Most careful handling of the helm is necessary in rough water, as a very slight touch will often keep a sea out. It is generally found that the light displacement boats are the liveliest, and driest, in rough weather; and those that take a large quantity of ballast have a high freeboard to keep them dry. A full section forward prevents a boat dipping and taking in volumes of water over the bows, but it is decidenly detrimental to speed in lumpy water, as it hammers on the top of the seas, and so stops the boat's way ; a long floor with hollow sections near the keel under the mast seems to answer best.
In reefing the fore lug, the halyards are lowered the necessary distance down the mast, then the hook of the tack tackle block is hooked into the reef cringle in the luff, and the tack bowsed down ; the clew outhaul traveller hook is then placed into the opposite reef cringle in the leech, and the clew hauled out ; last of all, the foot of the sail is rolled up, and tied with the reef points ; reef points are also placed close up to the cringles to make the ends of the sail snug. This can be done so neatly that the reefed sail looks as if it had been changed for a smaller one ; and as it can be done easily and quickly with practice, it is infinitely preferable to changing sails, and is of great advantage when racing. Reefing the mizen and changing jibs is also often necessary.
The calico lug for running (see b, Plate XIV.) is generally kept in the boat bent, with the head laced to the yard, and foot to a boom ; the running lug mast is the full length of the boat inside, and is shipped into a thwart, about two-thirds the distance aft, between the fore and mizen masts, a single light rope backstay is used, and the yard is hoisted with single halyards, and the tack hauled down with a light line to a hook in the thwart, the sheet is always attached to the boom, and does to make up the sail with, it is led over a fair-leader aft in the counter, and then led inboard. The jigger can be unshipped or brailed up, to allow the big sail to receive all the wind. Topping lifts are fitted to the working lugs for handiness, and to enable the fore boom to be shifted to the other side of running lug ; this running lug is only used for running or reaching with a beam wind, and would only sit in a very light air to windward.
The balloon jib is hoisted by ready rove single halyards; the jib-boom is shipped with the outhaul ready rove, no bobstay being of any use ; after the sail is got out on the jib-boom, the sheet is passed well aft, clear of, and outside, all other gear and rigging to leeward, then, when the halyards are hoisted, the sail is set : these balloon jibs add greatly to the speed in reaching, being very large, and cut with a round foot, which hangs close to the water.
In setting the spinnaker, the topmast having been got on end (as already explained, with a backstay fitted to the shoulder, and halyards ready rove), the backstay is first taken aft and secured ; the guy is passed outside the rigging ; the halyards and sail are on the fore side of the mast shrouds and hoisted chock-a-block, being passed through the space between the mast and the rigging the sheet is secured to the bowsprit, or lee gunwale ; the guy is bent to a small rope cringle in the tack of the sail; the cringle is of sufficient size to take the spritted point of the spinnaker boom, which is then pushed forward, and the goose neck at the inner end shipped into a socket on the mast, or into a rowlock hole in the gunwale ahead of the rigging. It is drawn aft by the guy, and trimmed to the wind. A hand is kept to sit on the boom to keep it down.
A topping lift is used for the big spinnaker booms, then the boom is shipped into its place before the sail is hoisted, care of course being taken that the outhaul is outside the topping lift, and runs clear of the guy. These points being continually forgotten by amateurs, it is advisable to mention them here, half of the time generally employed in setting a spinnaker is wasted in getting the gear straight (see " Seamanship ").
In the New Brighton Sailing Club races the boats generally make a flying start, the boats being allowed to pass the line as soon as they can after the second gun, the boats only start from moorings when the tide is too strong to head against, or the wind is light and in the same direction as the tide.