Figure 5. — Chesapeake Bay sharpie with daggerboard, about 1885. 

 (Photo courtesy Wirth Munroe.) 



The two working masts of a 35- to 36-foot sharpie 

 were made of spruce or white pine and had a diam- 

 eter of 4)2 to 5 inches at deck and I},' inches at head. 

 Their sail hoists were 28 to 30 feet, and the sail 

 spread was about 65 yards. Instead of booms, 

 sprits were used; these were set up at the heels with 

 tackles to the masts. In most sharpies the sails 

 were hoisted to a single-shea\'e block at the mast 

 heads and were fitted with wood or metal mast 

 hoops. Because of the use of the sprit and heel 

 tackle, the con\-entional method of reefing was not 

 possible. The reef bands of the sails were parallel 

 to the masts, and reefing was accomplished by low- 

 ing a sail and tying the reef points while rehoisting. 

 The mast revolved in tacking in order to prevent 

 binding of the sprit under the tension of the heel 

 tackle. The tenon at the foot of the mast was round, 

 and to the shoulder of the tenon a brass ring was 

 nailed or screwed. Another brass ring %vas fastened 

 around the mast step. These rings acted as bearings 

 on which the mast could re\'olve. 



Because there was no standing rigging and the 

 masts revolved, the sheets could be let go when the 



boat was running downwind, so that the sails would 

 swing forward. In this way the power of the rig 

 could be reduced %\'ithout the bother of reefing or 

 furling. Sometimes, \vhen the %vind \vas light, 

 tonging was performed while the boat drifted slowly 

 do\s-nwind \vith sails fluttering. The longer, stand- 

 ing on the side deck or on the stern, could tong or 

 '"nip" oysters from a thin bed \\'ithout having to pole 

 or row the sharpie. 



The unstayed masts of the sharpie were flexible and 

 in heavy weather spilled some wind, relieving the 

 heeling moment of the sails to some degree. In sum- 

 mer the 35- to 36-foot boats carried both masts, but 

 in winter, or in squally w^eather, it was usual to leave 

 the mainmast ashore and step the foremast in the hole 

 just forward of the bulkhead at the centerboard case, 

 thereby balancing the rig in relation to the center- 

 board. New Haven sharpies usually had excellent 

 balance, and tongers could sail them into a slip, drop 

 the board so that it touched bottom, and, using the 

 large rudders, bring the boats into the wind by 

 spinning them almost within their length. This could 

 be done becaused there was no skeg. When sharpies 



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BULLETIN 228: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



