CHINESE LUG SAILS.
The Chinese plan of battening a sail has been very much recom mended, and there is not much doubt that battens will keep a sail from going into a bag ; the only objection to them of any importance is that they so much increase the weight of the sail. For a sail of the proportions given in the drawing (scale iin. to 1 ft.), the battens should be lin. thick, and 'Lain. deep, tapering towards the ends (three battens, lft. 6in. distant at the luff of the sail, and 2ft. at the after leech). A reef band is sown on the sail to receive each batten, and the latter will be lashed at either end to leech and luff of the sail through thimbles ; and, again, a thimble will be securely seized to each end of the battens, for the reef earings to be rove through.
The sketch shown on Plate VII. (scale fin. equal to lft.), made by Mr. W. Baden Powell, shows the arrangement of battens. Mr. Powell thus describes the gear and fitting of the sail : " Rig.—Mainsail of the largest size the boat will carry in a steady moderate breeze, placed forward so that its centre of effort comes ahead of the centre of lateral resistance of the boat ; wizen of the same cut as main, but of such size and so placed as to bring the centre of effort of the whole sail plan aft of the centre of lateral resistance (for a small boat should always carry weather helm ; without it safety does not exist).
" Fitting.—The mainsail is fitted with a yard, a boom, and three or four battens ; the sail is laced to yard and boom ; the battens are lashed at their ends to luff and leech, and are, as it were, rove through a horizontal seam on the sail formed by sewing a reef band' across the sail to take the batten. The battens are made of pine, and taper at the ends like topsail yards. They are about lfin. in diameter in the middle. The reef earings reeve through thimbles on the boom ends, and belay to `patent' cleats on the boom.
" Halyards.—Toggle on the single part to a becket or strop on the yard. The battens and the yard are kept in to mast by toggle and becket parrels.
" Tack is a single rope, leading from the well to a block on deck at side of mast ; it then toggles to a becket on boom, about one-eighth the boom's length from fore-end. Both tack and halyards can be fitted with a purchase for setting up, according to the size of the craft.
" The sail should be cut with very great peak ' (yard as long as 000m), so as to allow of a forestay, by which to lower the mast. The mast fitted on a tabernacle '* and pinned above deck, is a sine pa non, whether the boat be used for river or sea work ; bridges and tow ropes come against your mast in river work—ships' warps in harbours ; and, when at anchor fishing, or tide waiting in a sea chuck-up, it is almost impossible to stand up forward and unship the mast, yet the great swaggering stick will not permit your little ship to ride easy.
" A topping lift is fitted, standing part fast to masthead, then down one side of sail, to reeve through sheet block strop thimble ; then up on other side of sail to and through a block at masthead, and down to the deck. Being through sheet block strop, which toggles on to boom, this topping lift remains with sheet on mast when sail is taken off and stowed away, and is thus ready for a change of sails.
" A kind of gathering line, or sail keeper, is fitted to hold the sail up clear of the deck at the mast when it is lowered down, thus : one end fast at masthead, then down the side of sail on which the mast is not, and round under boom, and up, making it fast round the mast about lft. above the boom : thus, when going to set up sail, you place forward end of boom, yard, and batten all in a bunch, between the mast and gathering flues, then the after ends through between the two parts of the topping lift; toggle the sheet, tack, and halyard on, and the sail is ready to set ; the batten parrels can be toggled at any time afterwards, as they only effect a good ' sit ' to the sail.