MANAGEMENT OF THE VESSELS. 133 



headway is deadened; she soon stops, and mates a square drift at right angles with the direction 

 in which she heads. A vessel is also very often hove to in this manner when sounding or fishing 

 for cud on the Banks and elsewhere. 



Heaving to under foeesail. — A vessel is "hove to" under a foresail either to hold her 

 position on the fishiug grounds in the night, as is the custom with the mackerel catchers, or during 

 a heavy storm or gale, when it is not practicable to have mainsail and jib set. In the latter case, 

 however, the foresail is always reefed, the other sails are taken iu and furled, the foresheet 

 trimmed aft, and the wheel put down. Sometimes a riding sail is set on the mainmast to keep the 

 vessel steady and closer to the wind than she would be under reefed foresail alone. The vessel in 

 this way heads within about five points of the wiud and goes ahead slowly. The leeway is usually 

 from three to six points — that is, the course is from three to six points to leeward of where she 

 heads, the amount of leeway depending somewhat on the force of the wiud and waves. 



Heaving to under mainsail. — Heaving to under a mainsail is an evolution which is less 

 common than formerly. This method was practiced almost exclusively by the mackerel catchers 

 when engaged in hook-and-line fishing and was usually done to give the vessel a steadier and square 

 drift. It is done in the same manner as heaving to under two sails, with the exception that the 

 foresail is lowered and furled. 



BRINGING A VESSEL TO ANCHOR. 



On the Banks. — If the vessel is under bank sail (for description of this sail see under 

 "Schooner rig") it is customary to haul down the jib and to ascertain the depth of water by 

 sounding. If the proper depth is obtained the orders are given, (i) Let go the anchor ; (ii) Pay 

 away (or ".stick out") the cable; while this is being done by part of the crew the next order is 

 (iii) Furl the jib. The foresail is usually kept up until the anchor reaches the bottom and occasion- 

 ally for a few minutes later. The order is then given, (iv) Lower away (or haul doicn) the foresail. 

 The foresail is then furled (being sometimes first reefed). When it is thought that sufficient 

 cable has been paid out to enable the anchor to catch the bottom the order is given, (v) Weather- 

 bit the cable.* As soon as the anchor catches the bottom the vessel fetches up and swings head to 

 the wind; the order is then given, (vi) Strad her uj)A 



The method of anchoring on the Banks is much the same in rough weather, the only difference 

 being that sometimes the foresail is taken iu sooner. While it is quite a common occurrence to 

 bring a vessel to anchor in moderate weather with mainsail up, this is rarely undertaken with 

 strong winds and a rough sea. When this is done, however, the vessel is hove to under two sails 

 before the anchor is let go, and while the cable is being slacked away, or "paid out," the foresail 

 is lowered and furled, and the jib is also furled. When it is supposed that there is sufficient cable 

 out for the vessel to fetch up, the order is ^iven, (i) Stand by to take aft the main sheet. As the 

 vessel swings head to the wiud the boom-tackle is slackened and the sheet is pulled in until the 

 main boom is directly amidships or parallel wilh the direction of the vessel. The crutch-tackles 

 from each side of the stern are then "hooked ou" to steady the boom, which is lowered into a 

 crutch and the tackles are hauled taut. The mainsail is then usually lowered away and furled, 



* Weather-bitting the cable is to take an extra turn with it round the end of the windlass and over the windlass- 

 bit, so that it can be held firmly from slipping or "rendering" when the vessel fetches up, and consequently brings a 

 heavy strain on the cable. 



t " Stradding the cable up," is winding round it a number of braided ropes called strads, each from 9 to 12 feet long. 

 These are pointed at the ends, and one after another is put on until several fathoms of the cable have been covered, 

 so that the lower part of that which has been stradded will reach nearly to the water, while the upper part is some 

 distance inside of the hawse-pipe. This is done to prevent the cables from chafing in the hawse-pipe or about the 

 stem. 



