In straight stem boats with very little fullness in the forward sections the weight of the crew should be kept aft, as they have a tendency to root—shove their bows down—but in boats with long, full overhangs the weights should be kept forward, as the shape of these craft causes them to shove out the bow and depress and drag the after end.
The most difficult helming of a boat is off the wind in a tall following sea, and great care is necessary then in steering a vessel. If the sea is very heavy and the wind strong do not try to run directly before it, but beat to leeward, first taking the wind on one quarter, and then on the other. If you run dead before, be careful not to let the boat sheer off the helm on either side, or she will be brought by the lee or broach to. If she is brought by the lee her mainsail will jibe over.
You must watch your boat carefully, and you will soon learn to anticipate her next movement, first by noticing the wave that passes, and second by the feeling how she lifts on the one just overtaking her. As soon as the stern lifts she will begin to yaw, as it is called, and then you must at once check this movement by altering the position of the rudder to prevent her swinging too far. This is what is called meeting her with the helm.
One piece of advice when running before a sea: Never get frightened or rattled, and never look behind you, for the sight of a big sea curling up just ready to drop on the stern will scare any one but a hardened sea-dog. Always carry enough sail to keep the boat racing with the waves, or you are liable to get pooped. But do not carry too much sail, for if you do the boat when on top of a wave if struck, as she usually is in such position by a hard puff, is likely to become unmanageable and get away from you.
If you have a boat with a jib, set that and sheet it flat amidships; this when she tries to broach to will fill and drive her head off. If she steers hard trim your mainsheet aft and it will ease her. Lowering the peak and topping up the boom will also ease the steering. Always top up the boom if the sea is heavy, so as to prevent the end of the spar striking the water. Never in heavy weather square the main boom right off; always keep it away from the rigging.
The light sails commonly employed off the wind are the spinnaker and balloon jib. The former is of very little use except with the wind dead aft—that is, directly behind. The moment you have to guy the boom forward to make it draw it loses its power and the balloon jib is a better sail to use. Do not have these sails cut too large, as they are then unhandy and cannot be kept properly sheeted. Never sheet running sails down hard; give them plenty of lift, especially light jibs. A small spinnaker is a great help in steering a boat when running before a strong breeze.
REEFING AND JIBING
By reefing is meant the means by which a sail is reduced in size by rolling up and tying part of it down to a spar. The sail that you will have to reef is the mainsail, as the jib on a small boat is generally too little to be bothered with in that way. You will notice on a sail, stretching across it from luff to leach, a band, or sometimes two or three bands, in which are inserted short lengths of small line. This is the reef band, and the small lengths of rope are called points, or knittles. At either end of the band in the edge of the sail you will find a hole—or cringle, as it is called. The hole at the after end in the leach of the sail is for the pendant, a small rope that hauls the canvas aft or back towards the stern. The hole at the fore end in the luff of the sail is for the tack, a short length of rope that ties the luff of the sail down to the boom.