Hints to Travellers, Scientific and General, Vol. 2 / Tenth edition, revised and corrected

by Royal Geographical Society

Boating.

When a traveller has to proceed for some distance overland before reaching a river or lake he purposes to navigate, he must of necessity provide himself with a boat constructed in such a manner as to be easily transported, either by being built in sections, that can be put together and taken to pieces at pleasure, or by taking one of the collapsible boats, such as Berthon’s. If the former, he cannot do better than to have one built of Spanish cedar, on the same plan as that which was constructed for Sir H. M. Stanley, by Mr. James Messenger, of Teddington, with such modifications as may be necessary, when the means of transport, and the nature of his journey, have been duly considered. Collapsible boats, though very useful for ferrying across lakes or rivers, cannot, where a boat of other construction is available, be recommended for a continued exploration.

If the exploration is to be commenced at the mouth of the river, a whale-boat will be found to be the best form of boat for the following reasons. Being steered by an oar, it is more easily handled in surf or a rapid; it is generally faster than boats of the same size of ordinary build; it will carry a good cargo, sail well off the wind, and is the best boat built for crossing the bars of rivers, or landing through a surf. Such a boat can generally be purchased at foreign ports, with oars and sail, and should be well overhauled before starting.

Boat-sailing cannot be taught by any book, and certainly not by a few short notes of this description. The traveller, therefore, who intends using a boat for exploration, should gather some experience before starting, which can be done at any fishing village on the coast. This will be the more necessary if he intends to use his boat on a lake, or for sailing along the coast, from the mouth of one river to another, and the following hints may, it is hoped, be useful to those who have had but small experience in boat-sailing.

When under sail, never, under any circumstances, allow the sheet to be made fast; a turn should be taken round a cleat, and it should be held by one of the crew ready to let go at any moment. Do not let the crew stand up, or sit on the gunwale. When about to round-to, remember that you cannot carry the same canvas on a wind that you can before it. If caught in a squall, put down the helm at once, ease the sheet, and if the squall is a bad one, lower the sail while it is still shaking. When approaching a danger, such as a rock, do not stand on if you are in doubt about weathering it, but go about in time, and have an oar ready to help the boat round if she appears likely to miss stays. Never carry too much sail, as there is considerable danger in doing so, and a boat will often sail faster with a reef taken in, than she will when unduly pressed. If necessary to take in a reef when sailing on a wind, do not luff, but check the sheet, lower the sail sufficiently to shift the tack, gather the sheet aft so that the men may take in the reef without leaning over the gunwale, shift the sheet, hoist the sail, while the sheet is slack, and do not haul the sheet aft until the men are again in their places.

Rowing.—This can only be acquired by practice, and though the traveller will seldom be called on to take an oar himself, circumstances may arise when he may have to do so, and we would, therefore, advise him to learn how to handle an oar before leaving England. Under ordinary circumstances, rowing on a river is sufficiently simple, and calls for no special instructions. The case, however, is very different when a river bar has to be crossed, or a landing made on a beach where a surf is breaking, and in either case it will be well to remember the following hints. On approaching the shore, a surf when seen from seaward never looks so bad as it really is. Where possible, a landing should not be attempted until opposite a village where the natives will be ready to assist the moment the boat touches the beach. When the surf is heavy, the boat should be backed in, pulling a few strokes to meet each heavy sea, and then backing in again until the shore is reached. The great thing to avoid is, letting the boat get broadside to the sea, as she will then capsize; a steer-oar should always be used, as a rudder is of little use in a surf, when backing in.

In crossing a bar, if there is a good, strong, fair wind, it will generally be best to cross under sail; but if the wind is light or variable, this should never be attempted. When rowing, the crew should be cautioned to keep their oars out of the water when the sea breaks round the boat, and to commence rowing again as quickly as possible afterwards. As even in the most experienced hands a boat will often be swamped on a bad bar, it will be well, before attempting to cross it, to prepare for a swim by removing all superfluous clothing, and see that everything that will float in the boat should be left free to float, while things that will sink, such as fire-arms, &c., should be securely fastened to the thwarts.

The remarks given on canoeing with regard to loading, to ascending and descending rapid rivers, are equally applicable to boating under similar circumstances, with the following exceptions. In towing, a short mast should be used to which the line is made fast; this is stepped in the same place as the mast, and should be stayed, so as to resist the strain of the tow-line. Paddles will often be found useful in reedy rivers where the oars get entangled. As a whale-boat empty will weigh about five hundredweight, more care must be taken at portages than in the case of a canoe, which can be lifted bodily over obstacles. The stems of small trees, or the oars should be laid down under the boat, and, where possible, sharp rocks must be avoided or moved out of the way. In a rapid, two men should be in the bow with poles ready to fend off from rocks, and the most experienced man of the crew should be in the stern with the steer-oar.

Although in the foregoing remarks special reference has been made to whale-boats, the hints given are equally applicable to boats of other construction, which should, however, for river work, crossing a bar, or landing through a surf, be fitted with a steer-oar in addition to the rudder. Awnings should be taken, but in rapid rivers, and when under sail, they cannot be used.