PENZANCE DIGGERS enjoy a very considerable reputation for weatherliness, and it has even been said that in this quality they exceed the famous cutter yachts of this kingdom. Be this as it may, there is no doubt that with two large and well cut sails, a sharp entrance, and equally sharp run, they are highly adapted for sailing by the wind. They vary in length from 40ft. to 52ft. length of keel, and have a good proportion of beam, usually a little less than one-third the length on deck, or about 0.3 of that length. The greatest beam is on deck, the turn of the bilge is very easy, and the floors nearly straight, with but little dead rise. The displacement of the boats is comparatively small, and although the greatest transverse section is ahead of the centre of length of load line, yet is the centre of buoyancy a little abaft that centre. The displacement of the fore-body and the displacement of the after-body are thus nearly equal, and this is accounted for by the more or less rake given to the mid-section—so that practically the mid-section is not so far forward as the position shown in the drawing —and to the steepness of the buttock lines aft and the lightness of the draught forward. It will be observed that there is little or no dead wood aft, in fact it is " all vessel " there, and the comparative fulness of the buttock lines is compensated for by the fineness of the horizontal or water lines, as shown in the Half Breadth Plan. It is said that the Penzance luggers are wonderfully dry in a head sea, and they are particularly lively. They have long easy lines ; an almost perfectly balanced fore and after body; no weight in the ends ; no heavy bowsprit, or boom, or rigging ; and not a large weight of ballast to carry. The mast, it is true, is stepped rather far forward, but the absence of a bowsprit more than compensates for this, and, whilst it may increase the momentum acquired during pitching and scending, it does not cause them to plunge their bows under. A smaller class of lugger, built on the same lines, but about 30ft. on the keel, for the Pilchard fishing, are open in the
middle, and only decked fore and aft. One of these boats went to Australia in 1848 with five hands for the " diggings." She called off the Cape and took the mails to Melbourne, actually beating the regular Packet, although she had to make a raft or floating anchor of her spars to ride to during a heavy gale.
It is claimed that the Penzance luggers are capable of very high speed, and although they are not asserted to have done such wonderful things as the Yorkshire luggers have, there is no doubt that they are capable of attaining a speed equal to that attained by any other craft of similar length. The design we give (Plate XXXI.) is that of the Colleen Bawn, built at Penzance, by Mr. J. R. Wills, and she is one of the fastest luggers yet built in the west. It will be seen that she has about the length of load line of a racing 20-tonner, but has 5ft. more beam than any such yacht has, and less draught of water. However the " Dewdrop," also built by Mr. Wills, could beat her in a breeze, although she was only 45ft. on the keel and had no counter. The Dewdrop was bought by Mr. T. G. Freke, and fitted up as a yacht. He gave her new spars and a couple of "lugs" which were of unusual size, the bumpkin outrigger for the mizen being 29ft. outboard ; still there was not spread enough for the mizen, and a foot-yard was used after the fashion of the foot-yard to a balloon topsail. She had a mizen staysail and was very remarkable for her close windedness.
The rig it will be seen, upon reference to Fig. 109 (page 377), consists of two lug sails, usually made of cotton and tanned with oak bark and catechu. The fore lug has to be dipped in tacking, but the mizen is a working one and requires no dipping, the tack being made fast at the mast. There is no rigging to either mast, beyond a burton to the fore mast and a stay to the mizen. The burton is brought to windward of the mast, and so is the tye-tackle.