His best plan is to remain at anchor at the mouth of the river until low water, he can then work his way up the channel on the young flood, when the shoals are uncovered and the channels easily distinguished. And even if he does run aground, the water is rising under him so that he will soon float off.
While sailing a small craft, if you pass close under the lee of a large vessel, you will find that she will take all the wind out of your sails and you will be becalmed. Look out, if the day be a breezy one, for the sudden blow with which the wind will strike you again when the vessel is passed. As your vessel will probably have lost nearly all her way while under the lee of the other, the first pressure of the wind will be entirely exerted in heeling your craft over.
Therefore lower your peak, or have your sheets ready to slack out while under the lee of the other vessel.
The spinnaker is the only sail on board our yawl whose management has not been described. When not in use, the spinnaker boom is topped along the mast, and secured by lashings to the shrouds. To set the spinnaker, cast off the boom lashings. Lower the boom over the side, keeping it still well topped up. Guy it with the fore and the after guys. Bend the outhaul and halyards on the sail. Belay the sheet loosely. First haul the sail up with the halyards. Then haul it along the boom with the outhaul. Then trim in the sheet.
Before we leave the subject of handling a fore-and-after, we will point out that if a vessel be sluggish in stays, it is advisable, instead of leaving the foresheet fast and keeping the foresail aback till the vessel has paid off on the other tack, to let fly the foresheet as the vessel comes up into the wind, thus taking the pressure off the head sails and making her come up the quicker; then, as soon as the vessel is in the wind’s eye, to haul the foresheet in again, so that the foresail to windward helps the vessel round. Keep it to windward no longer than is necessary; then, as before, let fly the weather sheet and trim in the lee.
CHAPTER VIII.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.
Towing a dinghy—Berthon boats—To prevent a dinghy bumping against an anchored yacht—Foul anchor—Mooring—The drogue—The management of open boats in a heavy sea—Management of a yacht in a rough sea—Boarding—Inventory.
In the last chapter we have described the principal manœuvres that must be employed on a small yacht. This chapter will contain a variety of wrinkles connected with the management of a yacht or boat which may be of service to a novice.
Towing a Dinghy.—If a yacht is running before a high sea, a dinghy towing astern is apt to rush violently down upon the yacht at intervals and possibly stave herself in. Some give a dinghy a long scope of painter under these circumstances, so as to keep her far astern out of the way. But the long painter allows her more play, and if she does swoop down upon the yacht and strike her it will be with far greater force than if the painter were short. The author, having no room for her on the deck of his yacht, once towed a dinghy all the way to Copenhagen and back, and though on several occasions he was running before a high sea the dinghy never inflicted the slightest injury either on herself or on the yacht. The method which he found to be the best in rough weather, was to tow the dinghy with two very short painters, one to either quarter of the yacht, while an iron half-hundred weight was lashed to the floor of the dinghy close to her stern. This weight steadied her so that she steered straight, did not yaw about, and did not run down upon the yacht. The short painters kept her nose right out of the water so that she could not be swamped. If a sea had filled her—it never did—it would have almost all run out over her stern again. The yacht, it may be mentioned, had a pointed stern, a great advantage when a boat must be towed. Overhanging counters have caused the destruction of many dinghys.
Few small yachts have accommodation on deck for a wooden dinghy. A Berthon collapsible boat, which can be easily stowed in the cabin or laid flat on deck is therefore a great advantage for a small craft. For, however safely a dinghy may tow astern, she greatly impedes the speed of the yacht.