loop, and bring the end down through the loop as shown. This is a -very useful knot. - -[Illustration] - -RUNNING BOWLINE—It is made by passing the end of a rope round its -standing part and forming a bowline as in Fig. 8. - -[Illustration] - -BOWLINE ON A BIGHT—To make it, double the rope and take the doubled end -(1) in the right hand, the standing part (2) of the rope in the left -hand. Lay the end over the standing part, and by turning the left wrist -form a loop (3) having the end inside. Next pull up enough of the end -(1) to dip under the bight (4), bringing the end towards the right and -dipping it under the bight, then passing it up to the left over the loop -and hauling taut. - -[Illustration] - -TWO HALF HITCHES—Pass the end of the rope round the standing part and -bring it up through the bight. This makes a half hitch. Repeat the -process and haul taut. If the knot is to bear a great strain, seize the -end back with spunyarn to the standing part. - -[Illustration] - -TIMBER HITCH—Pass the end of a rope round the spar, then round the -standing part _b_, then several times round its own part _c_ against the -lay of the rope. - -[Illustration] - -GAFF TOPSAIL HALYARD BEND—Pass two turns round the spar, then lead the -end back round the standing part and underneath all the turns, bringing -it round to its own part and back again over the two outer turns and -underneath the inner turn. - -[Illustration] - -BLACKWALL HITCH—It is the simplest method known of making fast the end -of a rope to the hook of a tackle. The figure is self-explanatory, the -underneath part or the rope being jammed hard and fast by the strain on -the hook. - -[Illustration] - -COMMON BEND—Make a bight with the end of one rope, and pass the end of -the other through the bight from beneath, and round both parts with the -end under its own standing part. The greater the strain, the faster will -this bend jam. - -[Illustration] - -MAGNUS HITCH—Pass two round turns with the end of a rope over a spar, -then take it before the standing part, pass it again under the spar and -up through the bight. - -[Illustration] - -SELVAGEE STROP—It is made by driving two nails into a length of plank at -a distance apart equal to the desired length of the strop. Make fast one -end of a ball of spunyarn or knotted ropeyarns to one of the nails and -pass it round the other, continuing the process until the strop is as -thick as required. Marl it down with spunyarn and sew canvas or leather -round it if intended for a block. - -[Illustration] - -GROMMET STROP—It is made of a single strand of rope. To make it, lay one -end over the other at the size required, and with the long end follow -the lay round until a ring is formed with three parts of the strand all -round. Finish by dividing the ends, overhand knotting, and passing them -over one strand and under the other exactly as in a long splice. To make -a neat job, use a strand from rope that has been some time in use and is -well stretched. The strand should be about a foot more than three times -the length of the strop, to allow for the knotting. It may be wormed and -covered with canvas or leather if intended for a block. - -[Illustration: - - Fig. 19. - - Fig. 20. - - Fig. 21. - - Fig. 22. -] - -Figs. 19 and 20 show a Wall Knot. Unlay the end of a rope and with the -strand A in Fig. 19 form a bight, hold it down at the side B, pass the -end of the next strand C, round A, the end of strand D round C and -through the bight of A. Haul taut and the knot is made as in Fig. 20. -This can be crowned by taking strand in Fig. 21 and laying it over the -top of the knot. Then lay B over A, and C over B and through the bight -of A and haul taut. Fig. 22 shows a double wall and double crown, which -is made by letting the ends follow their own parts round until all the -parts appear double, first walling and then crowning. - -[Illustration] - -MATTHEW WALKER KNOT—Made by unlaying the end of a rope and taking the -end A round the rope and through its own bight, the strand B underneath -through the bight of A, and the strand C underneath through the bights -of strands A and B, and hauling all the strands taut. This knot is used -principally for the ends of lanyards. In making these knots a whipping -of sailmaker's twine should be put round the rope where the knot is to -be when formed. - -[Illustration] - -This illustration shows the process of worming a rope, which consists of -winding spunyarn of suitable size into the space between the strands -with the lay of the rope, so as to make the rope smooth for parcelling. -This must be done with the rope on the stretch. A shows the spunyarn. - -[Illustration] - -This illustration shows the process of parcelling and serving. After the -worming is finished wrap narrow strips of canvas—tarred, if the rope is -of hemp, and painted if it is of wire—round the rope with the lay, -secure the parcelling to the rope by marling it with twine, the rope can -then be served against the lay. Lay the serving mallet B with its groove -on the rope. Take a turn with the spunyarn round the rope and head of -the mallet, round the side next you, and two turns on the other side and -twist it round the handle. Get an assistant to pass the ball A round the -rope while you heave round the mallet. The last half-dozen turns of the -service must have the end of the spunyarn put through them and hauled -taut to secure it. - -[Illustration] - - - - - XVIII. - - WEATHER "WRINKLES" - - -The boat sailer or yachtsman should be able, from close observation of -the barometer and the general appearance of the sky, to foretell the -weather with a certain degree of accuracy. The aneroid barometer is -peculiarly sensitive to all atmospheric changes, and is thus invaluable -for meteorological forecasts. A regular code of phenomena has been -formulated by meteorologists, from which I take the following: - -A rapid rise indicates unsettled weather. - -A gradual rise indicates settled weather. - -A rise with dry air and cold increasing in summer indicates wind from -the northward, and if rain has fallen better weather may be expected. - -A rise with moist air and a low temperature indicates a continuance of -fine weather. - -A rapid fall indicates stormy weather. - -A rapid fall with westerly wind indicates stormy weather from northward. - -A fall with northerly wind indicates storm with rain and hail in summer -and snow in winter. - -A fall with increased moisture in the air and increasing heat indicates -southerly wind and rain. - -A fall after very calm and warm weather indicates rain and squalls. - -The barometer rises for a northerly wind, including from northwest by -north to the eastward, for dry or less wet weather, for less wind, or -for more than one of these changes, except on a few occasions when rain, -hail or snow comes from the northward with strong wind. - -The barometer falls for a southerly wind, including from southeast by -south to the westward, for wet weather, for stronger wind, or for more -than one of these changes, except on a few occasions, when moderate -wind, with rain or snow, comes from the northward. - -A fall, with a south wind, precedes rain. - -A sudden and considerable fall, with the wind due west, presages a -violent storm from the north or northwest, during which the glass will -rise to its former height. - -A steady and considerable fall of the barometer during an east wind -indicates a shift of wind to the southward, unless a heavy fall of snow -or rain immediately follows. - -A falling barometer, with the wind at north, brings bad weather; in -summer rain and gales; in spring snows and frosts. - -If, after a storm of wind and rain, the barometer remains steady at the -point to which it had fallen, severe weather may follow without a change -in the wind. But on the rising of the barometer a change of wind may be -looked for. - -The following rhymes are familiar to most sailors: - - When the glass falls low, - Look out for a blow. - - First rise after low, - Portends a stronger blow. - - When the glass is high, - Let all your kites fly. - - Long foretold—long last; - Short notice—soon past. - -The following notes may be relied on for forecasting the weather: - - Red sky at sunset, fine weather. - - Red sky in the morning, wind or rain, and - often both. - - Gray sky in the morning, fine weather. - - Hard, oily looking clouds, strong wind. - - Yellowish green clouds, wind and rain. - - Bright yellow sky at sunset, wind. - - Pale yellow sky at sunset, rain. - - Very clear atmosphere near the horizon is a - sign of more wind and often rain. - -Here follow some old sailors' jingles which I heard when a boy in the -forecastle: - - When rain comes before the wind, - Sheets and halyards you must mind; - When wind comes before the rain, - Hoist your topsails up again. - - Evening red and morning gray - Are sure signs of a fine day; - But evening gray and morning red, - Makes a sailor shake his head. - -Amateurs while on a cruise should frequently look at the barometer and -take notes of its height and enter them in the log. - -The action of the aneroid barometer depends on the effect produced by -the pressure of the atmosphere on a circular metallic chamber partially -exhausted of air and hermetically sealed. This kind of barometer is -liable to changes on account of its mechanism getting out of order, and -it should be often compared with a mercurial barometer, which from its -cumbersomeness cannot be conveniently carried in a small craft. Aneroid -barometers of excellent quality, and of about the size of an ordinary -watch, are offered for sale at a reasonable price, and a cruise should -not be undertaken without one. - -A phosphorescent sea is a certain sign of continuance of fine weather. - -When porpoises come into shallow water and ascend the river stormy -weather is near. - -Sea birds fly far out to sea in fine weather, but if they fly inland bad -weather may be expected. - -A halo round the moon, especially if it appears distant and yet very -distinct, indicates a gale of wind and probably rain. - -When the wind changes it usually shifts with the sun from left to right. -Thus an East wind shifts to West by way of Southeast, South and -Southwest, and a West wind shifts to East by way of Northwest, North and -Northeast. If the wind shifts the opposite way it is said to "back," but -this it rarely does except in unsettled weather. - -The United States Signal Service has a local observer stationed at each -of the principal ports. When the "information signal," which consists of -a red pennant, is displayed, it indicates that information has been -received from the central office of a storm covering a limited area, -dangerous only for vessels about to sail to certain points. Ship-masters -and others interested will be supplied with the necessary information on -application. - -A cautionary signal, which is a Yellow Flag with a white center, -indicates that the winds expected are not so violent that well found and -seaworthy vessels cannot encounter them without great danger. A -cautionary flag hoisted alone signifies that the direction of the -expected wind is doubtful. - -[Illustration: CAUTIONARY SIGNALS.] - -A dangerous storm signal, which is a Red Square Flag with black center, -is hoisted when the wind is over thirty-five miles an hour. - -At night a Red Light indicates Easterly winds, and a Red and White Light -Westerly winds. - -[Illustration: STORM SIGNALS.] - -Following are the weather signals, which explain themselves: - -[Illustration: - - WEATHER. -] - -Beaufort's scale is used to measure the velocity of the wind. It is -given below: - - _Hourly _Scale._ _State._ - Velocity - in Miles._ - - - 0 calm. - - 1 1 light airs. - - 2 to 3 2 light breezes. - - 4 to 7 3 gentle breeze. - - 9 to 15 4 moderate breeze. - - 15 to 18 5 fresh breeze. - - 19 to 22 6 strong breeze. - - 23 to 28 7 moderate gale. - - 28 to 40 8 fresh gale. - - 40 to 48 9 strong gale. - - 48 to 56 10 whole gale. - - 57 to 80 11 storm. - - 80 to 100 12 hurricane. - - - - - XIX. - - SEA COOKERY FOR YACHTSMEN. - - -Those who go a-sailing for pleasure in small craft, frequently suffer -hardships, or at least inconvenience, in the way of meals, because of -their lack of knowledge of the provisions to take with them, and of -simple methods of preparing wholesome and appetizing dishes. - -[Illustration: Fig. 1. A Yachtsman's Stove.] - -Sea cooking differs materially from shore cooking, inasmuch as the stove -in a house is erected on a floor that is both stationary and stable. The -yachtsman who has a cosy galley with a fixed stove that burn coal or -coke or charcoal, and that draws well, has reason to bless his fortunate -stars. - -There have now come into vogue several varieties of the blue-flame -wickless cooking stove. In the accompanying illustration, Fig. 1, I have -depicted a stove which I have found to suit. It is wickless and burns -the ordinary kerosene oil. To suit sea conditions the stove is slung on -gimbals like a ship's compass, so as to yield to every motion of the -vessel. The railing round the top prevents pots and pans from sliding to -leeward. Fig. 2 shows the finest fry-pan ever invented for an oil stove, -on which broiling is impracticable. It acts as a broiler or fryer at -will. The raised bars prevent the steak or cutlet from being soddened -with fat, the result being equal or nearly equal to a gridiron. If -frying is required put the necessary quantity of oil, butter or fat in -the pan. Let it come to a boil, and then immerse in it the article, -fish, flesh, fowl, reptile, or vegetable that you wish to cook. - -With a stove having only one lid or burner the sea-cook might often have -some difficulty in keeping three utensils on the boil at once. Luckily -ingenuity has surmounted the obstacle, and Fig. 3 shows three stew-pans -of small size that will fit over the burner of the stove shown in Fig. -1. They are in the market, but it took me a long time to find out where -they are for sale. In one you may cook curry, in the second rice, while -clam broth may simmer in the third. In good sooth a very cerberus of -stew-pans! - -Some sort of a contrivance for storing ice so as to keep it solid as -long as possible is indispensable. Such a device is shown in Fig. 4. - -[Illustration: - - Fig. 2. The Ideal Fry-Pan. -] - -For sea picnics buy as many of the thin wooden plates (costing only a -trifle) as you may require. These after being used may be thrown -overboard. Take no crockery ware or china to sea in a small boat. Cups, -saucers, plates and dishes can be obtained made of enameled steel. These -are unbreakable and cleanly. Stew-pans, kettles, pitchers, coffee-pots -and fry-pans are also made of enameled steel, and they cannot be -surpassed. Cooks' furnishings depend on the size of the boat and the -hands she carries. I suggest the following, but leave the sizes to the -discretion of the purchaser who knows about how many mouths he has to -feed: One kettle for boiling water for tea or coffee, one deep fry-pan, -one iron pot with tight-fitting cover for boiling meat, fish or cooking -chowder, one teapot, one coffee-pot, a soup ladle, a long iron -two-pronged fork (known aboard ship as the cook's tormentors), two -stew-pans for cooking vegetables, one broiler (if the implement can be -used), one cook's knife, one vegetable knife, one swab for washing pots, -pans and plates, and dish towels for drying them, soap, cups, plates, -dishes, knives, forks, spoons, glasses, _quant. suff._ Do not forget a -galvanized iron bucket for the cook, a can opener and a corkscrew. Also -matches in an airtight can or glass. Fuel in either fluid or solid shape -should not be omitted. - -When we come to the question of the food supplies to be taken aboard, -much will depend upon the individual. Hard tack, salt tack, flour, -beans, corned beef, salt pork, bacon, hams, canned meats, sardines, -canned fruits and vegetables, cornmeal, lard, butter, cheese, condensed -milk, sweetened and unsweetened coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, pepper, -salt, mustard, vinegar, poultry seasoning, sugar and rice are some of -the staple comestibles that suggest themselves, but these may be added -to or subtracted from according to circumstances. - -A ham is one of the most easily procured comestibles. Pick out a small -one, not too fat. If you want it tough as leather, boil it furiously for -a couple of hours, then haul it out of the pot and eat it. If you want a -delicate, tender and juicy ham soak it in a bucket of fresh water for -twelve hours. Then scrape it well and pop it into a big pot full of cold -fresh water. Let it come slowly to the boil. As soon as the water -reaches the boiling stage, regulate the heat so that a gentle simmering, -the faintest possible ebullition is kept up for five or six hours, -according to the size of the joint. Then take it out of the pot and skin -it. The rind will come off as easily as an old shoe. Then return meat to -the water in which it was boiled and let it remain until it is quite -cold. Next dish it, drain it and put it in the ice box to harden. Cut in -very thin slices with a sharp knife, and you will admit that cooked -after this scientific formula ham is mighty fine eating. - -[Illustration: Fig. 3. A Nest of Stew-pans.] - -Corned beef cooked after this same fashion will also be a success. The -secret is a simple one of chemistry. Hard boiling hardens the fibers and -tears the meat to rags. Gentle simmering softens the meat while allowing -it to retain its juices. - -The navy bean at present in use, though much may be said in its praise, -is far inferior to the lima bean. This legume if substituted for the -insignificant (by comparison only) little bean on which Boston -breakfasts every Sabbath morn will be found so palatable that the lesser -variety will never again be used. Procure a quart of lima beans. Pick -out all that are shriveled or discolored. Soak the rest all night in -plenty of cold fresh water and in the morning you will find them plump -and tender. Wash them well and place them in a pot on the fire with a -square piece of salt pork weighing three-quarters of a pound; simmer -them gently till they are tender, but not till they reach the porridge -stage. On the contrary, let each bean be separate like the soft and -swelling grains of well-cooked rice. Strain through a colander, saving a -pint of the water in which they were boiled. Pack in the bean pot. Bury -the chunk of pork in the beans. Season the pint of water reserved as -mentioned above, to your liking. Pour over the beans in the pot and put -in the oven to bake. The flavoring of beans depends upon the taste of -the cook. - -Sirloin steaks are a good staple viand. Make the butcher cut them not -less than two inches thick. If you cannot grill them heat your fry-pan -almost red-hot. Put no fat in the pan. Place your steak cut into -convenient chunks into the hot pan. Let one side sear for a minute or so -to keep in the juices. Then turn meat over. It will be cooked -sufficiently for most palates in five or six minutes. Place on a piping -hot platter, spread some fresh butter on the steak, sprinkle with -pepper, and pipe to grub. Chops may be cooked in the same way. - -Meat may be roasted in an iron pot if the cook has no oven. Moderate -heat, continuous care to prevent burning, and frequent basting are the -three requisites of a successful pot roast. - -So far as beverages are concerned, useful hints in that direction are -given in Fig. 5, which shows a picturesque and shipshape vessel to carry -when a-cruising. - -[Illustration: Fig. 4. Ice Tub.] - -There is no daintier dish than a fresh, fat lobster, generous and juicy, -just hauled from the pot in which he was caught. Pick out a particularly -lively specimen of medium size but heavy. The cock lobster may be -distinguished from the hen by the narrowness of the tail, the upper two -fins of which are stiff and hard, while the tail of the hen is broader -and the fins soft. The male has the higher flavor; the flesh, too, is -firmer and the color when boiled is a deeper red. The hen is well -adapted for lobster _a la_ Newburg, but for eating on the half-shell a -male in prime condition is far preferable. - -The secret of cooking lobsters is to plunge them into a pot of furiously -boiling sea water, and to keep the water in a condition of fast -ebullition for just twenty minutes. Fresh water to which salt is added -will not do so well. Salt water fresh from the ocean is indispensable. -It brings out the correct flavor and imparts an indefinable zest to the -lobster. Hard-shell crabs may be boiled in the same way, but ten minutes -will be ample time. - -All fresh vegetables are, in the opinion of the writer, improved in -flavor by cooking them in sea water fresh from the ocean, not from a -harbor contaminated by noxious influences from the shore. All vegetables -should be immersed in boiling water and cooked till done. Potatoes will -take about half an hour to boil, but cabbages, carrots and turnips much -longer. I should not advise the cooking of the last-named three -esculents aboard a small craft. Canned asparagus, French peas and string -beans take little time to prepare and are excellent if a reliable brand -is purchased. Open the can, drain off the liquid and throw it away. Wash -the vegetables, strain the water off, place in a stew-pan with a lump of -butter, and heat thoroughly. The liquid of canned vegetables is unfit -for human food. - -Hard clams or quahaugs are plentiful at any port during the boating -season. The recuperative qualities of the small variety served ice-cold -on the half shell with a dash of Tabasco sauce and no other seasoning -are beyond praise. Now while the little clam is excellent eating just as -soon as opened from the shell, taking care to waste none of his precious -juices, his elder brother also has inestimable gastronomic values. - -The easiest and simplest method of preparing clam broth is to scrub the -clams well and wash them in several waters. Put them in an iron pot, -without any water or liquid. Let them remain on the fire for twenty -minutes. Then strain the juice, into which put a little fresh butter, a -small quantity of milk, and a dash of red pepper. Drink while hot. - -[Illustration: Fig. 5. A Traveling Companion.] - -Never add water to clam broth, and never let it boil after the milk is -added, as it will curdle nine times out of ten. - -To make clam soup, clean the clams as for broth. Place them in an iron -pot on the stove. As soon as they open take them out of their shells and -chop very fine. A hardwood bowl and a two-blade chopping knife are the -best apparatus for this job. Strain the clam liquor, return to the pot, -add minced onions to taste and the chopped clams; simmer gently for one -hour, thicken to taste with cracker dust, season with sweet herbs and -pepper; let boil fast for ten minutes, take off the stove and add some -hot milk and a lump of fresh butter. Serve. - -Clam chowder is an old sea dish whose popularity seems likely never to -wane. It is a simple dish to prepare, although many cooks make a mystery -of it. Cut half a pound of streaky salt pork into small cubes. Fry in an -iron pot together with half a dozen medium-sized sliced onions until -they are a light brown. Chop fifty hard-shell clams fine. Peel and slice -thin a dozen large raw potatoes. Break up four sea biscuits and soak -till soft in cold water or milk. Scald and peel and slice six ripe and -juicy tomatoes. Put these ingredients into the pot in layers, pour over -them the strained juice of the clams. Season with red and black pepper, -sauces and herbs to taste. Cover an inch with hot fresh water and simmer -for three hours. A pint of sound California claret added just before -serving is an improvement. An old hen makes tip-top chowder cooked in -the same fashion. - -Fish chowder may be prepared in a similar way. Cod, haddock, sea bass -and bluefish are good made into a chowder. - -The soft-shell clam makes a delicate stew or broth. The tough parts -should be rejected from the chopping bowl. Boiled for twenty minutes and -eaten from the shell with a little butter and pepper they are also very -appetizing. A big potful soon disappears. - -There is no excuse for the yachtsman neglecting to enjoy the delights of -fish fresh from the sea. Fishing tackle should always be carried. -Bluefish and mackerel may be caught by trolling; and if you have -fisherman's luck, once in a blue moon a Spanish mackerel may fall to -your lot. If so, that day must be marked by a white stone, for a Spanish -mackerel transferred in about two shakes of a lamb's tail from the -fish-hook to the fry-pan, or better still, if your arrangements permit, -to the gridiron or broiler, is good enough for the gods to feed on. Two -axioms should be borne in mind, namely, to fry in plenty of boiling fat -or to plunge into boiling water. Never humiliate a fish by placing him -in a cold fry-pan or into a cooking pot of cold water. - -Before frying fish dip in well-beaten egg and then sprinkle with bread -crumbs or cracker dust, dip in egg again, and then add more bread crumbs -or cracker dust. This is for epicures. For ordinary seafarers if the -fish is rolled in yellow cornmeal without the egg the result will be -nearly the same. Cut up large fish into suitable sizes, but fry small -fish whole. - -Soft-shell crabs should be cooked in boiling fat. When brown they are -done. Ten minutes is usually enough to cook them thoroughly. - -Always when you boil fish of any kind indigenous to salt water or fresh -put them in boiling water either from the sea or fresh water well -salted. A little vinegar added is good. A two-pound fish should cook -sufficiently in fifteen or at most twenty minutes. Fish with white flesh -take longer to boil than those with dark. - -An excellent sauce for boiled fish may be made thus: Put a piece of -butter as big as an egg in a saucepan or a tomato can; heat till it -bubbles, add a heaping tablespoonful of flour, stir till quite smooth; -pour slowly into this, stirring continually, a pint of the water the -fish was cooked in, and add two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine. This may -be flavored with anchovy sauce or a few drops of Harvey or -Worcestershire. Some prefer the addition of a little lemon juice or even -vinegar. Every man to his taste! - -When a very little boy I sailed in the _Derwent_, a small schooner -engaged in carrying bottles from Sunderland to London. The bottles were -taken in from the factory where they were made, stowed in the hold of -the schooner and transported to a wharf at Wapping. Bottles are a clean -kind of freight, and our skipper being a very particular kind of a man -the _Derwent_ was kept as bright as a new pin outside and inside, alow -and aloft. On this dashing little vessel I was cook and cabin boy. There -was no regular galley on deck, simply an iron cooking stove erected on -the foreside of the mainmast; and on that in storm and calm I boiled and -baked for a crew of four for more than a year—in fact till I quit the -coasting trade and signed away foreign. My skipper took me under his -special guidance. The grub had to be well cooked and the deck kept -spotless or I used to suffer. Skipper and mate were epicures after a -fashion, so I had to keep my weather eye open. - -My experience in merchant vessels and pleasure craft has fitted me to -write with some small assumption of authority on the subject of sea -cooking. - -Some of my methods may seem queer and perhaps grotesque, but condemn -them not till you have tested them in the crucible of experiment. - - - - - XX. - - NAUTICAL TERMS IN COMMON USE. - - -Aback—A sail's condition when the sheet is to windward and it drives the -vessel astern. - -Abaft—The position toward the stern of any object or point such as -"abaft the mast" or "abaft the binnacle." - -Afore—The contrary of abaft. - -Ahoy!—An interjection used in hailing a vessel, such as "_Vigilant_ -ahoy!" - -Athwart—Across the keel. - -Atrip—When the anchor is broken out of the ground. - -Avast—Stop, discontinue. As "avast hauling" (stop hauling). - -Balance reef—A diagonal reef in a fore-and-aft sail extending from -throat to clew. - -Batten down—Covering hatches with tarpaulins and securing them with -battens. - -Beam ends—A vessel is said to be on her beam ends when knocked down by a -squall to an angle of about 45 degrees. - -Belay—To make fast a rope or fall of a tackle. - -Below—Greenhorns call it "downstairs" and seamen laugh at them. - -Bight—A loop of a rope. - -Bilge—The round in a vessel's timbers where they turn from her sides -toward the keel. - -Binnacle—A case in which the compass is contained. - -Block and block—When the blocks of a tackle are hauled close together. - -Bolt rope—The rope sewn round the edges of sails. It is made of the best -hemp. - -Bonnet—An extra piece of canvas laced to the foot of a jib or foresail, -taken off when it blows hard. - -Box the compass—To call over the points of the compass in correct order. - -Break off—When a vessel sailing close-hauled is headed by the wind and -is unable to lay the course she was steering. - -Bring up—To anchor. - -Broach to—To come to against wind and helm. - -Capsize—To turn over. - -Carvel built—Constructed with the planks flush edge to edge and the -seams caulked and payed. - -Caulking—Driving oakum into the seams of a vessel with a mallet and a -blunt chisel called a caulking iron. - -Clews—The lower corners of square sails; the lower after-corners of -fore-and-aft sails. - -Clinch—To fasten a rope by a half hitch and then seize the end back to -the standing part. - -Close-hauled—Hauled as close to the wind as the sails will permit -without shaking their luffs. A cutter-rigged yacht with well-cut canvas -should lie within four and a quarter points of the wind. Some modern -racing craft have done half a point better than this. Square-rigged -vessels cannot head better than five and a-half points of the wind. - -Collar—An eye spliced in a shroud or stay to go over the masthead. - -Comber—A big wave. - -Companion—The entrance from the deck to the cabin below. - -Compass bowl—The bowl in the binnacle that contains the compass. - -Corinthian—A term in yachting possessing the same significance as -amateur; the opposite of professional. - -Counter—That part of a vessel which projects abaft the sternpost. - -Covering board—The outside deck plank fitted over the timber heads. The -same as planksheer. - -Cracking on—Carrying a press of sail. - -Crank—Not stiff under canvas; easily heeled or listed. - -Cranze or Cranse—A metal band with eyes on it fitted to the end of a -bowsprit or other spar. - -Cringle—A metal thimble worked in the clews and leeches of sails. - -Dandy—A cutter-rigged vessel with lug-mizzen set on a jigger-mast. - -Davits—Iron cranes on vessels to which boats are hoisted. - -Deadeye—A circular wooden block with three holes in it without sheaves, -through which a lanyard is rove to set up standing rigging. - -Dead wood—Solid wood worked on top of the keel forward and aft. - -Depth of hold—The height between the keelson and the deck of a -single-decked vessel. - -Displacement—The quantity of water displaced by a vessel, which in -weight is always equal to her own weight. - -Dogvane—A light vane made of bunting or feathers to show the direction -of the wind. - -Dowse—To lower a sail suddenly. - -Down-haul—A rope by which a sail is hauled down. - -Draught of water—The depth of a vessel measured from the under side of -the keel to the load water-line. - -Earrings—Ropes for fastening the corners of the heads of sails to yards -and for reefing. - -Ease off—To slacken a rope handsomely. - -Eyelet holes—Small holes worked in sails for lacings or lashings to be -rove through. - -Eyes of the rigging—Collars spliced in the ends of shrouds to go over -the masthead and also over the deadeyes. - -Fair leaders—Holes in planks, etc., for ropes to be rove through so that -they lead fairly. - -Fair wind—A wind that permits a vessel to steer her course without -tacking. - -Fall—The hauling part of the rope of a tackle. - -False keel—A timber bolted to the under side of the keel proper. - -Fathom—A sea measure of six feet. - -Fender—A species of buffer made of wood, rope or other material to hang -over a vessel's side to prevent her from chafing against a dock, or -another vessel. - -Fid—An iron or wooden bar to keep bowsprits and topmasts in place; a -conical wooden instrument used by riggers and sailmakers. - -Fish, To—To strengthen a weak or repair a broken spar by lashing another -spar or batten to it. - -Flare—To project outwards; contrary to tumbling home. - -Flat aft—When sheets are trimmed as close as possible for effective -windward work. - -Floors—The bottom timbers of a vessel. - -Flowing sheet—The sheet eased off to a fair wind. - -Flush decked—Having neither poop nor forecastle. - -Foot—The lower edge of a sail. - -Forereach—To sail faster through the water on a wind than another -vessel. - -Freeboard—That part of a ship's side above the water. - -Full and by—To steer as close to the wind as possible, while at the same -time keeping the sails full of wind. - -Futtocks—The timbers which join and butt above the floors, called first, -second and third futtocks. - -Gammon iron—An iron hoop fitted to the side of the stem, or on top of -the stem, to receive and hold the bowsprit. - -Garboard—The strake of plank next above the keel, into which it is -rabbeted and bolted. - -Gripe, To—A vessel gripes when she has a tendency to come up in the wind -and requires much weather helm. - -Gudgeons—Metal straps with eyes secured to the stern post, into which -the pintles of the rudder are fitted. - -Gunwale—The timber fitted over the timber heads and fastened to the top -strake. - -Guys—Ropes used to steady a spar or other thing. - -Gybe—To let a fore-and-aft sail shift from one side to the other when -running before the wind. To let a vessel go so much off the wind as to -bring the wind on the opposite quarter. - -Half-mast high—When a flag is hoisted halfway up as a mark of respect to -a person recently dead. - -Halyards—Ropes for hoisting sails. - -Handsomely—Steadily; carefully. - -Handy billy—A watch tackle kept on deck for getting a pull on sheets or -halyards. - -Hanks—Rings or hooks for fastening the luffs of sails to stays. - -Hard down—The order to put the tiller a-lee. Hard up, the order to put -the tiller a-weather. - -Heave to—To so trim a vessel's sails that she does not move ahead. - -Heel rope—The rope by which a running bowsprit is hauled out or a -topmast lowered. - -Hoist—The length of the luff of a fore-and-aft sail. - -Horns—The projections forming the jaws of gaffs or booms. - -Hounds—The projections on a mast that support the lower cap and rigging. - -House—To lower a topmast down within the cap. - -Inhaul—The rope used to haul sails inboard. - -In irons—The condition of a vessel head to wind and with way lost, -unable to pay off on one tack or the other. - -Irish pennants—Loose ropes flying in the breeze or dangling over the -side. - -Jackstay—A rod of iron, a wooden cleating, or a wire rope for sails or -yards to travel on; also a wire rope on the main boom to which the foot -of the sail is laced. - -Jiggermast—The mizzenmast of a yawl or dandy. - -Kentledge—Pig iron used as ballast. - -Lanyards—Ropes rove through deadeyes by which shrouds or stays are set -up. - -Leeboard—An old-fashioned contrivance to check leeway, still in use on -some Dutch vessels and English barges. - -Load water-line—The line of flotation when a vessel is properly -ballasted or laden. - -Luff—To come closer to the wind. - -Make fast—To belay a rope. - -Masthead—That part of the mast above the hounds. - -Mast hoops—The hoops to which the luffs of fore and aft sails are seized -to secure the sails to the masts. - -Miss stays, To—To fail in an attempt to tack. - -Mousing—A yarn wound round a hook to prevent it from becoming unhooked. - -Near—Very close to the wind. - -Nip—To nip a vessel is to sail her too close to the wind. - -On a wind—Closehauled. - -Outhaul—A rope or tackle by which a sail is hauled out on a spar. - -Paddy's hurricane—A dead calm. - -Painter—A rope spliced to a ring bolt in the bow of a boat to make fast -by. - -Pay—To pour hot pitch or marine glue into seams after they are caulked. - -Pintles—The metal hooks by which rudders are attached to the gudgeons. - -Pole mast—A mast without a topmast, but with a long masthead above the -hounds. - -Put about—To tack. - -Raffee—A square or triangular sail set flying on the foretopmasts of -schooners. - -Rake—To incline forward or aft from the vertical, as raking mast, a -raking sternpost, etc. - -Reef band—A strip of canvas sewn across a sail, in which eyelet holes -for the reef points are worked. - -Reef pendant—A strong rope with a Matthew Walker knot in one end. It is -passed up through a hole in the cleat on the boom, and then through the -reef cringle in the sail and down through the hole in the cleat on the -other side of the boom. - -Reef points—Short lengths of rope in sails to tie up the part rolled up -when reefing. - -Reeve—To pass a rope through a block or a hole of any kind. - -Roach—The curved part of the foot of a sail. - -Rockered keel—A keel whose ends curve upward. - -Running bowsprit—A bowsprit so fitted as to run in or out and reef. - -Serve—To cover a rope with spunyarn. - -Shake out a reef—To untie the reef points and set the sail. - -Sheathing—The copper or other metal nailed on the bottom of a vessel. - -Sheave—The grooved wheel in a block or in the sheave hole of a spar over -which the rope passes. - -Sheet—The rope by which the clew of a sail is secured. - -Snotter—An eye strop used to support the heel of a sprit. - -Spitfire jib—The smallest storm jib. - -Taunt—Tall, high. - -Taut—Tight. - -Tie up—A lubber's synonym for moor. You tie up a dog. You moor a vessel. - -Thimble—A heart shaped or circular ring with a groove outside for ropes -to fit in. They are used for the eye splices in ropes, the straps of -blocks and for the cringles in sails. - -Thwarts—The transverse seats in boats. - -Tumble home—When the sides of a vessel near the deck incline inward the -opposite to flaring. - -Tyers—Ropes that secure a mainsail when stowed. - -Unbend—To cast loose a sail from stay, gaff, boom or yard. - -Veer—To pay out chain. - -Wear—To bring the wind on the other side of a vessel by turning her head -from the wind. The reverse of tacking. - -Weather gauge—The condition of a vessel that is to windward of another. - -Weather helm—A vessel is said to carry weather helm when she has a -tendency to fly up in the wind. - -Weathering—If one vessel eats to windward of another, she is said to -weather on her. Weathering an object is passing it on the windward side. - -Whip, To—To bind the end of a rope with twine to prevent it from -unlaying. - -Yaw—A vessel yaws when her head flies from one direction to the other; -as, for instance, when her helmsman is unable to keep her steady on her -course. - -Yawl—A cutter-rigged vessel with a mizzenmast stepped in her counter. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: - - THE SLOOP YACHT. - - _Names of Spars, Rigging, Sails, Etc._ - - 1 Jib Topsail. - 2 Club Topsail Sprit. - 3 Topsail Club. - 4 Club Topsail Guy. - 5 Jib. - 6 Club Topsail. - 7 Mainsail. - 8 Bowsprit. - 9 Club Topsail Tack Line. - 10 Mainsheet. - 11 Foresail or Forestaysail Sheet. - 12 Jib Topsail Sheet. - 13 Topping Lift. - 14 Gaff Topsail, Clewed Down. - 15 Tack of Jib. - 16 Tack of Jib Topsail. - 17 Luff of Jib Topsail. - 18 Head of Jib Topsail. - 19 Jib Topsail Halyards. - 20 Leach of Jib Topsail. - 21 Main Gaff. - 22 Main Boom. - 23 Main Topmast. - 24 Foot of Jib. - 25 Leach of Jib. - 26 Clew of Jib. - 27 Reef Points. - 28 Tack of Mainsail. - 29 Clew of Mainsail. - 30 Peak of Mainsail. - 31 Throat of Mainsail. - 32 Main Crosstrees. - 33 Masthead Runner and Tackle. - 34 Head of Club Topsail. - 35 Clew of Club Topsail. - 36 Tack of Club Topsail. - 37 Topmast Shrouds. -] - -[Illustration: - - THE CUTTER YACHT. - - _Names of Spars, Sails, Standing and Running Rigging, Etc._ - - SPARS. - - 1 Lowermast. - 2 Topmast. - 3 Bowsprit. - 4 Main Boom. - 5 Gaff. - 6 Topsail Sprit. - 7 Spinnaker Boom. - 8 Tiller. - - RIGGING AND ROPES. - - 9 Crosstrees. - 10 Shrouds. - 11 Topmast Shrouds. - 12 Topping Lift. - 13 Masthead Runner and Tackle. - 14 Forestay. - 15 Topmast Stay. - 16 Bobstay. - 17 Bobstay Fall. - 18 Spinnaker Boom Topping Lift. - 19 Spinnaker Boom Brace. - 20 Topmast Backstay. - 21 Reef Pennant. - 22 Truck. - 23 Ensign. - 24 Channels. - 25 Mainsheet. - 26 Spinnaker Boom Guy. - 27 Clew of Sprit Topsail. - 28 Tack of Sprit Topsail. - 29 Tack Line or Pendant. - 30 Sprit Topsail Halyards. - - SAILS. - - A Jib. - B Sprit Topsail. - C Mainsail. - D Foresail. - E Jib Topsail. -] - - - - - ADDENDA. - - RECENT CHANGES IN SAIL PLAN AND RIG OF - MODERN CRAFT. - - -Since the first edition of this book was printed, yacht designers have -studied to reduce weight aloft. - -This has not infrequently resulted in fitting ironwork blocks, etc., far -too flimsy to endure the strain of a stiff breeze. There is always a -happy medium between spider-web rigging and rigging uselessly heavy and -clumsy, and my advice therefore is not to go to extremes. In racing -craft on the fresh-water lakes piano wire has been used for standing -rigging, and because of its enormous strength and notable lightness has -answered well enough. In salt water, however, it should be avoided -because of its liability to corrosion. - -The principal changes in rig of late years follow: The substitution of -turnbuckles and rigging screws for the old-fashioned dead eyes and -lanyards; the reduction of the length of the bowsprit because of the -long overhang forward, which has done away with the reefing bowsprit on -all modern craft; the invention of masthead shrouds, bridles on gaffs, -and the throat halyard pennant. By means of the three devices mentioned, -strains aloft are both minimized and equalized. Large vessels carry -double masthead shrouds, and every racing yacht is fitted with single -ones. Gaff bridles and throat halyard pennants are also considered to be -well-nigh indispensable. - -[Illustration: SAIL PLAN AND RIG OF A MODERN SCHOONER.] - -[Illustration: RIG AND SAIL PLAN OF A MODERN YAWL.] - -In the matter of running rigging, flexible steel wire is now much used -for throat and peak halyards. Its advantage is that there is little or -no "give" to it. The rig of a modern 25-foot water-line sloop with a -pole mast is as follows: Bobstay-rod of steel 3/4-inch in diameter, set -up with a turnbuckle at the end of the bowsprit; shrouds, two each side, -1-1/8-inch steel wire; forestay set up to stem head, 1-1/4-inch steel -wire; jib set flying, hoisted with 3/4-inch 8-stranded flexible -steel-wire halyards, set up with a jig-purchase; runner-shrouds of -7/8-inch wire canvased over; main lifts 3/4-inch flexible steel wire, -parcelled, sewed over with white codline and then covered with white -canvas sewn on. The throat and peak halyards are of 3/4-inch flexible -steel wire. The blocks are all strapped with grommets of flexible steel -wire sewed and leathered. - -Steel wire is now also used for the leech ropes of racing sails, and is -employed largely in the lower canvas of all the big racing yachts. -Flexible steel wire is nearly as pliable as new hemp rope of the same -strength. The greater the diameter of the sheaves over which it passes -the longer it will last. This wire cannot be belayed to a cleat. -Therefore, Manila rope is spliced to the hauling end of the wire, which -insures its remaining fast after once being belayed. This is a most -difficult splice to make. - -The accompanying illustrations show the sail plans and rigs of a modern -schooner and a modern yawl. When compared with the sloop and cutter rigs -on pages 211 and 212, it will be easily seen that many radical changes -have been made. - -It occurred to me in revising the book for this edition, that it might -be wise to omit the directions for rigging a running bowsprit, bending a -loose-footed mainsail, and some other devices which in the light of -modern improvements might be deemed either archaic or obsolete. On -second thoughts, however, I decided to let them stand as written. There -is still a goodly fleet of "old-timers," cutters and yawls with straight -stems and reefing bowsprits—craft some of them half a century old or -more, and sound as a gold dollar in spite of severe service. The deadeye -and the lanyard, although being pushed hard by the turnbuckle, die -slowly, and are yet to be found in brand new vessels of the twentieth -century. - -To equalize and minimize strains on mainbooms, mainsheet bridles are now -fitted. Overhangs are growing longer and longer and bowsprits shorter. -The Larchmont one-design class of 1901 has a length on deck of 40 feet 7 -inches, with a water-line length of 25 feet. The sail area is 1,103 -feet, and the out side ballast weighs 6,100 pounds. The centerboard -houses entirely below the cabin floor, the draught being 4 feet 6 -inches, and 8 feet with the board down. The aim of the designer is to -combine racing and cruising qualities—a much-to-be-desired combination, -never to be completely attained, I fear. - - - THE END. - -[Illustration] - - -POMMERY - -"SEC" (A Very Dry Wine.) "BRUT" (No Sweetening Whatever.) - -The - -Standard for - -Champagne - -Quality. - -CHAMPAGNE - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -WHITE'S - -YACHT AGENCY - -EUGENE WHITE, _Proprietor_ - -OFFICE _for_ SELLING, CHARTERING _and_ PURCHASING YACHTS _and_ BOATS OF -EVERY DESCRIPTION DESIGNS _and_ ESTIMATES FURNISHED _Terms Moderate_ - -11 EAST BROADWAY - -(_Chatham Square_) NEW YORK - - - ------------------------------------ - -[Illustration] - -Air Whistles - -FOR YACHTS and LAUNCHES - -[Illustration] - -A powerful Air Whistle, shrill and far-reaching. Indispensable in fog or -stormy night. Either fixed or portable. Specially adapted for small -yachts. Prices from $9 00 upward. - -[Illustration] - -GLEASON-PETERS AIR PUMP CO., - -Houston and Mercer Sts., NEW YORK CITY. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - Established 1840. - -GEO. B. CARPENTER & CO. - -[Illustration] - -Yacht Sailmakers and dealers in every yachting requisite. We have all -the new fabrics for =racing sails=. - -Send 6c in stamps for our up-to-date catalogue of yacht fittings and -supplies, or 4c in stamps for catalogue of tents, etc. - -Tents, Camp Furniture and Flags. - -202-208 South Water Street, CHICAGO. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - SPAR COATING - -[Illustration: - - PRESERVATIVE COATINGS - E.S. - 1827 - & CO. - TRADE MARK. -] - -A PERFECT FINISH - -FOR ALL WOODWORK, SPARS AND IRONWORK - -EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE CHANGES IN WEATHER AND TEMPERATURE. - -EDWARD SMITH & CO. - -VARNISH MAKERS AND COLOR GRINDERS - -45 BROADWAY, NEW YORK - - - - - Boat Sailing - - Fair Weather and Foul. - - Capt. A. J. Kenealy. - - Price 50 Cents. - - The Outing Publishing Co., - - - 239-241 Fifth Ave., - - New York. - - INTERNATIONAL NEWS CO. - - London. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Transcriber's Notes. - -In the compass back bearing chart, Points and Degrees have been -abbreviated to Pts., Dgrs., to reduce width. - -The original spelling and punctuation has been retained. - -Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - -Italicized words and phrases in the text version are presented by -surrounding the text with underscores. - -Bold words and phrases in the text version are presented by surrounding -the text with equals signs. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Boat Sailing, by A. J. 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