Yachting, Vol. 2

by R. T. Pritchett; G. L. Blake; Marquis of Frederick Temple Blackwood Dufferin and Ava; James McFerran; T. B. Middleton

Even in a boat of the size now under description, it will be understood that the hoisting of the sails and the getting aft of the head-sheets in a strong breeze would tax the strength of an ordinary person; but, still carrying out the principle of doing everything with the least possible exertion, small gipsy winches of a peculiar pattern are largely employed, and form a very remarkable feature in the fittings of the vessel (figs. 16 and 17). These winches are all made so as to be easily shipped and unshipped at will, as they slide into brass grooves affixed to the deck, and are worked with ratchet handles, to which are attached strong steel springs in order to insure the ratchets always biting in the cogs. Altogether, there are ten gipsy winches on board, two on the deck on each side of the cockpit, two on the cabin top just forward of the belaying-pin rack, and two on the deck in front of the mainmast. The two on each side of the cockpit are used for the head-sheets. The sheets, led aft as previously described, are given a couple of turns round the barrel of the winch, and then belayed to their cleats. In getting them in after going about, they are first hauled hand-taut, then the ratchet handle is worked until they are as tight as may be desired, after which they are belayed. These operations are performed in a very few seconds, and the power of the winches is so great that the sheets are got in flatter than would be possible by any other means. The four winches on the cabin top are employed in the same manner for the main and peak halliards, or for the topsail tack, sheet and halliards, as may be required. The two forward of the mast are used for any purpose for which it may be required to use a purchase. The winches have all worked admirably from the time they were first fitted; they are not in the least in the way, and the simplicity of their operation and the extraordinary power which can be developed from them would scarcely be credited by anyone who has not seen them in actual use. The jib and staysail sheets were at first fitted with tackles; but the introduction of the winches has rendered tackles unnecessary. For the same reason, the main, peak and jib purchases, which were fitted when the little vessel was first prepared for sea, have been dispensed with, as the winches give all the power that can be desired.

Forward of, and attached to, the mainmast a long hawser is kept constantly stowed, to be used as a tow-rope in case towing by a steam-launch or tug should be necessary, as sometimes happens in a calm. This hawser is bulky and unwieldy to handle when wet, and it is understood that on the first opportunity there is to be substituted for it a light steel-wire hawser wound on a miniature but sufficiently strong drum, carried forward, in the same manner that steel hawsers are disposed of on the decks of large vessels.

Having now completed the description of the main features of the vessel, a word or two may be said about her minor fittings, which are also worthy of notice.

In most single-handed boats the helmsman is constantly bothered by his head-sheets, especially when there is a strong breeze, getting foul of something, thus necessitating his going forward to clear them. In 'The Lady Hermione' this inconvenience is entirely obviated by brass guards placed over all the projections upon which it is possible for a rope to catch. In this way the fair-leads in the bow, the windlass and the gipsy winches forward, are all protected, so that it is impossible for a rope to get foul anywhere.

In order to harmonise with the rest of the metal-work, the screws by which the rigging is set up are all of gun-metal, instead of the galvanised iron usually employed for the purpose.

Round the entire gunwale there runs a steel-wire ridge-rope, supported on brass stanchions, so that anyone moving about the deck in heavy weather may have something to hold on by.

In front of the mast there is a ladder made of steel-wire rope with wooden steps, leading from the deck to the crosstrees, which is very convenient in case anything has to be done aloft. This ladder is set up to the deck with brass screws, similar to those used for the rigging.

On the top of the cabin, in front of the steersman and between the gipsy winches, is a lifeboat liquid-compass fitted with a binnacle, the compass, like almost every fitting on board, being made to ship and unship, so as to be stowed out of the way when not in use (figs. 18 and 19).

As the little vessel when abroad was frequently sailed in the winter months, when, even in the Mediterranean, it is somewhat bitterly cold, a brass charcoal stove or chafing-dish of the kind used in Turkey, and there called a 'mangal,' is fitted at the bottom of the cockpit. It is covered with a brass grating, which forms a floor for the helmsman to stand on; and the heat from below keeps him comfortably warm, even in the coldest weather.

Another provision against the weather is a large umbrella for the use of any lady passenger when sailing under a strong sun. When in use the handle is fitted into a socket on the coaming of the hatchway, the socket being fitted with a universal joint, so that the umbrella may be adjusted in any desired position. There are two sockets, one on either side of the cockpit, in order that the umbrella may be carried on whichever side is most convenient (fig. 20).