Popular Science Monthly 



931 



concrete. For a small boat, an old 

 dishpan makes a splendid form in which 

 to cast our anchor. A good quality of 

 Portland cement must be used, in the 

 proportion of one of cement to two of 

 gritty sand. Mix thoroughly and add 

 a quantity of broken or any old iron 

 bolts and other small bits of scrap iron 

 you may happen to find. In the center 

 of the form, embed a large eyebolt with 

 a large washer firmly riveted to the end. 

 The buoy or pick-up may be made in 

 the form of a spar, but an 

 old beer keg is the best, be- 

 cause being heavily made 

 it is easily rendered 

 waterproof and will 

 stand many years of 

 hard service. To at- 

 tach the mooring line, a 

 heavy iron rod is run 

 through the sides of the 

 keg and the ends turned 

 over to form eyes chain 



for attaching the 

 cable. From 

 anchor to 

 buoy, 

 chain 

 is best 

 but 

 rope 

 is all 

 right 

 if renewed each season. 



How to Sail Your Boat 



The knack of handling sailing craft 

 is quickly learned, but the many little 

 practical wrinkles of seamanship are 

 only to be picked up after considerable 

 experience on the water. Sailing is not 

 the dangerous sport many people imagine 

 it to be, however, and if the boat is of 

 good model and not over-rigged, prac- 

 tically all accidents may be placed at 

 the door of carelessness and ignorance 

 or a desire to appear smart and show off. 

 Of course every boatman should know 

 how to swim; one does not anticipate 

 a capsize or collision, it is true, yet 

 accidents occur now and then, and the 

 ability to keep afloat is well worth 

 acquiring — even if only for the greater 

 confidence it gives. 



As every boat possesses certain char- 

 acteristics and little peculiarities, the 



handling of one craft differs somewhat 

 from that of another, but the principles 

 of handling are the same for all craft 

 propelled by sails — from the four-masted 

 schooner down to the little skiff we have 

 just built. Hence, the owner should 

 know his own craft — how much sail 

 she can safely carry to get the best 

 speed, and so on. 



While a knowledge of the theory of 

 sailing is not at all necessary to sail a 

 boat, every skipper should have some 

 idea of the effect of the wind on his 

 craft. Now the wind pressure against 

 the sails of our boat acts in two directions 

 — it presses and drives the boat ahead, 

 and also forces it sideways, to make it 

 tip or "heel." The pushing force of the 

 wind is of course encouraged in every 

 possible way, by proper rigging and 

 handling, while the heeling tendency is 

 counteracted by making the boat sufiti- 

 ciently stable to resist the upsetting 

 force. This is gained by building the 

 craft of ample beam, by using a deep 

 or heavy keel, or by ballasting the boat 

 with lead, iron, rocks, sand-bags or 

 other heavy weight placed on the 

 bottom of the craft. 



When a smooth-bottomed craft (like 

 a common row-boat) is fitted with a 

 sail, the side pres- J 



sure is so marked \ ^^''' 



that the boat will ^C^' 



be forced side- „^-'''/ 



ways even faster *~-^^ 

 than it is pro- "^^Ijtj- 



pelled ahead. ^^ """-^^ 



This sliding or ,''' 



"making leeway" --f^^ 



as sailors call it, ,'-'' 

 must be eliminat- '-^^ 

 ed so far as possi- 

 ble, and this is 

 done by using a 

 deep keel or — in 

 the case of the 

 boat we have 

 made, by using a 

 centerboard. When sailing close-hauled 

 or beating against the wind, the center- 

 board is dropped, thus affording re- 

 sistance to the side pressure. When 

 sailing free, or directly before the wind, 

 the board is raised, so that all the driving 

 force of the wind may be gained to propel 

 the craft forward. 



^^. 



By "tacking" a boat 



can proceed against 



the strongest wind 



