they be practical scientific yachting men (and there is one thing
Great Britain can boast of in her yacht designers, professional or
amateur, and that is, they are all, without exception, first-rate
helmsmen and seamen), or only graduating in the first principles of
yacht-racing, is dependent on many conditions. In the first place, it
forbids the presence of all superfluous deadwood, so that the outside
surface presented to the water may be all of a useful description
(that is, by being part of the planking or skin, or only as much
deadwood as is necessary for the strength of the vessel), and the
friction caused thereby may be reduced to a minimum. With a hull of
large displacement there must naturally be very much greater surface
friction than in one of smaller body, and therefore the question will
arise--Will not the smaller yacht be the faster of the two? This
involves still deeper sifting, because sometimes the smaller yacht
will beat the one built on the same length and beam, though she may be
very much larger. Before we can choose which of the two kinds of boat
will be the better to have for a successful racer, a second great
condition has to be looked into and satisfactorily settled. This is
nothing less than what kind of waters the yacht will have to race or
cruise in. The question of the element water is one very frequently
forgotten and lost sight of by those buying yachts, especially
second-hand ones; and the purchaser, who perhaps buys a most
successful small vessel in the South, is astonished to find that when
he has tried her against the local Scotch cracks, her performances
prove of a very poor description in comparison, and disappointment is
the consequence. Water may be in the eyes of some all the same,
wherever it may be, and so it is round our coasts in its smooth state;
but when it is set in motion there are scarcely two of our great
yachting stations alike, while the seas in our three Channels all vary
in form. At the mouth of the English Channel the seas, as soon as the
'chops' are left astern, become regular, are long and deep, and more
or less easy for a small yacht to negotiate; that is, she has room to
work in and out of them, and at the same time avoid receiving a comber
aboard as passenger. As she sails farther up and the channel narrows,
the seas become more of the deep ridge and furrow order, steep,
narrow, and difficult to sail over, whilst each sea will contain its
full weight of water. On nearing Calais the seas have less water in
them, but are very short and steep; the consequence is they are more
inclined to break. In the North Sea the sea disturbance takes another
and larger form, and sailing North becomes still larger, and, of
course, wider and deeper, till the Northern Ocean is opened out. St.
George's Channel is very much like the English Channel, except that
between Port Patrick in Scotland and the Irish coast the waves are
more regular than between Calais and Dover, where currents and banks
tend to make dangerous cross seas. So it is found that off Plymouth
and Falmouth and outside Dartmouth there is often an ocean swell
running, especially after there has been a south-westerly gale. The
Solent, again, is different from the Clyde in its sea disturbance, and
when acted upon by a south-easterly gale the seas off Spithead, owing
to the shallowness of its water, have not nearly so much weight of
water in them as those of the Scotch estuary when worked up by a
northerly or southerly breeze. The Liverpool and London rivers are
very much alike, though perhaps of the two the Liverpool has the
greater sea disturbance, owing to the strength of its tides, which at
some seasons are very rapid.
To large yachts of 40 tons and over the difference in character of the
seas just spoken of is not a matter of great importance. What a large
yacht may treat as a mere ripple to a 5-tonner may be a 'nasty sea';
and as these pages are dealing with the smaller craft of about 30 feet
length, the sea disturbance must be regarded as it affects them. On
rivers and inland waters the waves, as a rule, have not much weight in
them, and there is no reason why the small yacht should not be able to
go through the waves she is unable to rise over. Yachts of large
displacement are more likely to do that at better speed than a small
vessel of the same beam and length, because they have more weight.
Where ocean rollers are concerned, or a heavy swell, while there is
wind both types may be equal; but when the wind is shy and light, then
the yacht of large displacement will walk past her small rival. It
would be noticed that the heavy displacement vessel would forge ahead
apparently moved by no other force than the 'send' of her weight as
she lazily pitches to the movement of each succeeding wave. The
courses for small yachts where such conditions are met with are
Plymouth, Dartmouth, and Queenstown, and some parts of the Clyde and
St. George's Channel to a very much lessened degree. Then, if a
thought be cast across the Atlantic and a look be taken at the
characteristics of the waters of Long Island Sound, that favourite
haunt of all American racing and cruising yachtsmen, as on our own
inland waters, the seas that much disturb the small fry are, it will
be observed, scarcely noticeable to the large schooners and cutters of
which so much is heard. The principal form in America laid down for
all yachts used to be a long flat floor with very small displacement,
great beam with a centreboard--the immense beam giving great initial
stability. Large as well as small yachts were built to this design,
and much used to be heard about their remarkable speed. A few years
ago, however, two or three small yachts, amongst them the little
'Delvin' 5-tonner, built by Mr. W. Fife, jun., were sent over, all of
fairly large displacement. These, without exception, put the
extinguisher on all the American small yachts, by beating them time
after time. The reason of it was that the English-built yachts could
drive through what broken water or sea disturbance they met with,
while the 'skim-dishes' could do little against it. Since those days
the Americans have very materially altered their model, and both large
and small yachts have been given more power; _vide_ the examples
brought out to compete with our yachts for the 'America Cup,' and
those to which the 'Minerva' has so lately shown her tail.
Where, therefore, great speed is required, and there is no limitation
to sail-carrying power, a large displacement vessel is the best type
to choose. Some small-yacht racing men do not like to be always
remaining in their home waters, but prefer to go round to the regattas
at other ports, and try their luck against the small yachts that
gather at these meetings. They live on board, and sail their yachts
round the coast. To such the large bodied boat is a regular frigate.
The head-room is good, no lack of space is wanted for a comfortable
lie down, and the owner and two friends, with racing sails and all
other yacht paraphernalia, can stow away in the main cabin as cosily
as can be.
[Illustration: 'Minerva,' 23 tons. Designed by W. Fife, 1888.]
During the last six years yacht designers have been spending their
time in perfecting a vessel to be rated by length and sail-area alone.
Boats of large displacement and moderate length, with good
sail-spread, limited so that the boats might be rated under their
several classes, gradually, but surely, gave place to boats of greater
length, smaller bodies, and a smaller sail-spread. It does not appear,
from the opinions of many who have published their views, that there
is at the present time any particular desire to have good
accommodation in racing yachts. The owners of the greater number of
the 5-raters do not live in them, and the owners of the 40-raters have
been so accustomed to great head-room in their vessels, that now,
when, instead of having 7 feet to 8 feet, they still find they can
walk about in the cabins, no complaints are heard; but with the
lessons that Mr. Herreshoff has been teaching, there is every reason
to believe that we may live to see a 40-rater launched with about 3 to
4 feet depth of body under water, and then perhaps there may come a
reaction, and a return may be made to a moderately large displacement.
Up to the present time the 5-raters have been kept fairly large, and
owing to their beam, as far as internal accommodation is concerned,
have room enough and to spare; but the raters of 1893 were not nearly
of such large displacement as the boats of two years before, and they
are wonderful to look at outside.
The fin-keel requires great depth if it is to be of any real use, and
it is in this particular point that small yachts suffer. If a 5-rater
is to sail in all waters, and go the round of the coast regattas, then
her draught should be limited; of course, if the sole intention of the
owner is that his yacht is never to race in any other locality than
his own home waters, then, if the home waters be the Clyde, or
Windermere, or Kingstown, there is no reason why depth should not be
unlimited. On the other hand, should the yacht be intended for a
sea-going vessel, then a heavy draught of water is not altogether
desirable.
There are times when a 5-tonner or rater may be overtaken by bad
weather while making a passage, and when a comfortable harbour under
the lee would be a most acceptable refuge to make for. There are
scores of snug little places round the coast where a small craft could
lie peacefully enough, provided her draught of water allowed her to
make use of any one of them. The average depth of water at these bays
or harbours is about 6 feet at low-water spring tides. Hence no yacht
or rater of 30 feet or under should have a draught of more than 6
feet. The writer remembers only too well an occasion when, after
leaving Campbeltown, in Cantyre, for a northern port in Ireland, a
north-westerly gale sprang up, bringing with it rain and a sea fog.
The distance across from the Mull is not more than a few miles, but
when his yacht made the land it was blowing so hard he had to run for
the nearest shelter. Alas! when he sighted the little tidal harbour he
was steering for, it was low water, and his yacht, which drew 7 feet 6
in., could not enter. He had to lie at two anchors outside in the
Roads with some half-a-dozen coasters, expecting, with every shift of
the wind, that the anchorage might become one on a lee shore. The
'Humming Bird,' in 1891, left the Solent for Queenstown. She is a
2-1/2-rater. After leaving Land's End the weather, which had been more
or less fine, changed, and the sea getting up, it was decided to take
her into St. Ives Harbour. She unfortunately drew more than 6 feet;
the consequence was, though only 25 feet on the water-line, she was
compelled to take her chance and drop anchor in the bay outside,
because there was only 6 feet of water in the harbour.
None know the value of a moderate draught of water better than those
who have cruised or raced afar from home, and groped their way into
all kinds of out-of-the-way bays and harbours in small craft. The
yachtsman who builds for racing only, possesses the means, and is
ready to launch a new yacht to his name every other year, should (if
he be a sensible man and proposes to himself to sell the yachts he has
no further use for) think of the requirements of the market and his
ability to sell. Soon the yacht mart will be flooded with a number of
cast-off 5-and 2-1/2-raters, all with a draught of water which would
limit their sale to only a few places.
There are many living at the present moment who will remember the time
when even the large yachts of 100 to 200 tons were never given more
than 12 feet draught. This was done to enable them to enter tidal
harbours, the greater number of which only have a depth of 15 feet at
high-water neeps. But there is another argument in favour of not
having too great a draught of water, and that is, it is not an element
of speed, beyond helping the sail power; and the existence of yachts
like the old 'Fiery Cross,' which only drew 8 feet and was a most
successful winner, and of the Herreshoff boats, which do not draw so
much as the English-built raters and are the cracks of the day, points
the lesson that it is well to put a limit where a limit may be
altogether an advantage.
Great care is necessary in apportioning out beam, no matter whether
the yacht is to be of large or small displacement; great beam in the
case of a yacht of small displacement is only suitable for waters such
as Long Island Sound, or long rolling seas, and is useless in heavy
broken water like that met with in our channels; because it is a
difficult matter, without weight, to drive through the seas. When
great beam is given to a yacht of large displacement, she may be able
to fight her way through the water, but it will not be at the greatest
speed for the given length, since it was proved by the old Solent
30-ft. and 25-ft. classes that when beating through a head sea a yacht
of the same length, but of small beam, such as the 'Currytush' and the
late Lord Francis Cecil's little 3-tonner 'Chittywee,' were able to
travel faster through the water whenever it was a hard thrash to
windward. The general opinion of those competent to judge is, that
3-1/2 to 4-1/2 beams to the length on L.W.L. is about the most
advantageous proportion, some going even so far as to assert that
three beams may be given; but, in dealing with small yachts, 5-raters
and 5-tonners, as this chapter does, the writer believes that four
beams to length is a good proportion to meet all kinds of weather
with; and if 30 feet be the length 7 ft. 6 in. the beam, and 5 ft. 6
in. the draught, such proportions will be found to give quite
sufficient scope to any designer in order that a remarkably fast
weatherly little ship may be the result of his calculations. The
height between the decks with a large displacement would give 4 ft. 6
in. to 5 feet head-room. Nothing has been said about the sail-area,
which should not be taxed.
The element sail-area appears to be the stumbling-block in the present
rating rule. It is limited, and the consequence is the cart is put
before the horse, and the hull is built to the sail-spread. Thus the
hull is being minimised to carry the small area allotted to certain
lengths.
There have been so many raters built since the present rule came in
that it would take too much space to mention them all with their
several points, but there is this fact to notice, which backs up what
has been said before, that South-country designed boats seem to do
well in their own waters, while those brought out in the Clyde fare
best there. When Clyde 5-raters have gone South, they have performed
badly--though the 'Red Lancer' in 1893 proved the exception to the
rule--and the Solent raters that have found their way up North have
made but a poor show. Mr. Arthur Payne is the king of draughtsmen on
the Solent, and his yachts, with those designed by Mr. Clayton, also a
prince among naval architects, have all had their turn at winning
prizes when they have been properly sailed. Mr. Payne's designs mostly
favour a fair amount of displacement, and 'Alwida,' built by him for
Lord Dunraven in 1890, is a very fine example of the kind of craft he
can produce. The workmanship is fit to compare with the very neatest
cabinet work. The following year the beam was increased by some
inches, the length underwent a drawing out, and at the same time the
body was tucked up to decrease the displacement. The next movement, if
it is possible to judge by the 2-1/2-raters, will be to follow in the
steps of Mr. Herreshoff--who speaks for himself in other chapters. The
'Cyane,' another of Mr. Payne's 5-raters and an improvement on the
'Alwida,' has few fittings below, but there is great height between
decks, and if she were changed into a cruiser, she has enough room to
make her everything that can be desired, without greatly decreasing
her speed. To describe all the 5-raters sent out to do battle by those
Northern champions, Messrs. Fife and G. L. Watson, would be equally
out of place here. Their boats are too well known all over the world
both for speed and beauty of design, and if there is a point peculiar
to either of them that marks their vessels and makes their meetings
interesting and exciting, it is that while Mr. Watson's are extra
smart in topsail breezes, Messrs. Fife's yachts are specially good in
strong winds.
[Illustration: 'RED LANCER'
_11 tons T.M., 5-rater (Capt. Sharman-Crawford). Designed by Fife of
Fairlie, 1892._]
In mentioning these well-known names, it would be impossible to forget
a name which will always be linked with the year 1892--viz. Mr. J. H.
Nicholson, jun., of the firm of Messrs. Nicholson & Sons, Gosport, the
successful designer of the 5-rater 'Dacia' and the 2-1/2-rater
'Gareth.' His boats are unique, and though they partake of the canoe
form, still it is the shape adopted by Mr. Nicholson for his keel, and
the design itself, which brought his name so prominently forward
during the season of 1892 as one of the most successful designers in
England. The 5-rater 'Dacia,' which he designed and built in 1892 for
Mr. H. R. Langrishe, and which now belongs to Lord Dudley, proved
herself far superior in all weathers to the yachts of her rating in
the South. Most of the raters were designed with a square stern above
water, whatever their shape might have been below; but the 'Dacia' is
counter-sterned, and carries her ribbands fair from stem to taffrail,
as far as can be judged from a long-distance view when she was hauled
up. Whatever her length may be on the L.W.L., it must with a large
crew aboard be so considerably increased as to almost make her another
boat. At all events, she is a fine specimen of the advanced type of
rater, and is good in all weathers.
The 'Natica' and 'Red Lancer,' 5-raters by Mr. Watson and Mr. Fife,
jun., must not be passed over unmentioned. Both these yachts belong to
Belfast, which is at present the home of 5-rater racing. In the Clyde,
where 5-tonners and 5-raters were once the fashionable classes, there
is now not a single representative. The 'Red Lancer' is a fin-keel
shaped vessel with great angle of sternpost, from the heel of which to
the stem-head the line is run in a very easy curve. She has a very
long counter, more than a third of which is submerged; but she is very
pretty as a design, and though not of large displacement, is very
roomy both on deck and below. She was originally fitted with a
centreboard, but as it was not considered of any material benefit to
her, this was taken out and the hole in the keel filled up with lead.
The 'Natica' has a spoon bow, and is one of Mr. Watson's prettiest
models as far as the modern racer can be termed pretty. She has been
very successful in the North, and as great curiosity was felt
regarding her capabilities when compared with the South-country boats,
she sailed round, and met the 'Dacia' at Torquay Regatta, where the
best of three matches were won by 'Dacia.' It would have been better,
perhaps, had the matches taken place off Holyhead--_vide_ the case of
the 'Vril,' 'Camellia,' and 'Freda'; however, there is no reason to
disparage them as not giving a true indication of the respective
merits of both yachts. So many races come off, both on the Solent and
on the Clyde, in numerical comparison with what took place a few years
ago, that the owners of small yachts rarely care now to go far away
from home on the chance of obtaining sport when it lies comfortably to
hand; but it is a thing to be encouraged, and when yachts have proved
themselves champions in any particular waters, a trysting place should
be chosen for the little winners to meet and try conclusions. This
would also make yachtsmen anxious to possess not merely a racing
machine, but a boat capable of going from port to port with a certain
amount of comfort to her crew.
[Illustration: 'Natica.' Designed by G. L. Watson, 1892.]
PRACTICAL HINTS
_Buying_
In choosing a yacht there is, as with most other occupations, a right
and a wrong way of going about it. First of all, the size has to be
determined upon; but this can soon be done by referring to the length
of the purse out of which the funds for keeping the yacht in
commission are to be supplied. Yachts are very much like houses, and
it is quite possible to buy a yacht or a house for such an
insignificantly small outlay that to all unconcerned in the bargain it
will appear a ridiculously cheap purchase. But this might not really
be the case, because, though the original outlay may have been small,
if a large number of servants or hands are required to keep either the
one or the other up, it would be dear at any price should money not be
forthcoming to meet the annual expenditure. It is, therefore,
necessary, before making a purchase, to look ahead at the probable
annual cost. At a rough estimate it may be laid down that each extra
hand required (this does not refer to those necessary on racing days)
will cost at least 25_l._ per season. A skipper may for his wages,
clothes, &c., make a hole in any sum from 30_l._ to 100_l._ per annum.
In a 5-tonner, or a yacht of 30 feet and under, provided she has a
gaff-mainsail and not a lugsail, one hand will be quite crew
sufficient, with the owner, to take her about. The writer worked a
10-tonner with one hand for two seasons without finding her too heavy,
but the addition of a boy made all the difference in the comfort.
The cost of sails, gear, and the many small items of equipment which
have to be renewed from time to time, cannot or should not be treated
as if such casual expenses could only come about in some dim vista of
futurity; for where in the case of sails 60_l._ might see the
fortunate owner of a racing 5 in possession of a brand-new suit, the
man with a 20 would find that sum barely sufficient to supply his
yacht with a new mainsail and topsail.
In making a purchase, it is as well if it be possible to find out what
kind of a yachtsman the owner of the yacht for sale is--that is, if he
is a man who has made yachts and yachting his sole hobby, and has
therefore been in the habit of keeping his vessels in the best
condition. It makes all the difference whether you purchase from such
a man, or from one who, having extracted all the good out of his
yacht's gear and sails, has placed her in the market rather than go to
the expense of giving her a new fit-out. In the case of a 5-tonner the
difference in price between the purchase money of vessels owned by the
two men might be from 50_l._ to 80_l._ or 100_l._; but then in the
case of the one there will only be one expense, viz.--that of the
purchase money, whereas with the other it might be difficult to say
how much might be required as outlay before the yacht could be made
ready for sea. The Clyde and Southampton are the best and most likely
places to find yachts for sale which have been well kept up and cared
for. Buying from a thorough yachtsman who is known to spare no expense
on his yacht will mean an absence of all bitterness and wrath, whereas
in making the purchase from the skinflint, until a small fortune has
been paid away the new owner will find that he has no satisfaction.
In buying a small yacht, in fact any yacht, unless the purchaser has
met with a vessel that combines all his requirements, it is always the
wisest plan for him to spend as little as possible the first season on
his new purchase--of course it is taken for granted that her sails and
gear are in thoroughly good order--in altering any of her fittings to
suit his own private fads; for if he changes his mind about his
yacht's points, or sees a vessel he may like better, he should
remember that he must not expect to get his money back again when
wanting to sell. By the end of the first season, he will most likely
have found out whether he will keep the yacht, and therefore whether
she really suits him, when he can do what he likes to her. It must be
borne in mind, too, that the inside fittings of a yacht's cabin form
the most expensive part of her hull; and alterations below always mean
a goodly expenditure.
Avoid all yachts which are either coated outside or filled in at the
garboards inside with cement, as water will leak in between the cement
and skin, and rot must ensue.
_Fitting out._
In fitting out, two very important points have to be thought of--viz.,
if the yacht is not coppered, what is the best paint to coat her with,
and what is the best method of treating the decks? With regard to the
first question, there are two paints which the writer has never yet
seen used in the yachting world, except on his own boat, and which can
be highly recommended. One is the black priming varnish used on iron
ships, and especially in the Navy. He gave this, some years ago on the
Clyde, four months' good trial. It was used on a boat kept out for
winter work which lay in a little harbour well-known for its fouling
propensities. At the end of the four months there was absolutely no
growth or sign of weed of any kind. Where it is to be obtained he is
unable to say, as the coat of paint that was put on his boat was given
him by a naval officer. The other paint is called after the inventor,
'Harvey's Patent.' The writer's experience of this is as follows:--A
friend sent him a tin to try, and to give his opinion upon.
Accordingly his boat, which had been lying up Portsmouth Harbour some
six months at her moorings, was brought down to Priddy's Hard and
hauled up. She had, though coated with a very well-known patent, from
7 to 10 feet of weed floating astern of her at the time, which had to
be removed. After being thoroughly cleaned, left to dry for a few
days, and having her paint burnt off, a coat of priming was given,
followed by two coats of the Harvey. The boat was then launched and
towed back to her moorings, where she was left for over 20 months. At
the end of that time she was hauled up, prior to being put into
commission; and there was no sign of grass or weed; slime, with an
almost imperceptible shell-fish growth, being all that was visible on
her bottom. The boat was seen by a good many naval and other men
during the time she was at her moorings, and they remarked on the
quality of the paint. One great point about the Harvey must be
mentioned, and that is, it dries very quickly when put on. It is a
good thing to warm it before using, as it is apt to get hard and soak
up the oil; but it soon softens, and after being properly mixed works
well.
Before touching the decks, the spars and blocks will always require to
have the old varnish of the past season scraped off them, and will
have then to be re-varnished. In scraping the spars care should be
taken that the knife, scraper, or glass be drawn with, and not
against, the grain of the wood. The scraping will always be achieved
with greater facility if the spar or block in hand is slightly damped,
and the scraper or knife-blade employed has its edge turned over a
little. This latter is done by drawing the side of the edge along the
back of a knife or steel tool. After scraping, the whole spar should
be rubbed down with sand-paper, prior to its receiving a coat of
varnish. The brushes employed should be either well-used ones, or, if
new, ought to be well soaked in water prior to use, as this will
prevent the bristles falling out during the process of varnishing.
Nothing is so provoking as to have to be continually picking out
bristles from the varnish; of course, what holds good about varnishing
holds good in the matter of painting. When using copal varnish, it is
as well to pour out only as much as may be wanted for the time being
into an old tin or jar, because it very soon hardens on exposure to
the air, and then becomes useless. For the same reason the varnish
bottle or can should never be left uncorked. Two coats of varnish
thinly laid on ought to suffice at the beginning of the season, and a
third coat may be given as the season progresses.
With regard to the decks. Everything depends on the state of the
decks themselves and how they are laid. If they are made of wide
planking, which is rarely, if ever, the case when the workmanship is
that of a yacht-builder, they should be painted; if, however, the
decks are laid with narrow planking fined off with the deck curves at
the bow and stern, then, notwithstanding the beauty of white decks, it
is better to varnish them. Varnishing keeps them hard, and saves many
a heart pang when the little yacht is visited by a friend with nails
in his boots or a lady in small heels. If the decks be worn at all, a
coat of varnish is a capital thing. After trying decks varnished and
unvarnished, experience confesses that the joys of beholding a white,
spotless deck in a small yacht are more than outweighed by the sorrow
and annoyance of seeing deep nail-marks imprinted on it.
As decks, when cared for, are always varnished when a yacht is laid up
for the winter, this varnish has necessarily to be removed prior to a
start on a season's yachting. The best method by which this can be
carried out is as follows:--Black ashes, Sooji Mooji, or one of the
many preparations of caustic potash, should be procured from a
ship-chandler, and mixed in an iron bucket with warm water in the
proportion of one-third black ashes to two-thirds water, according to
the strength required. As soon as the sun has set the mixture must be
poured over the deck, which must be left well covered with it till an
hour before sunrise. The mixture, which will have dried during the
night, must now be treated with hot water and well rubbed into the
varnish, and fresh buckets of water must be kept applied till every
particle of the mixture with the varnish has been cleared off and out
of the deck planking. If the mixture is applied or allowed to remain
on the deck while the sun is up, it will be certain to eat into and
burn it.
There are two or three ways of laying decks. One is to have the planks
nailed down to the beams, the nails countersunk, and the holes filled
up with wood plugs to hide the nail-heads. This is generally done by
men who have not had much to do with yacht-building. The common method
employed is to drive the nails diagonally through the edge of the
plank into the beam. Nails let in horizontally and driven into the
next plank, two or three cotton threads having been placed between,
keep the two planks in position. Each plank is similarly treated, and
when all the planks have been fitted and jammed together, marine glue
is poured into the seams. As soon as the glue has set and hardened the
decks are planed, and finished off. The third method is not so pretty
perhaps, but is believed from practical experience to be the best. The
planks are mortised together, varnished, and then brought tight up.
The whole deck is often built and made ready to fit before it is put
into position, so that when it is laid on the beams, all that is
required is to nail it down into its place. The writer has had
experience with the second kind of deck mentioned here in nearly all
of his yachts, and of the third method of laying decks in the
'Cyprus.' She was about five years old when he bought her, and that is
a good age for a racing 5-tonner's decks to last sound and without a
leaky spot to be found anywhere. Her decks were certainly kept
varnished, for the simple reason stated above, that visitors might be
always welcome, no matter what description of foot-gear had been
supplied to them by their bootmakers.
It is not an uncommon practice to have a yacht recoppered, though her
copper may be in good condition and even new. When such a proposition
is made, which is not infrequently done by skippers wishing to play
into the yacht-builder's hands, and thinking more of their own pockets
than their master's interests, the yachtsman must remember that every
time his yacht is coppered her skin is made more porous, and she
herself heavier in the water, since the planking will naturally sodden
with greater rapidity.
If the incipient yachtsman has bought the hull and spars of a yacht
that is only partially built or finished off, a few more hints must be
added, which will give him food for reflection, and may prove of
service.
When a yacht likely to suit has been heard of, nothing being known of
the owner, the next thing should be to try to discover whether she is
sound or possesses any weak places. The purchaser should overhaul her
outside just below the channels, and examine if the yacht has been
frequently caulked between the seams of the planking, or if there are
any signs of weeps of any kind about that part or elsewhere. The weeps
will be shown most likely by a rusty discolouration. If the yacht is
coppered, wrinkles must be looked for under the channels, runners, and
about the bilge. They will show if the yacht has been strained at all.
A knife should next be taken, and the point driven into the planking
about the water-line, where it joins the sternpost and stem, and then
along the two lower garboard strakes, especially if cement has been
used to fill in between the keel and planking, to discover if there is
any sign of dry rot, sap rot, &c. Inside, under the cabin floor, the
timbers, deadwoods, and the garboard strakes if the yacht be coppered,
should be tested in the same way. If the yacht has iron floors, these
should be carefully examined for galvanic action or decay. The heads
of the bolts which go through the lead keel should be scraped to see
whether they are made of iron, metal composition, or copper. If they
are iron or steel, most likely they will require to be renewed,
because galvanic action is very soon set up between the lead and
steel. Outside, copper shows wear and tear more quickly near the stem
and sternpost and along the water-line. In the cabin itself the deck
ceiling should be examined for weeps and leaks, especially about the
bits forward and near the mast, also wherever a bolt-head is visible.
On deck, a look round the covering board will discover whether it has
been often recaulked, by the seam being extra wide. The heat of a
stove below is frequently the cause of the deck forward leaking. The
deck seams should not be wider there than at any other part. All the
spars should be examined, and if there are no transverse cracks,
longitudinal ones may be held of no consequence. The weak parts of the
mast are generally to be found between the yoke and cap, where the
eyes of the rigging rest. Rot is often found there, and strains are
met with up the masthead. The boom shows its weakness at the outer end
by small cracks, and the bowsprit by the gammon iron and stem-head. If
the above rough survey proves all correct, attention must be given
next to the rigging, sails, and gear. Wear in the wire rigging is
shown by its being rusty, the strands stretched, or by the broken
threads of a strand appearing here and there. If the jib, throat, peak
halliards, and mainsheet are new, or have seen the work of one season
only, they will not require much overhauling. With the other running
rigging the strands should be untwisted, just enough to see whether
the heart of the rope is fresh and not rotten. The blocks ought to be
of a light colour without cracks in them, and iron strapped inside.
The sails will not show either mildew marks or discolouration if they
are in good condition. The chain and anchors to be in good order
should not be rusty, but clean and well galvanised. They should be
looked at to discover whether they have ever been regalvanised. This
will be noticed by the links presenting a rough, uneven surface, where
there was rust or decay before the repetition of the process of
galvanising.
Sometimes at fitting-out time an owner finds that he has to provide
his yacht with a new anchor. It may help him, therefore, in his choice
if the writer gives his experience in the matter of ground tackle or
mud-hooks. There are a number of patents in the market, the most
patronised of which are Trotman's, Martin's, Smith's, and Thomas &
Nicholson's. All these have many good points, with a weak one here and
there to keep the competition in anchor designing open to improvement.
Trotman's anchor has movable arms and stock, stows away well, and is a
fine holding anchor when once it bites; but it is often very slow at
catching hold, and this is dangerous when the anchorage happens to be
close and crowded, as, for instance, is frequently the case at
Kingstown, Cowes, &c., during regatta time. If the anchor does not
catch at once on such occasions the yacht may drift some distance
before she is brought up, and with little room this operation is
performed, more often than not, by collision with some vessel astern.
The Martin anchor and the Smith both work on a different principle
from any of the others, in that their arms move together so as to
allow both flukes to act at the same time. Of the two the Smith, which
has no stock, is preferable for yacht work. The Martin has a stock
which is fixed on the same plane with the arms. Both anchors catch
quickly and hold well as long as the bottom is not rocky or very
uneven, when they are apt to get tilted over and lose any hold they
may have at first obtained. Their worst failing is that of coming home
under the following conditions. If the yacht yaws about, owing to
strong tides, winds, or boisterous weather, the flukes of the anchor
are prone, when working in their holes, to make them so large that
they gradually meet each other and finally become one big hole; the
anchor then invariably trips, comes home, and the yacht drags. On the
other hand, the Smith and Martin anchors stow away better than any
others, and when on deck lie flat and compact. The Smith anchor makes
a capital kedge. Its holding power is so great that it is not
necessary to carry one of anything like the weight that would be
required were any other patent anchor employed.
The great point in favour of Smith's over that of Martin's anchor is
that, should it foul a mooring or warp, it can be easily tripped. The
tripping is done by letting the bight of a bowline slip down the chain
and anchor till it reaches the arms, and then hauling on it.
The best of the patents, however, is an anchor that was brought out
some years ago by Messrs. Thomas & Nicholson, of Southampton and
Gosport. It can be stowed away in a very small space, since the arms
are removable. It is a quick catcher, and is, at the same time, very
powerful and trustworthy.
The arms stand out at the most effective angle for insuring strength
of grip, while the shank is long, and, though light and
neat-looking--it is flat-sided--has sufficient weight and substance in
it to stand any ordinary crucial test. The flukes from their shape
appear somewhat longer in proportion to their width than the usual
patterns; but this arises from the sides being slightly bent back,
with the object of making the fluke more penetrating, which it
certainly is.
The old fisherman's anchor with a movable stock is, after all, as good
an anchor as any yachtsman need want. It is not a patent, and is
accordingly very much less expensive. Should necessity ever compel the
making of a small anchor, then the two great points which it must
possess are, length of shank (because greater will be the leverage),
and the placing of the arms so that they do not make a less angle with
the stock than, say, 53°. After a long practical experience with
almost every kind of anchor, the writer believes that two good,
old-pattern fisherman's anchors, with movable stocks (the movable
stock was a Mr. Rogers' patent), are all that any yacht need require
or her mud-hooks; but if it is thought fit to have patent anchors,
then either a couple of Thomas & Nicholson's anchors, or one of these
and a Smith, ought to form the yacht's complement.
All being satisfactory, if the yacht is a 5-rater the first thing to
be done will be to have the lugsail altered into a gaff-mainsail for
handiness sake. This will be only a small expense, since the great
peak of the lugsail will allow of its head being squared. Very little
if anything need be taken off the head of a high-peaked lugsail when
the gaff employed is hinged on to the jaws, as such a gaff can be
peaked with far greater ease and to a much greater extent than when
fitted in the ordinary. The writer has employed the following method
for fitting up the interior accommodation of a 5-ton yacht, and he can
highly recommend it as most convenient, and at the same time handy to
clear out either on a racing day or when about to lay the yacht
up:--All woodwork, such as lockers or fore-and-aft boards (used for
turning the sofas into lockers), should be fixed in their places by
hooks, or at any rate by screws. Nothing should be a fixture except
the two sofa-seats in the main cabin, the one forward of the mast, and
the two sideboards fitted aft at each end of the sofas. If the yacht
has to race, these sideboards should be made self-contained, and to
shape, so that they may fit into their places and be kept there by
hooks or catches. There should be only a curtain forward between the
forecastle and main cabin, and instead of a regular solid bulkhead
aft, gratings should take its place, with one wide grating as a door.
This will keep the store room aft ventilated. If there is sufficient
length to permit of transverse gratings about 20 inches apart and 2
feet high by the mast, as before explained when describing the
'Lorelei,' by all means let these form one of the fittings to hold the
sail bags. In the locker astern of the after bulkhead gratings, the
skin should be protected by battens 2-1/2 to 3 inches wide and from 1
to 2 inches apart. This will keep whatever is stowed there dry from
any little weep or leakage that may occur in the planking. There
should be no ceiling either in the main or fore cabin, and if battens
are thought necessary to prevent damp getting to the beds when left
folded up in the bed-frames, then three, or at the outside four, some
4 or 5 inches apart, should be screwed up just in the position where
the shoulders of a sitter would be likely to rest against them. Four
or five may be fitted up on each side of the forecastle. The upper
batten should be higher up than the top one in the main cabin, as it
may be useful for screwing hooks into. The writer, however, prefers in
the main cabin, instead of any battens, clean pieces of duck, or, what
is better still, Willesden cloth (waterproof), made to hang loosely
from hooks, reaching down to the sofas, and cut to the shape of the
after sideboards, holes being sewn in to allow the iron hooks which
carry the bed-frames to come through. This fitting always lightens up
the cabin, and is easily taken down and scrubbed.
For beds, the iron frames supplied to all yachts' forecastles for the
men, with canvas bottoms to them, are far the best and most
comfortable. They take up less room than a hammock, and stow away
nicely against the cabin's side when not in use. With these frames the
writer has used quilted mattresses, the heads of which have ticking
covers large enough to hold a pillow, and the whole is sewn on to
strong American or waterproof cloth, which forms a covering when the
bed and its blankets are rolled up and have to be stowed away.
In the forecastle, a movable pantry may be screwed up against the
battens on the port side (the bed will be on the starboard side). This
should be an open case with three shelves and two drawers underneath.
The upper shelf must be divided off to take the three sizes--dinner,
soup, and small plates. Between the plates, outside the divisions,
there can be uprights on which to thread double egg-cups. On the lower
shelf there should be holes cut to carry tumblers, and between the
tumblers slots for wineglasses. The bottom shelf is for cups and
saucers. One of the drawers ought to be lined with green baize to hold
silver plate and knives. If the sideboards aft are fixtures, a tin
case made to the shape of the yacht's side, to rest on the part of the
sideboard on which the lid hinges, and reaching up to the deck, is a
capital fitting to have. The inside should be arranged in partitions
to hold tea, coffee, sugar, biscuit, and other square canisters, also
Dutch square spirit bottles. The door may be double, or if single,
should open from the bottom and trice up to a hook overhead, so that
it may not in any way hinder the opening of the sideboard lid at the
same time. Two or three movable shelves placed right in the eyes of
the yacht forward make useful stowage room for a man to keep his
clothes, as there they stand less chance of getting wet. Between the
sideboards aft a removable box ought to be fixed with screws, of
sufficient depth to hold an iron bucket, washing basin, and all the
conveniences of a lavatory. This will be directly under the cabin
hatch, and from 8 to 10 inches abaft it. The lid should leave a few
inches space clear to receive it when opened back. Curtains made of
duck or Willesden cloth, to hang down loose over the sideboards at
each side to the depth of 6 inches, and hung from hooks in the deck
above, will be found useful for keeping all stray splashes, that may
fall inboard, from going on the sideboard lids, and thence among the
dry goods and provisions stowed away in them. At the back of the
lavatory box will be the after-grating and locker, and standing out
from the grating, about 10 inches to a foot square, and 15 to 18
inches deep from the deck, there should be a cupboard, painted white
inside, or, better still, lined with copper silver-plated to reflect
the light, and a transparent spirit compass should then be fitted to
hang through the deck above it. The brass rim for carrying the gimbles
and binnacle lid outside must be screwed down to the deck on doubled
india-rubber to prevent leakage. The cupboard door must have
ventilating holes in it at the top and bottom, and a square hole to
hold the lamp should be cut in the door between the upper and lower
ventilators. On the opposite side from that on which the tin case is
fixed, and coming out from the grating the same distance as the
compass box, two bookshelves can be fitted, which will prove most
useful. On deck, the fittings and leads that are mentioned in the
description of the 'Cyprus' cannot be improved upon, except that
rigging screws are neater, and give less trouble than dead-eyes and
lanyards, which have to be continually set up. Lanyards, however, give
more life to a mast, though it may appear almost imperceptible, and by
so doing ought to render it less liable to be carried away. The
sliding lid of the companion hatch should padlock on to a transverse
partition between the combings, and it is a good plan to have this
partition on hinges, so that at night, when the hatch-cover is drawn
over, the partition may lie on the deck and so leave an aperture for
ventilation. The windows of the skylight will be all the better for
being fixtures and should not open; if ventilation be required, the
whole skylight can be taken off; this will prevent the leakage so
common with hinged windows. A mainsheet horse and traveller with two
quarter leading blocks are better than a double block shackled on to
an eyebolt amidships, because a more direct up and down strain can be
obtained when the boom is well in.
In any yacht of 25 feet in length or under, the wisest plan to adopt
with regard to a forehatch is to do away with it and only have a large
screw deadlight; if a small deadlight be preferred, then it ought to
be placed about 12 to 18 inches ahead of the bits, and a copper cowl,
to screw into the deadlight frame, should form part of the fittings,
for use when the yacht is laid up, in order to let air into and so
ventilate the cabin. It is certainly a great advantage to have the
spinnaker ready in the forecastle for sending up through a hatch, but
as this is the only good reason why a hatch should be thought
requisite in a small yacht, and since it is a fruitful source of
leakage and danger, especially when, as is sometimes the case, the lid
has not been fastened down and a sea sweeps it off the deck, it is
better to abolish the fitting altogether. A small rail ahead of the
mast, bolted through the deck and stayed to the mast below (in order
to take off all weight from the deck and beams), and a rail abreast of
the lee and weather rigging, should form all that is required for
belaying halliards, purchases, tacks, &c. In most of the 5- and
2-1/2-raters the halliard for the lugsail is led below the deck, and
the purchase is worked by taking turns round a small mast-winch in the
cabin. It is a great advantage to have a clear deck free from ropes,
and it would be a saving of labour to have all a cutter's purchases
led below to a winch.
For a small yacht it is as well to have the jib, throat, and peak
halliards of four-strand Manilla rope, but wire topsail halliards are
a very decided improvement on hemp or Manilla. Wire has little or no
stretch in it, and a topsail halliard is the last rope a seaman cares
to disturb after it has once been belayed, it may be to lower and take
in the sail. All purchases ought to be made of European hemp-rope,
with the exception of that attached to the copper rod bobstay. All
headsheets should lead aft and belay on cleats bolted on to the
combing of the cockpit. It is becoming the custom to have all the
bowsprit fittings fixtures. A steel or copper rod from the stem to the
cranze iron at the bowsprit end serves as a bobstay, which, with the
shrouds, are screwed up with rigging screws. No such thing as reefing,
or bringing the useless outside weight of the spar inboard, is thought
of by many racing men now-a-days. Fiddle-headed and spoon bows have
introduced this fashion, but 14 to 16 feet of a 5-1/2-inch spar is no
trifle to have bobbing into seas, and making the boat uneasy, when
half the length, or less, would be quite sufficient to carry all the
jib that can be set. No bowsprit belonging to a straight-stemmed
cutter should be a fixture, and the best and neatest fitting for the
bobstay is a rod with a steel wire purchase at the end. The shrouds
should be in two lengths of wire shackled together, as in topmast
backstays, and, leading through the bulwark, should screw up to bolts
in the deck especially formed to take a horizontal strain. Selvagee
strops can be used for setting up the intermediate lengths.
If the eyes of the rigging are covered with leather which has not been
painted, then the bight of each eye ought to be left standing in a
shallow dish of oil. The leather will thus soak itself, and the oiling
will preserve it from perishing.
In sending up rigging it must always be remembered that the lengths of
the port and starboard rigging are arranged so as to allow of the
starboard fore rigging being placed into position first, then that to
port, the starboard backstay rigging going up next, followed by that
to port, after which the eye of the forestay will go over the masthead
and will rest on the throat halliard eyebolt in the masthead.
All block-hooks should be moused. A mousing is made by taking two or
three turns of spunyarn round the neck and lip of the hook followed by
a cross turn or two to finish off. This prevents the hook from
becoming disengaged.
In some yachts double topmasts and double forestays are used. The
former are only fitted where the yacht carries two sizes of
jib-topsail, one for reaching and the other for beating to windward.
Whilst one is up, the other can be hooked on, so that no time need be
lost in setting. A medium-sized sail, however, capable of being used
for reaching or beating, is all that is really required. The shifting
of two jib-topsails entails the presence for some time of one man at
least forward on the bowsprit end, and the less the men are forward of
the mast the better, if it is desired to get the best work out of a
small yacht, and the yacht herself is in proper trim. There is more to
be said, however, in favour of double forestays, since they allow of a
foresail being sent up whilst another is already set and drawing, and
the work is done inboard, while the difference between a working and a
balloon foresail is far greater than in that of two jib-topsails. The
writer has never used double forestays, but he believes so thoroughly
in the foresail, as a sail, that he has always carried three--a
working, reaching, and a balloon. He has the luff of each foresail
fitted with loops at regular intervals, after the manner of gaiter
lacings, otherwise called 'lacing on the bight.' These are made either
of light wire or small roping. The upper loop reaches down to the next
below it, so that the loop below may be passed through, and so on,
till the tack is reached. When setting a foresail the upper loop is
passed over the forestay before the lower one is threaded through it,
and so on with all the loops in turn. The tack has a single part,
which, after it has been passed through the lowest loop, is made fast
to the tack-downhaul. When shifting foresails, the sail is lowered,
tack let go, and the lacing comes away by itself; then the new sail
can be hooked on to the halliards and laced to the forestay as quickly
as it can be hauled up. When the sea is smooth there may be no
necessity for unlacing the working foresail should the shift have to
be made from that sail, especially if it has soon to be called into
use again. The above method will be found far superior to that of
hanks, which are always getting out of order and not infrequently
refuse to do their duty altogether.
In mentioning the shifting of sails, there is one point to which
nothing like sufficient attention is paid, and that is to the lead of
sheets. Many a good jib has been destroyed and pulled out of shape
through a bad lead, and more than one race has been lost through the
bad lead of a reaching or balloon foresail sheet. When jibs or
foresails are changed, the greatest care should be taken to see that
the leads told off for their sheets are really fair--that is, that the
pull on the sheet does not favour the foot more than the leach of the
sail, or _vice versâ_. In the case of a balloon-foresail its sheet
leads outside the lee rigging and belays somewhere aft. The man
attending the sheet should take it as far aft as a direct strain will
permit, and not belay it to the first cleat that comes to hand;
otherwise the sail will simply prove a windbag taking the yacht to
leeward rather than ahead.
There is a fitting which must not be passed over that is now almost
universally adopted on large yachts, but is equally important on small
ones--that is, an iron horse at the main-boom end for the mainsail
outhaul to travel on. It was originally invented by that most skilful
helmsman Mr. W. Adams, of Greenock, to obviate a difficulty so common
in square stern boats with booms stretching to _n_ length over the
transom. He fitted the boom of his little racing boat with a horse,
which came from the boom end to within easy reach for unhooking the
clew of the sail, and so saved the trouble of having to use a dinghy
for the purpose. The idea was soon taken up by Clyde yachtsmen, for it
was found so much easier to get the mainsail out on the boom than with
the traveller working on the boom itself.
Whilst on a subject connected with mainsails, the writer can recommend
for the gaff and head of the mainsail, instead of the ordinary long
rope lacing commonly in use, separate stops or seizings to each
eyelet-hole. The seizing can be done in half the time it takes to
properly lace the head of the sail to the spar; it looks quite as well
and does its work better. For fastening the luff of the mainsail to
the mast-hoops, instead of seizings he has used hanks, and has found
them very handy and neat. The hanks used are riveted on to the
mast-hoops. He has now had them in constant use for over twelve years,
and has never had occasion to find any fault whatever with them. In
one yacht he kept two mainsails in use for cruising and racing, and
thus preserved the racing mainsail in good condition for a
considerably longer period than would otherwise have been the case,
and with the fittings just named the shift of sails was a small
matter.
Topsails, perhaps, are the sails which require renewing more
frequently than any other, as they get out of shape so quickly if very
much is demanded from them. For a small yacht, if she carries a
topmast, three topsails are a sufficient outfit. They should be a
jibheader, a gaff, and a balloon or jackyarder. One yard ought to
serve for both the gaff and jackyard topsail, and these sails should
be made the same length on the head. This will save having to carry
about a deckload of timber.
OUTFIT
It is frequently a question of great moment, what kind and what amount
of outfit it is necessary to take away on a summer's cruise, and the
writer finds it a great convenience to keep a list of everything that
goes to form not only his sea kit, but stores and necessaries as well.
Such a list prevents one from forgetting small necessaries.
A small air-tight 'uniform tin case' and a painted seaman's bag are
the best equipment for carrying clothes. The lists are as follows:--
FIRST LIST: THE KIT
The tin case holds--
A dress suit and shoes
A shore-going suit
3 linen shirts
6 collars
White ties
Gloves
Ink, blotting paper, paper and envelopes
Mr. Lloyd's Euxesis
As may be seen, the tin box only contains the shore-going outfit. The
Euxesis mentioned is for those who shave, as with it there is no need
of hot water to perform the operation.
In the bag should be--
4 flannel shirts
2 pairs of flannel pygamas
1/2 doz. pairs of socks, 2 pairs of which should be thick
2 pairs of thick warm stockings
1 pair of warm slippers
2 pairs of common blue india-rubber solid shoes
1 pair of brown leather shoes
2 blue guernseys, hand knit
4 bath towels and 1/2 doz. others
Sponge bag
Dressing case
1 suit of thick pilot cloth
1 old pair of thick blue trousers
1 large thick square comforter
1 common serge suit
1 pair of mittens
1 pair of tanned leather boots
For comfort in a small yacht it is impossible to do with less. Of
course it may be thought foolish taking the tin case stocked as it is,
but experience has taught that even in the wildest and most
out-of-the-way spots occasions arise when all pleasure is spoiled by
not having the evening change of kit at hand.
SECOND LIST: GROCERIES, ETC.
Matches
1/2 doz. boxes of floats for oil lamp
1/2 doz. boxes of night-lights
6 lbs. of candles 8 to the lb. and
2 bedroom candlesticks
1 doz. tins of unsweetened tinned milk
1 lb. of tea
1/2 doz. coffee and milk in tins
1/2 doz. tins of chocolate and milk
Plate powder
Varnish for yellow leather shoes
Corkscrew
Sardine-box opener
3-lb. tin of marmalade
Pepper
Mustard
Jar of salt
1 doz. tins of sardines
3 tins of herring à la sardines
2 lb. captain's biscuits
1 doz. packages of jelly powder
6 doz. tinned soups
Soap, 1 bar of common brown
Soap, 1 bar of scented
Wicks for stoves
Plate, clothes, and boot brushes
2 chamois leathers. Cheese, butter, bread, 1/2 loaf per diem per man
THIRD LIST: YACHT NECESSARIES
Marlinespike
Pricker
Mop and twiddlers
Hatchet
Heavy hammer
Small hammer
Screw-driver
Gimlet
Bradawl
Pincers
Brass screws
Copper nails
Brass hooks
1 tin of black paint
1 tin of Harvey's Anti-fouling Paint
1 tin of Copal varnish
Spare shackles, clip hooks, hooks and thimbles
1 4-lb. lead and line
1 can of methylated spirits
1 can of mineral oil
1 can of colza oil
_Lamp_ showing red, white, or green, as required
Riding light
Binnacle and light
1 small-sized patent log
20 fathoms of Kaia grass warp
1 tail 4-in. block
2 spare blocks with hooks or thimbles
1 canvas bucket, medium size
1 iron bucket
2 brass holders for oil glass lamp, and to hold tumbler if required for flowers
4 thick common cups and saucers
1/2 doz. tumblers
1/2 doz. wineglasses
3 sodawater tumblers
1/2 doz. enamel plates
1/2 doz. enamel soup plates
2 enamel slop basins
2 enamel flat dishes
1 enamel double vegetable dish
1 deep dish for stews, &c.
3 tablespoons
3 table forks
3 table knives
1/2 doz. small forks
1/2 doz. dessert spoons
1/2 doz. teaspoons
1/2 doz. small knives
Fish knife and fork
2 kitchen knives and forks
2 kitchen table- and 2 teaspoons
Binocular glasses
Parallel rulers
Compasses
Isle of Man almanac
Charts: Irish Sea, West Scotland, English Channel, &c.
Books of sailing directions
Channel pilot
Flags: Club Burgee, Pilot Jack,
and Ensign. The Pilot Jack
is useful in case a pilot be
required, and the Ensign to
hoist upside down in case of
distress, or in the rigging as a
protest when racing
Fishing tackle
Medicine:--
Brandy
Friar's balsam
Lint
Bottle of Condy's fluid
Carlsbad salts
[Illustration: COMMERCIAL CODE OF SIGNALS.
_Code Signal._
_When used as the Code Signal this Pennant is to be hoisted under the
Ensign._]
Such lists as are given above should be kept in a small book labelled
'Fitting-out Necessaries,' because they save much time at that season,
and all alterations in them that experience dictates should be noted
before or at the period of laying the yacht up.
_Racing._
The yacht, let it be supposed, is fitted out. She has a racing outfit,
and was the crack boat of the past season. There is a smart young
fellow engaged to look after her, and the only thing that remains to
be settled now is the question--Shall I give myself up to racing or
shall I cruise this year? If it is to be racing, here are two or three
words of advice well worth noting. The first is, never pinch the yacht
when sailing on a wind. Always keep a clean full and bye--_i.e._ the
yacht must be headed, as near as she will go, to the point whence the
wind is blowing, but the sails must be kept well full. Then the yacht
will travel. Do not, because some other yachts seem to be lying closer
to the wind, try to make the little vessel head in the same direction,
if she will not do so without her sails shaking. Many races are lost
through this form of bad sailing. The next point to be noted is, 'mind
your jibsheet.' No sheet requires such tender handling. The foresheet
can be left to a tiro. All he has to do when on a wind is to take and
harden in all he can, and belay. The mainsheet can also be hauled in
pretty close; but when that is all done, the sailing-master must not
think that he can go any closer to the wind by treating his jibsheet
after the same simple fashion; for if he does he will find himself
very much at fault, as it will take all the life out of the yacht, and
the jib will make her bury her head in the seas. He will only stop
his ship. The best plan to adopt is to get the sheet in before the
yacht's head is pointed as close as it will go to the wind, and then
check out inch by inch till the luff of the sail near the tack has a
slight inclination to lift. At first, it is somewhat astonishing to
see how much jibsheet a vessel will stand when close hauled. Pinning
in the sheet tends to stop the boat, whilst, on the other hand, giving
her as much as she can stand will make her fairly jump ahead. The
helmsman who knows his duties ought to keep an eye open for this, and
watch, in the excitement of going about or hauling round a buoy, that
the poor jibsheet is not pinned in or unfairly treated.
Another piece of advice is about that other jib and yachtsman's
friend, called the spinnaker. Of the two jibs, this latter suffers
most at the hands of the racing sailing-master. When he sees his
antagonist carrying his spinnaker with the boom right forward on the
bow, only too frequently does he leave his up with the boom in the
same position, too fearful lest, should he take his in, or shift it to
the bowsprit end, the other yacht may steal an advantage over him. The
writer has seen more than one race lost through this hanging on to the
boomed-out spinnaker too long. It is a safe and wise plan to take the
sail in as soon as the wind obliges the boom to be pointed forward at
an angle very much under a right angle to the beam. Some years ago
this was brought before the writer's notice in a clear, unmistakable
way. He happened to be on the Breakwater at Plymouth on a Regatta day,
when the yachts were making the harbour. They were running with the
wind right aft and their booms squared off. As each yacht neared the
Breakwater, the wind came round gradually on the beam, and one by one
the spinnaker-booms were allowed to go right over the bow to an acute
angle with the bowsprit. The spinnakers were certainly all kept full,
but as each yacht's after-guy was checked, she gradually ceased to
travel and almost stopped dead. Her spinnaker bellied against the
topmast stay and forestay, and formed at once a backsail, if anything.
Those on board a yacht do not notice the faults of the moment so
quickly as those looking on, and only when the race is over does the
sailing-master regret that he has not acted differently. Frequently
since then has the writer, having taken note of what he saw, managed
to make up a considerable amount of time by having the courage to take
in his spinnaker as soon as it refused to stand without the boom going
well forward. If the balloon-foresail jib and jib-topsails sheets are
ready belayed, so that the sails may take the weight of the wind as
soon as the spinnaker is taken in, there will be no fear whatever of
the yacht losing ground, but rather she will spring into life, and
most likely leave her antagonists behind. The method adopted by
American yachtsmen for setting the spinnaker has many points in its
favour. Instead of bringing the tack close in to the mast, the sail is
taken outside the forestay and the tack downhaul belayed on the
opposite side to which the sail is set. By setting the sail in this
way the back draught from it goes into the jib-topsail and
balloon-jib, so keeping them full and drawing. The spinnaker boom can
also be allowed to range further forward on the bow than under our
system. In hoisting the spinnaker it will be found a great saving of
labour to send it up in stops ready for breaking out when the pull at
the outhaul is taken. It can be stopped up before the race begins.
When running before the wind, it is no uncommon sight to see all hands
sent aft, and as many as possible on the counter. Now there is a vast
amount of 'follow my leader' in this practice. Because one crack yacht
does well under this trim, therefore others are supposed to steer and
sail better with the weight aft too, so that when witnessing a number
of yachts sailing before the wind with spinnaker set, frequently yacht
after yacht may be seen struggling along with her taffrail about level
with the water, and the whole counter being sucked back by the wave
raised in the yacht's run. Some yachts are bad to steer when running;
this is, to say the least of it, a fault or gross peculiarity in their
design, for there is no use in the helm unless it is answered, and to
help to keep boats steady all available weight is fleeted aft. These
must, therefore, bear the penalty and lose ground on this particular
point of sailing; but there are others with fine runs, which require
no weight aft, and placing weight there causes the counter to go into
the water and lie flat on it. These would steer equally well with the
weight forward of the helmsman, and instead of being kept back by the
drag put upon them, would leave their heavy-quartered rivals away in
the rear. 'Keep the counter as much as possible out of water' is a
maxim to be laid to heart by all, on all points of sailing. Of course,
in yachts designed to have part of the counter immersed, the maxim
applies only to that part above water. A fine run is a most valuable
form for a vessel large or small, especially when sailing on any point
with the wind abaft the beam; and the man who is wise will do his best
to keep it fine, in order that the water may be left clean and without
so much as a ripple.
Before naming good cruising grounds and touching on cruising, just a
word must be said about dinghies. A dinghy is a big piece of furniture
for a small yacht, and at times becomes almost a white elephant,
especially if the yacht has to make passages or go foreign. The writer
has no hesitation in recommending the Berthon dinghy as the most
useful, compact, and stow-awayable of any at present in use. After
having had practical experience of nearly all sizes of Mr. Berthon's
boats, from the 40-ft. launch supplied to the Navy down to the small
7-ft. dinghy, the size found to be most useful is the boat of 8 feet
in length. A boat of 7 feet which he has, and which has been in use
for fifteen years in all parts of the world, is a most clever little
contrivance. She has carried on many occasions two big men with a
portmanteau and other baggage, and when sitting on the bottom boards
is hard to capsize--in fact, she has never turned turtle as yet. She
is very easy to pull and light to carry, but is a little too small to
ask a lady to take passage in. The odd foot, however, makes a great
difference. A 9-ft. boat was the lifeboat complement of the 'Cyprus,'
and this is the largest size of any real value to a small yacht, as
the larger boats take too long to open out, and when in the water,
unless well filled up and almost brought down to the gunwale, are too
light to pull against a head wind. The 9-ft. boat is sometimes
difficult to move when it is blowing very hard from the quarter to
which it is desired to go, but this occurs seldom, and she is opened
out so easily that there may be a question whether a 9-ft. boat might
not be, after all, the best to have. The boats will stand any amount
of sea, and they travel under sail or oar propulsion, when not too
much pressed, very dry and easily. Should the canvas happen to get
cut, the best stitch with which to sew up the wound is that known as
the 'Cobbler's.' An awl is required to make the holes for the stitches
and a couple of ends similar to those used by a cobbler. This stitch
is not so likely to tear the canvas, and brings it closer together
than the sailmaker's stitch called 'herring-boning,' which is no use
at all for making a water-tight mend. The outer skin may want a coat
of paint once a year, and if so, the paint should be mixed up with
boiled oil; then, when it is put on, the canvas will remain flexible
and will not harden up and crack. Mr. Berthon supplies a special paint
for his boats, but it is not always procurable, and any paint mixed
with boiled oil will serve the purpose.
_Cruising._
Fitted out with an old 5-tonner, or a yacht about the size already
recommended, the whole world lies before the cruising yachtsman. She
can easily be shipped on board a steamer, and can, for the sum of
50_l._ to 70_l._ or less, be launched off New York, whence there is
nothing to hinder a most enjoyable cruise on the lakes (which can be
reached by canal) or in the vicinity of Long Island, and along the
coast. Racing can be done in the American waters should it so please
the voyageur, and a hearty welcome will be met with wherever he goes.
There is great scope for cruising and racing in Australia and New
Zealand (as set forth at length in another chapter); but the expenses
of shipping and taking out the yacht will not be much less than
100_l._ Sydney Harbour and Port Phillip are both great yachting
centres, while the coast of New Zealand is a complete network of bays,
inland seas, and natural harbours. The Mediterranean is a much
puffed-up yachtsman's cruising ground, but during the best time of
year, which is winter, it is as nasty and treacherous an expanse of
water as it is possible to meet with in any part of the world. In the
summer the great drawback there is lack of wind during the daytime,
and calms prevail most days of the week. Among the islands of the
Grecian Archipelago, however, and off the coast of Asia Minor, a
breeze is always certain to spring up after sunset. There is no
difficulty in reaching the Mediterranean, as a yacht drawing 5 to 6
feet can go through France by canal without any trouble, or else she
can sail round. Five-tonners, it must be remembered, are serviceable
for an ocean cruise should it be necessary, as has already been shown
in two cases.
There are cruising grounds on the West Coast of Scotland which may
well make yachtsmen in England envious, and some lovely harbours and
rivers along the South Coast of England, which would delight the heart
of many a Clyde yachtsman, whilst Ireland, on her West and South
coasts, has very beautiful and well-sheltered bays. To a yachtsman who
lives in the South, and to whom time is an object, the best plan to
adopt, if a Scotch cruise be on the cards, is either to put the yacht
on a truck and send her up to Gourock, or ship a second hand for the
trip and let the men sail her round. Of the two ways, the latter is
much to be preferred, since it will cost less money, and the yacht
will not be so likely to get knocked about. If time permitted, the
owner might meet the yacht at Kingstown, near Dublin. This is always a
good starting point, as he can make for Campbeltown, in Cantyre, stay
a night there, and go on to Gourock Bay, near Greenock, which he
should make his base of operations, and where he should pick up a
mooring if possible rather than drop his own anchor.
If St. George's Channel is to be the cruising ground, then Kingstown,
Belfast (Bangor Bay), or the Sloyne (Liverpool) are the best ports to
start from. Between Belfast and Kingstown the yachtsman will find Loch
Strangford (although it has strong tides), Ardglass, and Carlingford
Lough, with little Howth, all places worth peeping into; and a run
over to the Isle of Man will well repay any time taken up in a visit.
The best ports in the island are Ramsey and Douglas, and of the two
Ramsey is to be preferred, because the yacht can always lie at anchor,
and it is well sheltered from all winds with any westing in them; but
Douglas ought not to be left out on that account, and the yacht, when
there, should be sailed up the harbour, where she will have to take
the ground. It is a first-rate place to clean a yacht's copper, as
there is something in the mud which is very conducive to brightening
up the metal. Peel can be seen by crossing the island. Castletown,
also, is a very quaint old town, and coaches run regularly between it
and Douglas. Anyone visiting the Isle of Man ought to read Sir Walter
Scott's novel 'Peveril of the Peak,' for the main portion of the story
lies at Peel and Castletown.
If interest is taken in iron and smelting works, from Douglas to
Barrow is about 70 miles; but as the roughest sea in the Channel is
met with on a line between Mougold Head (between Douglas and Ramsey)
and Liverpool, where the north and south currents meet, perhaps it
will be as well, unless the weather be favourable, to keep clear of
that part of the English coast.
Kingstown itself is the finest artificial harbour in the world, and to
anyone anchoring there for the first time there will be found plenty
to occupy at least a week. The clubs are most hospitably inclined, and
Dublin being so near makes it a very pleasant spot to frequent.
For the South of Ireland, Queenstown must be the centre from which to
work. There are good fishing and lovely bays all round the coast
westward, and nothing can equal Bantry Bay, with Glengariff, which are
practically land-locked.
The Shannon and West are in no way inferior to the South coast, and
there are many nooks and anchorages, too numerous to mention here,
where a yacht such as the one described can very comfortably lie,
fearless of ocean billows. Now and then seals are to be met with on
the West coast, and care should be taken to avoid rowing into any of
the numerous caves, which abound round that coast, and are frequented
by them, when the tide is on the rise and at three-quarters flood;
more than one shooting party has been caught in a trap through the
egress having been blocked up.
The North coast is a wild one; but there, again, Port Rush and
Londonderry are very safe, and Port Rush is an especially snug little
harbour. Care should be taken to work Rathlin Island Sound with the
tide, whichever way it is wished to sail, as the tide rush there is
very strong. Between Rathlin and Belfast are bays, each of which has
its small tidal harbour, and, if the weather is threatening, the
distances between them are so short that opportunities can be snatched
for going from one to the other. Larne itself is a fine harbour.
Coming from the North to the South of England, a yacht of 30 ft. and 5
ft. 6 in. draught can be taken by train and launched with the greatest
ease in Southampton Dock, and Southampton being so near London makes
it the rendezvous of many cruising yachts. A good cruise from there is
to run across to Havre (Rouen is easily reached by train from Havre,
and well worth a visit), thence to Cherbourg, thence through the
Alderney Race, between Cape La Hogue and the back of Sark, to
Guernsey.
At Guernsey the yacht's copper should be cleaned, if necessary. It is
the best harbour in the English Channel for scrubbing the bottom, as
there is good mud and a capital supply of running water close and
handy at low water. From Guernsey, weather permitting, with the aid of
a fisherman or pilot, the yacht can be taken across to Sark one day
and to Herm another. Sark is one of the loveliest and most picturesque
islands on our coasts. Any trip to Jersey ought to be made by steamer,
as it is an abominable harbour for a yacht, the rise and fall of the
tide being over 40 feet.
The next sea run may be to Falmouth, thence to Fowey, Polperro (this
port had better not be entered except by dinghy, but it is a very
quaint little fishing village and not much frequented except by
trawlers), Looe (this is an open anchorage), and Plymouth. All these
places have beautiful rivers, with the exception of Polperro, and the
Fal and Tamar are both navigable at high water some considerable
distance up.
Leaving Plymouth, the yacht might very well touch at the mouth of the
Yalme, and the dinghy be rowed up the river. Salcomb and Dartmouth
should not be left out, and both have rivers, the heads of which
should be seen. Dartmouth is a well-known yachting station, and its
club is very prettily situated, so that the members have a full view
of the anchorage. The tide there is strong, and two anchors will prove
better than one.
Torbay comes next in order, working back to Southampton, with Brixham
and Torquay; both so often described that it would be wasting space to
add anything to what has already been said.
The only gauntlets to be run are West Bay, which can be very
troublesome at times, and the Race off Portland Bill, which can
generally be avoided by hugging the shore of the Bill. Weymouth,
again, requires no words of encomium. It is as well to anchor off
Portland or go right up Weymouth Harbour, where the yacht will have to
take the ground.
From Weymouth to Swanage is an afternoon's sail, but it is scarcely
worth while going into the bay, unless the weather is boisterous from
the west or south-west, when the yacht will find a very good berth
free from the turmoil of the elements. There is a race off St. Alban's
Head, which can always be avoided by keeping well out a couple of
miles. When Swanage has been left behind, the course should be steered
for the Needles. Once inside the Solent, Yarmouth in the Isle of
Wight, and Lymington on the Hampshire coast, Cowes, Ryde, Bembridge,
and Portsmouth all open up ports and land, not only different in
scenery from any that is visible in the North, but spots and
localities interesting on account of the history attached to them.
The Dutch coast with its canals, Norway with its fiords, and Sweden
with its canal running from Christiania to Stockholm, all merit a
description did these pages permit, and are well worth the time taken
up in a summer cruise; but whichever way the yacht's head may be
turned, or whatever seas may be chosen to be cruised over, the
following few hints may prove serviceable.
In cruising along an unknown coast, it is always well to keep a good
look out for buoys or boats at anchor inshore. It may be a great help
in cheating tides. For instance if the yacht is struggling against a
strong tide, an inshore eddy may be discovered from the way the boats
are lying, and so, by making use of it, a long journey may be
shortened and time saved.
Barges and coasters, especially small ones, should be watched. They,
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, know the tides, currents, and
eddies thoroughly, and the best course to be steered from one point to
another. If a short cut can be taken, the coaster is sure to know it,
and he can be followed through narrow channels with the greatest
safety. A coaster rarely draws less than 6 feet when full up with
cargo, or a barge less than 4 to 5 feet.
When sailing along the bight of a bay, with the wind off the shore and
close-hauled, because in the bight itself the wind may come off a
point or so free, the yacht's sheets should not therefore be checked,
but she should be still kept a clean full and bye; for, as the further
point of the bay is reached, the wind will be sure to head and come
off the land, and instead of being able to round the head close in
shore, most likely the yacht will have to be kept away, and much
valuable time and distance lost.
When passing high land, with the wind off the shore, care should be
exercised should a gully, valley, or ravine open out, for fear a
sudden squall may take the yacht aback, and a topsail and topmast be
sent flying. The wind is very much influenced by the lay of the land,
not only in the matter of the direction in which it blows, but also
the power of its gusts.
Regard should always be paid, on entering land-locked waters from the
open sea, to the force of the wind. Many open-sea sailors, from being
accustomed to a fair amount of wave disturbance whenever the wind has
any strength in it, are misled when sailing in enclosed lochs by the
smoothness of the water, and so, misjudging the force of the wind, are
apt to carry on longer than is desirable, to the danger of spars.
When cruising in the vicinity of yachts racing, the yacht should be
kept well out of the way to leeward; and if by chance she happens to
find herself to windward of an approaching racing yacht, her head
should be turned in whatever direction will seem the best for not
taking the wind out of the racer's sails.
When coming to in unknown or any other roads or anchorage, the
prevailing wind should not be forgotten, and the spot chosen for
letting go the killick should be one from which a speedy retreat can
be made should necessity compel. An outside berth in a close-crowded
anchorage is therefore always the safest, though, perhaps, not always
the most agreeable. The writer hopes that these few wrinkles may prove
as serviceable to the readers of these pages as they have been from
time to time to himself.
It must be remembered that, when the yachtsman is caught out in a
breeze of wind and is obliged to take in a couple of reefs in the
mainsail, house his topmast, and shift his jibs, it does not
necessarily mean the presence of 'great guns.' It takes very little
wind to raise a sea in the channels round our coasts, and to make the
small yachtsman sniff a hurricane. In order, therefore, to become
accurate about the force of the wind or sea, the writer recommends the
'Meteorological Notes,' supplied (at 5_s._ per annum) by Mr. Scott
from the Meteorological Office, London, as being most useful for the
purpose, and most interesting for reference. His principle is to have
the papers sent to his home address, where they remain till the
yacht's return to lay up. Then the log or note-book is brought out,
notes of the dates on which he relieved his bark and had been more
severely knocked about than usual are referred back to, and a very
fair idea as to the true local weather is obtained. A knowledge of
wind and weather is soon acquired thus.
[Illustration: In the Channel.]