HINTS ABOUT BOATING AND CANOEING
The following rhyme was thought to be very funny when I was a boy:
"Mother, dear, may I go in to swim?
Yes, my lovely daughter;
Hang your clothes on a hickory limb,
But don't go near the water."
I must reserve for "Swimming" a good long chapter, but let me say in
all seriousness, before writing anything about boating, that every boy
should learn to swim before he undertakes to manage a boat, or even to
handle a raft. It is surprising at what an early age this most
essential art is acquired, and once learned, it is never forgotten.
It is better, if you are going a-boating, not to wear your Sunday-go-
to-meeting clothes. Any old clothes will do, provided they are not too
heavy. Shoes are always in the way, more particularly if you should be
sent splashing overboard.
A bathing suit, good for a swim or a row, can be made from an old
undershirt, with the sleeves cut short. An old pair of drawers, cut
off at the knees and hemmed will do, and these can be fastened to the
shirt by a light belt or buttons.
Of course, in such a rig as I have described, you are pretty sure to
get sunburned to start off with, and I need not tell you that there is
no fun about that. Now, if you stand the exposure for about an hour
and then cover up, and the next day try an hour and a half, and so on,
the skin will turn at first to a light pink and gradually pass to a
brown, without the slightest pain or inconvenience. Or if you begin by
covering the exposed parts with sweet oil, vaseline, lard, or mutton
tallow, without salt, you will not suffer from sunburn.
As I have said, learn to swim, but in the event of a capsize, even if
you can swim, stick to your boat or canoe till help comes, unless you
should be so close to the shore as to be quite sure of reaching it,
and even then it is best to tow the boat along.
Every canoe should be provided with cork life preservers. They are
cheap and can be used as seats, if placed in the bottom.
Every boy, whether living by an inland stream, where a boat can be
used, or at the seashore, should know the names of the different parts
of boats. Here is a short definition of the terms that may be of use:
The Bow is the front end of the boat.
The Stern is the rear end.
Fore'ard means toward the bow.
Aft, toward the stern.
The hull is the part of the boat without masts, spars, oars, or
rigging.
The keel, like the runner of a skate, runs along the center of the
bottom of the boat. It keeps a boat under sail from sliding sideways.
Starboard is the right-hand side of the boat as you face the bow.
Port is the left-hand side, looking in the same direction.
After dark ships and boats carry a red light at the bow on the port
side, and a green light on the starboard.
The Rudder is a movable piece of board at the stern, by means of which
the craft is steered. It is worked by a lever, ropes, or a wheel. The
lever is called "the tiller."
The Helm is that part of the machinery you grasp when steering.
The Deck is the roof of the hull.
The Center Board is an adjustable keel that can be lowered or raised
at pleasure.
The Masts are upright poles to support the rigging and sails.
The Yards are poles hung on the masts at right angles to them, from
which the sails hang when in use, and on which they are furled or
folded when not in use.
The Boom is the movable spar at the bottom of the sail.
The Gaff is the pole or spar for spreading the top or head of the
sail.
The Sail is really a canvas kite fastened to the boat.
The Bowsprit is the stick projecting from the bow.
The Rigging consists of the ropes attached to masts and bowsprit.
Stays are strong ropes for supporting the masts fore and aft.
Shrouds are strong supporting ropes reaching from the masts to the
sides of the boat.
Ratlines are little ropes fastened to the shrouds by which sailors may
climb up or down.
The painter is a rope at the bow, used to fasten small boats as a
halter fastens a horse.
Windward means the side of the boat against which the wind blows.
Leeward, opposite side to windward.
Ballast weights of stone, iron or bags of sand used to balance the
boat. A good way to learn about the parts of a boat is to whittle out
a small working model. This is a help, but only the actual experience
can teach you how to manage a sail and at the same time steer the
boat. Of course, you can learn this for yourself, but the better way
is to serve an apprenticeship to some more experienced companion.
The first essential to a sail boat is that it should be well made and
properly balanced. The second, that it should be carefully rigged, and
the third that the man in charge should know just how to avail himself
of these advantages.
Sailing before the wind is easy enough. It is in tacking and beating
up against the wind that skill and care are required. Jibing, that is
changing the boom and sail when tacking, requires the greatest care,
particularly if the wind is stiff, and beginners should never be
permitted to attempt it.
Where the water is apt to be rough, the sail of every boat should be
provided with reefing points--that is little ropes. They are on both
sides of the sail. The sail is rolled up from the bottom and tied down
to the boom. This is called "reefing" or "shortening" sail.
At nights small boats and canoes should carry lights, as before
indicated. It is a difficult thing to make a sailor through books. The
best that can be done is to advise what to do, and still more, _what
not to do._
ADVICE
Don't overload the boat.
Don't carry too much sail.
Don't trust yourself alone in strange waters.
Don't leave your anchor at home.
Don't forget your oars.
Don't sit on the gunwale-the edge of the boat.
Don't alter course too suddenly.
Don't let go the helm for an instant.
Don't mistake caution for cowardice.
Don't be afraid to reef.
Don't let your gear get snarled.
Don't jibe in a stiff wind.
Don't get rattled.
Don't sail with "fool" companions.
Of course, there are many other "don'ts" that will suggest themselves
to the sensible boy; among them, "Don't fail to keep your boat pumped
out or bailed," and "don't forget to carry an anchor of some sort,"
and not the least important," don't leave your eatables and drinkables
ashore."