TIIAWLING. 73 



generally comes away clear, perhaps with only the net 

 damaged. 



Supposing the trawl to have reached the bottom and 

 to be working properly, the only thing remaining is to 

 keep the warp at snch an angle with the length of the 

 vessel as to make her steer herself in tlie desired course. 

 The large mainsail in these smacks being the great 

 driving power, they have always a strong tendency to 

 fly up in the w^ind. This can of course be counteracted 

 by the ordinary mode of steering ; but that is un- 

 necessary when the trawl itself can be made to do the 

 work. If, for example, the wind be so fair that the 

 vessel can run nearly before it, the warp is led over 

 the stern or, more commonly, over the weather quarter 

 close to the taffrail, and is prevented from slipping 

 forward by a stout thole-pin inserted in one of the 

 many holes bored for that purpose along the gunwale. 

 Then if tlie pressure on the after sail tend to carry the 

 stern round, it is opposed by the heavy drag or resist- 

 ance of the trawl, which pulls it back and keeps the 

 vessel straight. This resistance, it must be understood, 

 is so great as to reduce the s^Deed of the vessel from 

 perhaps eight or nine knots to one and a half or two, 

 so that, when trawling, she cannot sail fast enough to 

 go much out of her course, even under any sudden 

 pressure of wind, before her head is again brought to 

 the right direction. Should the wind be more on the 

 beam, the warp is carried farther forward, and its 

 position adjusted according to a sort of rule of thumb 

 and observation of the course made ; allowance being 

 given for a good deal of lee-way by heading the vessel 

 nearer the wind — making her look higher, as it is called, 

 than her proper course. In this manner tlie vessel is 

 made to steer herself, and practically keeps the desired 



