as possible, as it may smash in your side. If it is rigged with wire
shrouds and rigging screws, and you cannot get these loose, saw off the
head of the mast just below the eyes of the rigging. If the sea is not
too heavy you can veer the broken spar astern and tow it, or else haul
it in over the stern and lash it fast. It is better to save the spar,
if possible, as it makes it easier to replace it.
BURST BOBSTAY:
This is a bad accident, as you are liable to lose your mast. Get the
mainsail off of her at once. If you have a crotch, put it under the
boom so as to take the weight off the mast until you have it secured.
Take your jib or staysail halyards or preventer backstays, hook them to
the bits or around the bowsprit close to the cranze, and heave taut.
Get the yacht before the wind, if possible. Then make the best job of
the bobstay you can. A watch tackle makes the best temporary repair.
WANT OF SPEED, I:
The want of speed in sailing craft is due to many causes. The most
frequent is the result of over-ballasting or to the ballast being
in the wrong place. This is especially so in shoal, flat-floored
models. Frequently, if a boat prove sluggish, a yachtsman will
attempt to improve her speed by adding more sail, and then to carry
this sail, will ship more weight. Consequently, the boat is slower
and worse-acting than before. If your boat does not seem to be up to
her speed, try first by removing a portion of the ballast, and by
continually shifting the weights. To try her, sail alongside another
boat, of whose comparative speed you are aware, and you will soon find
out your boat can be improved in this way.
WANT OF SPEED, II:
Sometimes the sails are to blame, usually through these not being
properly set, owing to the blocks being placed in positions where they
cannot properly hold up the spars; or, having too little draft. Want of
draft will cause a boat to be sluggish in light airs.
WANT OF SPEED, III:
If shifting ballast or getting better sails will not bring the boat to
her form, try altering the position of the centerboard or mast. Much
additional speed is frequently gained by moving the mast or board. You
cannot discover the faults of a boat by analysing her design; you must
work it out by sailing her, and studying her actions in all weights of
wind.
SPEED, TO JUDGE:
If you have no log, you can by practice get so that you can gauge a
boat’s speed within a half knot by watching the water. When running
along shore, make a practice of timing the boat between measured
points. By doing this constantly you will get so experienced that you
can judge by eye very close to the speed she is making. Another way is
to time her as she passes floating objects, or while passing a stick
dropped over from the bow, count the seconds one, two, three, and so
on, until it passes the stern. Knowing the length of the boat by this
means you can roughly estimate her speed through the water. If your
boat is 25 feet long, and it takes her 5 seconds to pass an object, she
is making about 3 knots.
TOWING:
When towing a heavy boat or another yacht, with the wind anywhere on
the beam, make your towing warp fast on your weather quarter. This will
make the load tow easier and your boat will steer better. When towing
with the wind aft, keep the warp amidships, by using a bridle from each
quarter. If the tow is being steered, veer a long scope of hawser, so
as to get a heavy bight; this will ease the strain in a seaway.
[Illustration: TRIPPING.]
TOWING ALONGSIDE:
To tow a dingey alongside, make fast to the fore thwart, or to
anything, about one-third aft from the stem. In this way you can tow a
dingey under the lee while getting men or stores out of her. The same
plan is used in towing along a canal or narrow thoroughfare by tracking
on the bank.
TOWING:
When towing, never make a warp fast so that it cannot be instantly cast
off. It is always best to keep a sharp knife handy, so as to be able to
cut the line. In a seaway this should always be looked to.
TOWING, TO TACK WHEN:
When towing a heavy boat in rough water, or when the wind is scanty,
and you have to tack, place a hand or two on the line to haul in. When
ready to put the helm down have them take in considerable slack. At the
call “Helm’s a-lee!” let go the line and tack your boat on the slack
line. This will enable you to get round and have way before the pull of
the tow comes on your boat.
ANCHORS:
Anchors should be looked to and taken care of just the same as any
other gear. The same with chain. If you keep your spare hook below, see
that it is a place where you can readily get at it, and not buried in a
heap of old ropes, awning stanchions, and other dunnage. I have fully
covered this subject and that of anchoring in the book, _On Yachts and
Yacht Handling_, which I advise you to read.
TO GET AN ANCHOR IN A SEAWAY:
It is sometimes very difficult to get an anchor in a seaway with a hard
wind blowing. It can be done in this way: Take a turn with the hawser
round the post or bitts. Watch when she pitches. As she descends she
will slack up the hawser. Quickly take in this slack and hold when she
scends. In this way you can get it foot by foot, and, when close under,
the sea will break the hook out for you.
TO GET A LINE ON A FLUKE:
If an anchor is lost or foul you can get a line on the upper fluke in
this way, if the water is not too deep: Feel for the fluke with a pole
or, better, a piece of iron gas pipe. When found, rest the pipe end on
the tip of the fluke. Then send a messenger of rope with slip noose,
down the pipe or pole until it falls over the fluke and on the arm.
Carefully haul it taut, using the pole to keep it from slipping off
until firmly fixed. By this means you can get a back pull on an anchor
and shake it loose if caught under a timber or rock.
TO SWEEP AN ANCHOR:
If you have lost your anchor, and there is chain or hawser on it,
you can recover it by dragging with a grapnel back and forth across
where you suppose the hawser is lying. If there is no chain or hawser
attached, you will have to sweep for it. Take two boats and pass a
weighted line between them, then row back and forth, dragging the
bight of the line across the bottom until it finds the lost hook.
Sometimes you can get an anchor by making fast one end of the sweep
and rowing round in a circle, paying out the line as you go. Let it
sink; then bring both ends together, as fishermen do a net, and haul in
slowly. The best sweep is one made with a piece of chain in the middle.
TO LAY OUT AN ANCHOR:
Get the anchor in the boat flukes toward the bow, then coil down in the
boat about two-thirds of the line to be payed out. Start the boat off
and pay out what you have on board. In this way the oarsman has not got
to drag a heavy weight of line after him. Use the same method to run
out a guess warp to be made fast ashore.
TO LAY OUT A HEAVY ANCHOR:
Get two boats and lash them side by side. Put a strong stick or oar
across the gunwales and lash it fast. Lower the anchor overboard with a
tackle from aloft and swing it in between the boats, ring up. Lash the
ring to the beam. When you get to the spot where you want to drop it
set the hawser all clear for running and cut the ring lashing.
TO RAISE A HEAVY ANCHOR:
Lash two boats together. Put a round beam or spar across the gunwales
and ship a couple of hand-sticks in it so as to turn it like a
windlass. Take the line on the anchor round the spar and turn, winding
it slowly up. Keep the beam from rolling out of place by two guys, one
at each end, with an eye over it. The guys want to lead from the end of
the boat on the side that the rope from the anchor comes up.
ANCHORING:
Don’t anchor on bad bottom without putting a trip line on the anchor.
The worst bottom for fouling is one over which boulders are strewn.
Also be careful how you anchor in any place where sunken wrecks are
likely to be found.
MOORINGS:
The weight necessary to furnish a secure mooring depends upon the
locality, the amount of exposure, the depth and character of the
bottom, and the weight and model of the boat. It is always better when
on the safe side by using as heavy a mooring as possible. For ordinary
conditions, multiply the length over all of the boat by five, the
answer being the weight in pounds that is needed. In exposed situations
this weight should be largely increased. The best moorings are mushroom
anchors, where the bottom is suitable for their use, as they can be
readily recovered when it is desirable to take them up.
MAKING A MOORING:
To do this properly requires judgment and practice. Nothing looks
worse than to see a man make a bungle of getting a mooring. If he is
familiar with his boat, there is no excuse for mismanaging the job. The
first thing to learn is how far your boat will carry way when thrown
into the wind. This you can find out only by observation and practice.
Having discovered this, set a range on shore to use when coming to;
one that will place you at about the right distance. A better plan is
to calculate your distances by lengths of your boat. If your boat is
thirty feet long, and will carry way for six lengths, luff up at a
distance of 180 feet. Always, if you have good way on, go directly to
leeward of the mooring. Luff with a long sweep, for if you put your
helm over too quickly you will kill the boat’s way and fall short.
If the wind is light, go to leeward and come to the buoy at an angle,
with your sheets lighted up; then by trimming and spilling you can baby
her up to the mooring. If a boat is coming with too much way on you can
kill her speed by shoving the helm hard across, first one way and then
the other. Take an afternoon off some day and practice picking up your
mooring and you will soon have it down to a science.
[Illustration: AT ANCHOR, BLOCK ISLAND POND.]
MAKING A MOORING TO LEEWARD:
This should never be done unless you have to, as it is more likely to
get you into a mix-up. But in places where there is strong tide running
against the wind it is the only way. Go well to windward, and take
enough sail off so that she will just about stem the tide; then steer
right for the buoy and pick it up, getting sail down at once.
MOORING HOOK:
Get an iron hook made, shaped like the hooks used by women on their
dresses, only longer in the shank. Splice a rope to this and then
fasten to it and the rope a short piece of stick, long enough to reach
from the rail to the water. When you come to the mooring the bowman
can hook this into the ring and hold her until you get the sail down
and can pass the mooring warp. A little practice with one of these
contrivances will make a man so expert that he can catch the ring every
time, even by throwing the hook several feet.
MOORING WARP:
If your boat lies at moorings where there is constant jump of sea on,
or where the tide and wind keep her yawing about, the warp should be
well-armored where it comes through the chock or over the rail. Leather
is best for this. A boat will lie much easier if a bridle is used, an
end being brought aboard at each bow. Don’t leave the warp hanging to
the buoy, especially if the water is foul or the bottom muddy. Not only
will it rot, but every time you take it on board it will dirty the boat.
MOORING CHAIN:
It is best to use a heavy chain, much heavier than is really needed, to
stand the strain, as the boat will ride in all ordinary weather to the
weight of the chain, and not to the block or anchor. In this way she
will take the seas easier and not try the gear so much.
DROPPING A MOORING:
This is a simple proceeding, if you have plenty of sea room on either
side of you. If not, use a cant line, as it will enable you to cast
your boat on either tack. To do this take a light line and pass it
through the ring on the buoy, and bring both ends aft outside the
rigging to the quarter. If you want to go off on the port tack,
bringing it on the port quarter, and on the starboard tack on that
quarter. Let go the mooring warp and hold on to the cant line until she
swings and fills; then let go one end of it and it will slip the buoy
ring. If you want to go off before the wind hang on until she comes
stern to the buoy, then slip. This is a much simpler and surer way than
trying to cast her with the mooring warp.
MOORINGS:
Most accidents happen to moored yachts, not through the anchor failing
to hold, but through the line or chain parting. Frequently the line is
too short, and an extra high tide, such as often accompanies a storm,
causes the boat to lift the anchor. Most accidents happen late in the
season when the gear is rotted after months of laying on the mud.
Mooring gear should be frequently looked to.
HAWSERS:
Hawsers, such as are employed on yachts, are very perishable articles,
and should be frequently aired. Excessive dryness is very bad for
manila rope. To prolong the life of a hawser that is used for anchoring
it should be turned end-for-end frequently. If used in water where
sewerage or chemical refuse is present, wash the rope thoroughly in
clean water before stowing away.
CHAIN:
Chain is much cleaner than rope for use as anchor warp where the bottom
is muddy. Chain should be frequently examined and tested, as it is
liable to develop weak links, which will give way when least expected.
ANCHORED IN AN EXPOSED HARBOR:
If anchored in an exposed harbor, before turning in at night reef your
principal sail or sails, so that if it comes on to blow you will be in
shape to get quickly away.
ANCHOR LIGHT:
Pay strict attention to the rule requiring a riding light to be set
from sunset to sunrise, if in a place where other vessels are likely
to come. Hoist it in such a position that it will not be completely
shadowed by the mast from astern. If in close quarters, it is as well
to have another light aft, or at the end of the main or mizzen boom.
LIGHTS:
Make a practice of looking to your lights early in the day. Fill and
clean them all so they will be ready for instant use. Side lights,
riding, and binnacle lights, are too often neglected, and when suddenly
wanted are empty and cannot be shown. It is difficult, and sometimes
dangerous, to fill lamps in the dark.
LIGHT, A FLARE:
If sailing in waters where big vessels are frequenting the fair ways,
always keep a flare handy during the dark hours. A bunch of rags tied
on a stick, with a can of kerosene to dip it into, makes a good flare.
In case a vessel does not see your side lights and bears down on you,
you can warn her off with a good bright flame.
[Illustration: SHEETS LIFTED.]
LIGHTS, BINNACLE:
The ordinary brass or wooden binnacles made for small yachts are
pretty, but of very little use at night. The lamps will not burn if the
lid is closed, owing to the heated air driving or keeping out the fresh
and starving the flame of oxygen. The best binnacle is a box large
enough to hold a small lantern. The lantern should be of brass, not
iron. Such lantern can be bought for 25 cents in nearly any hardware
store. Get two, keeping one in reserve in case of accident. Bore plenty
of holes in the sides of the box. The best oil to use is railway signal
oil, which is a mixture of lard and kerosene.
SIDE LIGHTS:
Side lights should be carried well up the rigging, so as to make them
visible as far as possible. On launches they should be put on top of
the cabin house. Six feet above deck on a small yacht is about the best
height. This is high enough to keep them from being washed out.
STERN LIGHT:
A lantern should always be kept handy just inside the cuddy doors to be
shown for a stern light if a vessel comes up from aft. If a steamer is
coming down on you from anywhere astern pull back the companion slide
and let the cabin light shine on the sail; they will be sure to see the
reflection and know what it is ahead of them.
WATER TANKS:
Water tanks, no matter how small, should be fitted with splash plates,
and plenty of them. Else when half full they will be the worst nuisance
possible in a seaway. If the tank is large it should not only have
athwartship plates, but plates fore-and-aft. In power boats especially
they should be fitted in this way, as such craft are generally bad and
persistent rollers.
WATER:
Drinking water causes more sickness than all other foods combined, and
yachtsmen cannot be too careful where they get their supply. If you are
not certain sure of the fluid, boil it before using. Also keep your
tanks clean, and don’t put new water in on top of old that has been
in the tanks for weeks, or perhaps months. One time I was going on a
cruise and ordered the crew to fill the tanks, but cautioned them not
to take the supply from a pipe that led to the dock, but to go to the
clubhouse for it. When my back was turned they decided that the pipe
water was good enough, and filled up with it. Consequently we got a
dose of iron rust that laid the whole crowd out for three days with an
attack that would have turned Mr. Beacham green with envy. If the water
gets riley from shaking up in a seaway you can instantly clear it for
drinking by putting in the glass a few drops of lime juice.
MEDICINE CHEST:
When off cruising, a yacht should have in her locker some simple
remedies. Much suffering has been entailed by neglect of this
precaution. A roll of bandage, and some absorbent cotton, some Pond’s
Extract, salve, a few pills, and a diarrhæa medicine, are good things
to have. I have known of a man being badly burned, and having to suffer
for hours before a port could be made, because there was nothing on
board to ease the pain.
LOG:
A log is a most useful instrument, not only to register distance, but
to tell you what your boat is doing under different sails. There are
several logs now made suitable for small craft. By watching the log
when you are sailing you can tell whether or not your craft is doing
her best. By employing it I have frequently found that a measure that I
supposed would add speed has worked just to the opposite. For instance,
I have put on more sail, and found by the log that instead of making
the boat go faster it has made her move slower. It will also aid you in
properly sheeting your sails, so as to get the most effective work out
of the canvas. Logs are a great comfort in thick weather, when running
for a landfall, as they give you warning of your approach to it, and
save a lot of worry. But they must never be implicitly trusted.
BAROMETERS:
Always when cruising carry a barometer, and constantly watch it.
This instrument does not foretell the weather except indirectly. It
is simply an instrument for measuring the weight of the atmosphere.
No change of weather takes place without a change of the weight of
the air; therefore, when the barometer remains steady there will be
no change. If it goes up or down it means that some change will take
place. By learning what usually follows such fluctuations you can
employ it to help you in determining or foretelling the future weather
conditions.
WEATHER:
The study of the weather is a most necessary as well as an interesting
occupation. To make a success of it you must constantly observe the
barometer, the sky, and the sea. By learning the meaning of the colors
in the heavens at sunset and sunrise, and by knowing the different
forms of cloud, you can nine times out of ten foretell the weather
for the next day or two. The color of the sea and its movements are
also a guide. The actions of fish, birds and animals, like whales and
porpoises, will also aid you. Nothing should be too minute to escape
the seaman’s observations, if he wants to become weather-wise.
WINDS:
Make a study of the winds in the locality in which you sail. You will
find that nine times out of ten they go through the same routine in
shifting. By learning the manner in which they change you can take
advantage of these shifts. The winds in summer generally follow the
sun in its circuit, until they get back to their proper place. If they
go the other way, what is called back, you can never trust them to stay
long, and it is usually a sign of bad weather. In sounds and estuaries
the wind usually comes in with the flood tide. If this tide makes in
the morning the wind will stay all day; if the flood makes in the p. m.
hours it will not last long. If the wind comes in strong against the
tide look out for a long blow. Offshore winds usually come and go with
the sun, reaching their maximum velocity at noon and midnight.
WINDS:
After a heavy squall you will usually have a calm spell or an offshore
breeze. Winds blowing in from the ocean are weaker on the weather side
of an island and heavier and puffy on the lee side. On calm nights a
gentle air can often be found close under the land, when there is none
in mid-channel.
SQUALLS:
Never parley with a squall. Take in sail at once. You can never tell
from the appearance of a squall how much wind is in it. The most
innocent-looking are generally the most dangerous. I was once on a
yacht when a squall appeared that looked more like rain than wind. All
hands except the skipper, an old man, decided that it would not amount
to much. The skipper, much to our disgust, insisted upon taking all
sail off. We had scarcely got the canvas lowered and gasketed before
the squall struck, and laid the yacht over on her side and kept her
there until the blast had spent itself. The force of the blow was
terrific; probably the air was traveling at the rate of 70 or 80 miles
an hour. A large lumber-laden schooner close to had her foresail blown
clean away and lost part of her deck load. This taught me a lesson I
have never forgotten.
SQUALLS:
If becalmed, at the approach of a squall, get the vessel headed toward
the point you expect the blast to come from, so that the wind will
strike her bow on, and not on the broadside. If the squall looks to be
a lasting one, anchor, if in shallow water.
SQUALLS, TIME OF:
Squalls on the seacoast generally come off at either high or low
water. If they come between tides they are apt to be bad ones. If
your feelings or the barometer tell you a squall is likely to come
off, carefully watch inshore for the appearance of the wind. White
squalls--that is, sudden blows unaccompanied by cloud or rain, are
the most likely to catch you napping. They sometimes precede a sudden
change of wind. If you see the water suddenly whiten inshore, look out
for trouble, and lower all sail at once.
SQUALL, STRUCK BY A:
If struck by a sudden squall, let go your main throat halyards
first--not the peak. By keeping the peak up you will be able to luff
the boat; letting go the throat will relieve her until you can get in
the wind and get your sail down and muzzled. If you cannot get your
sail down, get her off before the wind and haul your mainsail flat
amidship; then steer so as to bring the wind dead aft. This will split
the force and give you a chance to take in sail.
TIDES:
The time of the tide has much to do with the strength of the wind in
sounds, bays, and channels. If a morning flood brings in the wind it
will usually blow all day. Ebb tide in the morning is apt to produce
calm or light winds during the summer months on our Eastern seaboard.
Thunder squalls are also affected by the condition of the tide, coming
off land at either high or low water.
[Illustration: THE COMING SQUALL.]
TIDES:
Roughly speaking, the tide is one hour later every day. It is
theoretically high when the moon bears directly South, either on one
side of the world or the other, but actually the friction of the water
causes a retardation which delays the wave until sometime after the
moon has made its southing.
TIDES:
Channels open at both ends have generally very strong tidal currents,
but a small rise and fall. The highest tides are in funnel-shaped bays
or estuaries directly open to the sea. The day tides are generally
higher than those at night.
HIGH WATER:
High water does not in many cases coincide with the stop of the
current. In places situated upon sounds, channels and passages, the
current continues to flow long after it is high water. The same with
the ebb, which runs after the tide has reached its lowest level.
HIGH WATER:
Frequently the tide is not found to be high at the time given in the
tables, and very often the current does not turn at the hour and minute
predicted. This does not prove that the tables are unreliable or
worthless. The tide is frequently prolonged or retarded by the wind,
which, acting either with or against it, causes the current to run with
greater or less force.
TIDES: