HEAVING-TO BY COUNTER-BRACING. SPEAKING. SOUNDING. HEAVING THE LOG.
COUNTER-BRACING.--This is done whenever, with a breeze, a vessel wishes
to remain stationary, for the purpose of speaking another vessel,
sounding, lowering a boat, or the like. If you do not wish to stop your
way entirely, haul up the mainsail, square the main yards aback,
keeping the fore and cross-jack yards full, and the foresail, spanker
and jib set. If you wish to stop her way still more, back the
cross-jack yards also, haul up the foresail, and put the helm a-lee.
She will then fall off and come to, which you may regulate by the jib
and spanker sheets; and she may be ranged a little ahead, or deadened,
by filling or backing the cross-jack yards.
You may, on the other hand, back the head yards and fill the after
yards. The former method is called heaving-to with the maintopsail to
the mast, and the latter, with the foretopsail to the mast.
SPEAKING.--When two vessels speak at sea, the one to windward heaves
her maintopsail to the mast, and the one to leeward her fore. This is
in order that the weather one may the more readily fill without falling
off so as to run afoul of the other, and that the lee one may box her
head off and keep clear of the ship to windward. The weather one either
throws all aback and drops astern, or fills her after yards and shoots
ahead. The lee one shivers her after yards and boxes off.
If the weather ship comes too near the lee one, before the latter has
time to wear, the weather ship squares her head yards, drops her
mainsail, braces her cross-jack yards sharp aback, and puts her helm
a-weather. This gives her sternway, and the after sails and helm keep
her to the wind.
If three vessels communicate at sea, the weather and middle ones back
their main topsails, and the lee one her fore; then, in case of
necessity, the weather one fills her after yards and shoots ahead, the
middle one throws all aback and drops astern, and the lee one shivers
her after sails and falls off.
SOUNDING.--The marks upon the lead-lines have been given previously, at
page 17. To sound with the hand-lead, a man stands in the weather main
channels with a breast-rope secured to the rigging, and throws the lead
forward, while the vessel has headway on. If the depth corresponds with
the marks upon the line, as if it is 5, 7, or 10 fathoms, he calls out,
"By the _mark five_!" &c. If it is a depth the fathoms of which have no
mark upon the line, as 6, 8, or 9, he calls out, "By the _deep six_!"
&c. If he judges the depth to be a quarter or a half more than a
particular fathom, as, for instance, 5, he calls out, "And a quarter,"
or, "And a half, five!" &c. If it is 5 and three quarters, he would
say, "Quarter less six!" and so on.
TO SOUND BY THE DEEP-SEA-LEAD.--Have the line coiled down in a tub or
rack, clear for running, abreast of the main rigging. Carry the end of
the line forward on the weather side, outside of everything, to the
cat-head or the spritsail yard-arm, and bend it to the lead, which must
be armed with tallow. One man holds the lead for heaving, and the
others range themselves along the side, at intervals, each with a coil
of the line in his hand. An officer, generally the chief mate, should
stand by to get the depth. All being ready, the word is given, "_Stand
by! Heave!_" As soon as the man heaves the lead, he calls out, "_Watch,
ho! Watch!_" and each man, as the last fake of the coil goes out of his
hand, repeats, "_Watch, ho! Watch!_" The line then runs out until it
brings up by the lead's being on bottom, or until there is enough out
to show that there is no bottom to be reached. The officer notes the
depth by the line, which is then snatched, and the men haul it aboard,
and coil it away fair. If the lead has been on the bottom, the arming
of tallow will bring up some of it; by which the character of the
soundings may be ascertained.
The soundings, however, cannot be taken until the vessel's way has been
stopped or deadened. For this purpose, before heaving the lead, either
luff up and keep all shaking, or brace aback the main or mizzen
topsail, or both, according to your headway, keeping the head yards
full. If you are going free with studdingsails set, you may clew up the
lower and boom-end the topmast studdingsails, bring her up to the wind,
and keep the sails lifting, without getting them aback.
It has been laid down as a rule, that if the vessel sags much to
leeward, as when under short sail in a gale of wind, pass the line from
the weather side round the stern, clear of everything, and heave the
lead from the lee side; otherwise she would leave the lead too far to
windward for measurement, or for recovering it again. But in this mode
there is great danger of the line getting caught on the bottom or at
the rudder-heel. It must be very deep water if a vessel cannot be
managed so as to get soundings to windward.
HEAVING THE LOG.--One man holds the log-reel, upon which the log-line
is wound, another holds the glass, and the officer squares the chip;
and, having coiled up a little of the stray line, he throws the chip
overboard astern, or from the lee quarter. As he throws the chip, he
calls out, "Watch!" To which the man with the glass answers, "Watch."
As soon as the mark for the stray-line goes off the reel, he calls out,
"Turn!" and the man turns the glass, answering, "Turn," or "Done." The
instant the sand has run out, he calls, "Out!" or "Stop!" and the
officer stops the line and notes the marks. It is then wound up again
on the reel.