THE MANAGEMENT OF NEW BRIGHTON SAILING BOATS.
Generally the New Brighton Sailing Club boats are moored at the back of the Woodside, or New Brighton stages, and are consequently obliged to unship their masts. Only a few of them are moored sufficiently in the open to enable them to keep their masts standing.
When laying at moorings, the spars are generally secured at one side of the boat, and the sails at the other, covered over with one large sail cover, and lashed to the thwarts.
A little practice soon enables the crews to get up the working lug sails in five or six minutes. The foremast and bowsprit are first shipped. The jib is the first sail set, to act as a forestay, to keep the head of the mast forward; the jib is hauled out with a single outhaul, the halyards having a gun tackle purchase. Belaying pins are placed at the after side of the foremast thwart for securing halyards, &c.
When the jib and jigger are set, the boat is manageable, and can be cast off from her moorings, the big foresail being put up last ; this is done, by first hooking on the tack purchase, then getting the yard into position, so that the grommet strop can be hooked on to the mast halyard traveller; when hoisted the tack is bowled down, a double purchase being necessary in boats of the Elaine size ; last of all, the clew of the sail is hooked into the boom onthaul traveller, hauled out, and the fall secured to a cleat on the lower side of the boom.
The main sheet is generally kept in well taut on a wind, the boom not being allowed to sag away over the side, which it would do if the sheets were double, and taken down to the gunwales.
The lug yard is always kept to the leeward of the mast, and as the halyards are rove through a sheave placed fore and aft, in the centre of the mast, it produces a tendency to keep the head of the sail to windward.
In smooth water the boats will always easily stay, ender almost any sail, but in rough water, the helmsman must watch his chance so as not to get a lump of sea on his weather bow just before the boat gets up in the wind; the helm must be put down gradually, so as not to stop the boat's way ; the jib is passed over as soon as the boat has properly paid off, and gradually eased over, so as not to stop her way. It is often advisable to
ease the jib sheet at the same time that the.helm is put down to let her come head to wind quickly, and then if the boat shows signs of missing stays, a hand going into the bows tends to bring her head to wind (this being a recognised dodge with Liverpool speculating gigmen),* and this hand can hold out the clew of the jib, and so, if necessary, force her round —care, of course, being taken to reverse the helm if the boat gets stern way on her.
Hauling in the last inch of the jigger sheet, just as the helm is put down, is advisable in racing, as it helps make a boat come to quickly ; and then easing it off and not taking it in again until the boat is well under way, allows her to start again quickly.
The mizen lug yard is easily pushed by the helmsman to the lee side of the mast, but the fore lug yard requires a little handling : the easiest and best way to get it over is by fixing a couple of light ropes, about a fathom long, to the foot of the yard, the ends being allowed to drop down at each side of the boom, and by hauling in the weather one, just before the boat comes upright in stays, the yard bends slightly, and passes round the left side of the mast, and flies into its position to leeward, ready for the next tack, this can be done by one hand without jerking the boat unnecessarily, for the most essential element for speed in these as in all other light boats is to get the crew to keep quiet, and if necessary to lay well up to wind ward, often to the extent of getting one leg and part of the body over the weather side—as the spare spars and sails are lashed up to the sides of the boats, they assist the crew in keeping this position.