STERN WAY IN TACKINO.—In square-rigged ships " stern way" is commonly the result of letting the head yards lie aback during tacking, but a fore-and-aft vessel, in tacking under ordinary conditions, should not be 'subject to stern way. However, sometimes, even in smooth water, if a vessel has been brought head to wind either too suddenly or too slowly, she may get stern-way, or be placed in the situation known as " in irons," when she will neither fall off on one tack nor the other, after being brought head to wind. If the vessel has sternway, it must be recollected that the action of the rudder is different from what it is with head way ; that is to say, if during stern way the helm be put to starboard, the action of the water on the rudder will force the stern to port and the bow to starboard ; and if the helm be put to port, the stern will be forced to starboard and the bow to port. Under the influence of head way just the opposite results are obtained. The rudder has very reduced effect in turning a vessel one way or the other during stern way.
Let it be assumed that a vessel has been sailing on the port tack, and on the helm being put down that she failed to get farther than head to wind, or that she got in irons ; the result would be that the wind would drive her astern—this would soon be discovered by looking at the water over the quarter or stern, as the " wake" will show in eddies along the side of the vessel. The helm would be to starboard, and would have to be shifted to port, and the starboard fore sheet and jib sheet hauled in, and the main sheet slacked up. The stern would gradually drive to starboard, and the bow, under the influence of head sails aback, would go off to port. The head sails being aback would of
course increase the stern way, and directly the vessel's head was well off the wind, and the vessel insured against coming to again, the head sheets should be eased up and hauled in to leeward. She would require to fall off till the wind was brought nearly abeam before she gathered headway.
Under the influence of stern way the pressure of water on the lee quarter can be made to help turn the vessel just the same as the pressure on the lee bow helps to press the bow towards the wind when a vessel moves ahead. Or suppose the vessel be head to wind, and has stern way on, and it is desired to cast her head to port, or fill her on the starboard tack; then if she be listed or heeled to port by all hands going on the port side or port quarter, the ardency of the pressure on the port quarter will press the stern to starboard, and necessarily the bow turns to port.
Thus, it will be frequently found, that the bow of a vessel, if she has sternway, and is heeled, will very rapidly fall off to leeward ; even though the head sails are not aback, and the rudder, from the way it is turned, should prevent her doing so.
It should, therefore, be remembered, that when a vessel gets in irons, and is under the influence of stern way, that she should be, if possible, listed on the side it is sought to make the lee side. Easing the main boom off will allow the stern to come up against the wind more rapidly, and will help heel the vessel.