It can be supposed that the vessel is sailing in a pretty regular sea, and that she rises, and at the same time cleaves through a wave as at A (Fig. 44). Whilst she is going up through the wave, or scending, she will show a tendency to come up to the wind, as her stern will be so little pressed by the water that it will go off to leeward. She will stop in suspense for a moment and then pass rapidly through the wave, and the next moment will be in the position B (Fig. 45), when her bow, being unsup ported, it will fly off the wind. This latter tendency must be guarded against, as in another moment the vessel will be in the position C (Fig. 46), with water well nigh up to the bowsprit bitts. She will rise streaming with water at d, and take the position A again, and so on ad nauseam. Very frequently a vessel will shoot so far through a wave when in the position A, that she even gets farther through it than shown by B ; this is what a vessel does that is sailed fast through a sea with a lot of canvas and with a tremendous momentum, due to the speed and weight of the vessel and her manner of ballasting. Often three bigger waves than usual will come one after the other and then there will be a smooth but frequently the three are thought to follow, when in reality the vessel is only plunging from the effects of the motion imparted to her by one big wave. At any rate when the vessel gets into the position B, she should be put as fairly into the sea ahead of her as possible. If there is no big sea ahead she will fall harmlessly enough into the trough and will hardly require easing.
In sailing a vessel hard through a sea like this, the motion will necessarily be unpleasant, as, instead of rising leisurely as it were to the waves, and pitching gently, the vessel will more or less of her own momentum throw herself ahead; this will not only make the motion quick and unpleasant, but will put a great strain on the gear, but as it is more a question of getting through the sea than riding over it with comfort and with safety to the gear, the last words on this subject will be, keep a firm hold of the weather tiller lines. SAILING OFF THE WIND.—Sailing off the wind means that the vessel is more away from the wind than the close-hauled point, and applies up to the time when the wind blows four points abaft the beam, when the wind would be quarterly. In sailing with the wind abeam, the head sheets must not be eased up too much, but a good strain must be kept on them, as the vessel is almost certain to gripe a great deal, and to show a tendency to fly to ; of course, if the head sheets are eased up so that the sails are always lifting, this tendency will be much more urgent. Neither must the mainsheet be eased off too far; if it is, the weather cloths of the sail will " lift " and go into folds. If the fore part of the sail does so lift, the mainsheet must be drawn in a little until the sail has the full weight of the wind and falls " asleep." Frequently the luff of the sail may be quiet enough, but the topsail may lift, and that will be a sign that the mainboom wants hauling aboard a little, so as to get the peak more inboard, and thus make the topsail stand better. But the mainsail must not be pinned for the mere object of
making the topsail stand ; if the luff of the latter be to windward of the topmast, the cause of its lifting may be the eddy wind round the topmast. With the wind abeam the vessel will be laying her course, and the helmsman will have to steer by compass or by keeping some object straight on for the bowsprit end. Every tendency the vessel shows to fly up in the wind must be promptly met by the helm ; do not hold the helm as if the object was to keep it rigidly in one position, nor wait until the vessel's head has ranged up two or three points. Watch the compass card or the object you are steering for, and directly the vessel brings her head to windward give her a little weather helm and keep her straight if you can. If she shows a tendency to fall off, meet her promptly with a little lee helm, and always remember that the object is to make her keep a straight course, and to prevent her yawing either on or off the wind. It will not be a question of keeping the sails full and no more than full, but that of making the vessel go straight as an arrow for her object, always lecting that if she yaws about that of itself will stop her way, and there will be also the retarding action of the rudder to bring her back on her course ; therefore using a little helm promptly will prevent yawing, and the checking of the vessel's way from this cause will be reduced to a minimum.
But a vessel may gripe through the wind shifting more aft, or she may show a tendency to run off through the wind coming more ahead, therefore the vane must be watched, and the blowing of the wind on the face should also be regarded. In match sailing especially, slight alterations in the wind should be observed, and we have frequently seen the mainsheet laid along the weather side of the deck in the hands of the crew, who slackened off or drew in the boom to suit every slight alteration in the wind. Of course this would only be done in very light winds, but all cases and alterations in the wind that make a palpable difference on the amount of weather helm carried, should be promptly provided for by trimming the sheets.
With a beam wind if there is much strength in it—so strong that a topsail lays her in to the deck edge—the vessel in the puffs will now and again shove her rail under, but she should never be permanently sailed with more than two or three planks of the deck awash. Sail should be shortened without hesitation if the reach is a long one, and if the wind. seems bent on a good steady blow. But if it is a mere puff, or if the reach be a short one of a half mile or so, the vessel must be eased to get the water off deck, and ramped along again in the lulls. Some judgment must be exercised in so easing a vessel, as if her sails are made to lift very much her way will be stopped; on the other hand, if she has to sail with her lee deck full of water up to the rail, that will stop her way, and so the aim must be to stop her speed as little as possible from either cause, and as before said, if the reach be long and the wind a lasting one shorten sail.