VEERING, or NV EARING (from the French, rirer), Is that move ment of a ship in which, supposing her to have been previously sailing with the wind on either bow, she is brought, by her head being turned to leeward, Into such position that the wind is on the other bow, and she is brought round on an opposite tack. A reference to our word TACKINO will show that during that operation the ship's head is brought to the wind, while in the act of veering it is quite the reverse.
If in tacking the ship loses so much of her forward motion as to be incapable of yielding effectually to the action of the water on the rudder, and thus of turning her opposite bow towards the point from whence the wind is blowing, the ship is said to miss stays ; she then drifts to leeward, till, by the action of the water on the lee side of the rudder the head is again turned from the wind, when she is brought to her previous position. In this case, should it be necessary to persevere in endeavouring to change the course, and should the ship be nut too near a point of danger, the proposed end may be gained by veering, and the evolution is thus effected :—When, in drifting to leeward, the ship begins to fall offi or to turn her head from the wind, the holm is placed hard a-weather, and the after-sails are hauled up so that the wind may act upon the head-sails only, and that the ship may be brought before the wind ; when, the velocity of rotation continuing, the ship's head begins to turn towards the wind, which will thou be ou the opposite bow. The helm being now turned to leeward, and the after-sails set, the ship comes rapidly into the required position.
This evolution is frequently the only one which eau be performed in stormy weather when little sail can be carried, and also when sailing with a light breeze ; since, in either of these cases, the ship may not have eutticient velocity to allow of being put about by tacking : the disadvantage of veering is that, during the evolution, the ship is some times carried tar to leeward, and the loss of space can only be diminished by executing the movement with as much rapidity as possible.
When a heavy eon is running, veering is a perilous operation, as may be inferred from the following diagrams. During a bard gale good experience in seamanship is required in order to prevent the decks being swept by the waves. There are two periods, while a ship is veering, at which the danger is most threatening : namely, soon after a ship's head has payed broad off when she is liable to be caught in the trough of the sea, as In h. I ; and, next, when she has come with bead right off the wind, and is scudding, as in fig. 2. In either case the breaking of the sea upon deck might destroy everything thereon, if it did not lead to the foundering of the vessel. The latter case is that of a ship receiving a sea over the stern, when she is said to have been " pooped." In small fore and aft vessels, and especially in open boats, veering is attended with some risk even in moderato weather, and should be always done with caution ; tho sudden "swag" of the mainsail and boom from one aide to the other as the wind catohee the vessel upon the other quarter, may snap the boom with the sudden ness of the jerk, or capsize the vessel altogether. To obviate this it is proper to round in the main sheet as it comes aft, and then check and ease it.
Box-hauling is an evolution similar to that of veering, and is pnt in practice when a rock or some other danger is suddenly seen a-head. If it be supposed that the ship is already close hauled, the after-sails are to be taken up, the helm turned a-lee, and the head-sails laid back ; by these means the ship's head begins to turn from the wind, and her forward motion is arrested. As the shipai head continues to turn, the wind begins to act on the after-surfaces of the head-saila, giving a small motion forward ; and then the helm is shifted so as to co-operate with the wind in causing the ship's head to fall farther off. The rest of the evolution is similar to that which is performed in the act of veering.