The clew of the sail must be free whilst the tack is bowsed down, the clew is then hauled out on the boom by a traveller similar to the mast traveller. The boom should be a good stiff stick, as, if it bends, a slack leech and belly to the sail will be the result. The sheet is a gun tackle purchase, and on a wind the boom is hauled in as flat as it can be got.
In tacking, the heel of the yard is pulled the other side of the mast by main force as the boat comes head to wind ; a short line fast to the heel of the yard is found to facilitate this operation.
In lowering the sail the first thing to do is to let the clew loose and cast off the tack.
In reefing, the tack tackle and hook of the boom traveller are shifted to the reef cringles, the sail set up, and then the reef points tied. Points are put close to the reef cringles, to tie the ends up snugly. The reef bands are 2ft. apart.
The wizen is set the same as the mainsail, but the tack and clew are made fast to the boom by lashings, as the heel of the yard can be easily shifted.
The Monte Videan boats have a claw on the heel of the yard, made as shown by Fig. 91, to fit on the aft side of the mast; then no dipping is required at all. a is the yard, c the claw, d the mast. Sometimes instead of a claw, a double iron is used, the part which encircles the mast being hinged and fastened by a pin.
These contrivances serve to keep the yard steady whilst reefing, and admit of the tack tackle being dispensed with ; the tack tackle, however, is gene rally preferred, as it fairly brings a strain on the luff and foot of the sail.
The topmasts are generally put up through a split cap c (Fig. 92) on the mast head m. The top mast is got on end by hand. The halyards and back stays are cleared through the gap a. The heel of the top mast has a rope rove through it, by which it is lashed to the mast. Another plan was adopted in the Elaine, thus : An iron cap, A (Fig. 93), is fitted to the topmast k, and remains on the topmast a fixture ; when the latter is got on end it is shoved up in front of the mast, and " shipped " by putting the part of the cap a over the masthead (m) as the topmast is got up. The heel of the topmast is then lashed to the mast. The part of the iron a must fit loosely on the masthead. Sometimes the parts a and k are made equal; in such case the masthead, or " pole " of the mast, must be reduced to the size of the topmast. The iron cap is riveted as shown at r. B shows the masthead, with topmast, and iron cap fitted on at a and resting on the iron rigging hoop d. The shroud 8 is hooked to an eye in the rigging hoop d. The jib halyards h are hooked to an eye at the fore side of the hoop. The Elaine's topmast is 20ft. long, with the cap in the centre of length.
Two or three of the boats have topsails on bamboo yards ; but they are of no use on a wind, and do not give much additional area. On the other hand, they add to the gear; and, as the boats are already full of necessary sails, gear, and spars on match sailing days, everything in the slightest degree superfluous is rigidly condemned.
The bowsprit is shipped through an iron hoop on the stem, and the heel fitted into a socket in the mooring bitt, which is fixed about a foot ahead of the mast; the bobstay is of wire, and is set up with a gun-tackle pur chase, the outer block being hooked into an eye at the end of the bowsprit.
There are no shrouds to the mizen mast ; the sail is hoisted by single halyards. The foot of the sail is generally laced to a boom. The sheet is taken down to a short bumpkin which ships and unships, and projects about aft. beyond the taffrail. The standing part of the sheet is fast to the bumpkin end, it then leads through a strop block on the boom, down through a sheave in the bumpkin end, and from there leads on board. The mizen mast is shipped into a clamp, at one side of the rudder, at the fore side of the transom. Care must be taken that there is plenty of drift between the mizen boom and bumpkin, so as to get the sheet well in.
The jib sheets are led through an eye bolt inside the gunwale, or on one of the fore-thwart knees; they lead aft, and are belayed to a pin in the centre of the thwart, and can consequently be handled without going to leeward.
The main sheet is single, and works on a short iron horse about lft. 2in. long, secured to a thwart about two-thirds of the length of the boom from the mast. The standing part of the sheet is fast to a single block on the traveller ; it leads through a single strop block on the boom (or a clip hook block, hooked into strop), then back through the block on the traveller and the fall hitched round the parts.
All the boats have jib-booms (for carrying balloon jibs), and these are shipped the same as the topmasts, with a gap in the jibboom iron or cap on jib-boom.
The dimensions of the Elaine sails are as follows : This season the New Brighton Sailing Club have rescinded the restriction placed upon the sail plan of the boats, and as a consequence, gaff sails and the cutter rig are likely to displace the picturesque lug. The Pearl, a new boat built this year (22ft. 6in. long by 6ft. 8iin. breadth), is cutter-rigged, and her sail plan is representative of the others which have been altered from the lug rig.
The topmast is fitted with a heel rope, which passes through a sheave hole in the mast head. When the topmast is hoisted the rope is belayed, and no fid is used. Cross trees are hinged to the heel of the topmast, and are pointed up as the topmast (backstays and hal yards included) is slowed up through the split cap (see Fig. 92). The jibboom is fitted in the same manner as Elaine's. The "ring tail" is fitted similarly to the plan described under the head of " Seamanship" (see ante).
A. few years ago the New Brighton boats had no counters, and were fitted with sprit sails, as already explained, and Plate XV. (see Fig. 94 for her body plan) represents such a boat, named the Jabberwock. She was designed by Mr. Clayton, and was very successful.
The Jabberwock had a length between stem and stern post of 26ft. 6in., and greatest beam of 6ft. 9in., and she had no counter. Her draught aft was aft. ; amidships 2ft. 5in. She had 7cwt. of ballast outside on her keel, and 4iewt. inside, besides a crew of five or six.
The boat sailed well with jib, sprit-foresail and mizen (see Fig. 95), and was very handy; the main-sprit being only set in light weather. A very snug rig was made by stepping the mainmast in the thwart shown by the ticked line ; jib tacked to stem head and reefed mizen.