282 PRACTICAL HINTS, ETC. 



seaward and back her in, rowing ahead against each heavy surf 

 sufficiently to allow it to pass the boat. 



3. If it be considered safe to proceed to the shore bow 

 foremost, back the oars against each sea on its approach, so as to 

 stop the boat's way through the water as far as possible, and if 

 there is a drogue or any other instrument in the boat which may 

 be used as one, tow it astern to aid in keeping the boat end on 

 to the sea, which is the chief object in view. 



4. Bring the principal weights in the boat towards the end 

 that is to seaward, but not to the extreme end. 



5. If a boat worked by both sails and oars be running under 

 sail for the land through a heavy sea, her crew should, under all 

 circumstances, unless the beach be quite steep, take down her 

 masts and sails before entering the broken water, and take her 

 to land under oars alone, as above described. If she have sails 

 only, her sails should be much reduced, a half-lowered foresail 

 or other small head-sail being sufficient. 



III. Beaching, or landing through a Surf. The running 

 before a surf or broken sea, and the beaching or landing of a 

 boat, are two distinct operations : the management of boats, as 

 above recommended, has exclusive reference to running before 

 a surf, where the shore is so flat that the broken water extends 

 to some distance from the beach. Thus, on a very steep beach, 

 the first heavy fall of broken water will be on the beach itself, 

 whilst on some vefy flat shores there will be broken water as 

 far as the eye can reach, sometimes extending to even four or 

 five miles from the land. The outermost line of broken water, 

 on a flat shore, where the waves break in three and four fathoms 

 water, is the heaviest, and therefore the most dangerous, and 

 when it has been passed through in safety the danger lessens as 

 the water shoals, until on nearing the land its force is spent and 

 its power harmless. As the character of the sea is quite different 

 on steep and flat shores, so is the customary management of 

 boats on landing different in the two situations. On the flat 

 shore, whether a boat be run or backed in, she is kept straight 

 before or end on to the sea until she is fairly aground, when 

 each surf takes her further in as it overtakes her, aided by the 

 crew, who will then generally jump out to lighten her, and drag 



