276 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 1, 1884. 



=ii --, —: 



AMATEUR CANOE BUILDING. 

 Fourteenth Paper. 



SAILS AND RIGGING — CONTINUED. 



THE simplest rig for a canoe is the leg of mutton, or, as it 

 is sometimes called, sharpie rig, consisting of two tri- 

 angular sails, requiring only mast, boom, halliard and sheet, 

 and on a narrow boat, where hut a small area can be carried, 

 they will answer very well, but where a large spread is 

 needed, the spars must be so long as to be unmanageable; 

 for instance, to spread 60 square feet, with an 8ft. boom, 

 would require a mast 16ft. above the deck. Another disad- 

 vantage is the necessity of using rings on the mast, as they 

 are liable to jam in hoisting and lowering. 



A simple sail, once used on canoes, is the spritsail, but it 

 was abandoned on account of the difficulty of handling the 

 sprit in so small a boat. The ordinary boom and gaff sail is 

 also objectionable as it requires two halliards and the rings 

 on the mast. 



The lateen sail, as adapted by Lord Bo'sse, is much used 

 on canoes, especially the smaller ones. It has the ad- 

 vantages of a short mast, low center of effort, and few lines; 

 but the yard and boom must be very long, the sail cannot be 

 furled or reefed when before the wind, and it is not suited 

 for large areas. The lateens introduced by the Cincinnati 

 0. 0. arc practically-leg of mutton sails, the yard peaking 

 up into the position of a topmast, as shown in the drawing. 

 The ordinary lateen rig consists of a triangular sail laced to 

 a yard and boom, both spars being jointed together at the 

 tack, and a pole mast with a spike several inches long on 

 top. A brass ring is lashed to the yard near its lower end, 

 and a jaw (a) of wood or metal is fastened to the boom, a 

 short distance from the forward end. In setting the sail, 

 the yard is lifted until the ring can be hooked over the spike 

 on the mast, then the boom is drawn back, lifting the yard, 

 and the jaw is dropped in place around the mast, the oper- 

 ation being reversed in taking in sail. 



The following method of reefing the lateen was devised 

 by Gen. Oliver, of the Mohican 0. C. The fore end of the 



C£T Z 



boom is fitted with a jaw (b) which encircles the mast when 

 the sail is set, making a leg of mutton sail, while on the boom 

 is a jaw (a). In reefing/the jaw (b) is removed from the mast, 

 allowing the boom to come forward until a touches the mast, 

 the slack of the sail being taken in by a reef line, d d d. 

 One end of this line is made fast at the tack, it is then rove 

 through grommets in the sail, and the other end made fast 

 on the leach, the slack being taken in by hooking the cord 

 over a screweye (<?) on the boom forward, and another aft. 

 Another similar plan dispenses with the jaw on the end of 

 the boom, using instead a second jaw on the boom near the 

 first, the shape of the sail being a little different, but the 

 details of reefiine, etc., the same. 



The old sliding gunter is no longer used, as it was difficult 

 either to hoist or lower the topmast with any pressure of 

 wind on the sail. Several other varieties of gunter have been 

 introduced at times, but they are inferior in simplicity and 

 effectiveness to the lug. 



On a canoe, the nearer the sails approach a square, the 

 shorter boom and yard they require for any given area, and 

 the easier they are to handle and stow. All things con- 

 sidered, there is no sail so easily set, reefed or furled as the 

 simple standing lug. The head of the sail is laced to a yard 

 on which a ring b is lashed, while the foot is laced to a boom, 

 in the forward end of which an eye is spliced. On the mast 

 is a brass traveler a, formed of a ring to which a hook is 

 brazed. An eye is formed on the upper part of the hook in 

 which the halliard c is spliced, while the downhaul e is 

 spliced to the hook itself. 



" The halliard and downhaul are sometimes in one piece, the 

 lead being from eye in traveler through block at masthead, 

 thence through double block at foot of mast to cleat on side 

 deck; thence through double block again and to hook of 

 traveler, the latter part forming a downhaul. The tack d is 

 an endless line rove through a single block on deck at the 

 foot of the mast and a screweye near the well, and having a 

 toggle spliced into it. To set sail it is taken from below, the 

 eye in the end of boom toggled to the tack, hauled out and 

 belayed, then the yard is lifted, the ring hooked on to the 

 traveler, and the halliard hauled taut and belayed. The 



downhaul is led outside of the sail, the latter always being on 

 the same side of the mast. 



Where a large area is to be carried, as in racing, the best 

 sail is, beyond all question, the balauce lug, a modification of 

 the sails long in use in China, which was introduced to 

 canoeists some fifteen years ago. In this sail a portion pro- 

 jects forward of the mast, greatly lessening the outboard 

 weight when running free, as well as the length of the boom. 

 The sail is spread on a yard and boom, as the standing lug, 

 but is so hung that a portion hangs forward of the mast, 



about one-seventh to one-eighth of the boom being forward ; 

 thus, a sail of 7ft. on the foot will have no longer boom 

 when running free than an ordinary sail of 6ft. on the foot. 



To handle a large sail quickly and certainly a number of 

 lines are needed, some of which may be dispensed with at the 

 will of the skipper, but we will give all in the description. 



One peculiarity of these sails, a feature also derived from 

 the Chinese, is that they have a light batten sewn in a hem 

 ou the sail at every reef, keeping the sail very flat, and per- 

 mitting the use of reefing gear instead of the ordinary reef- 

 points. 



The sail always remains on the same side of the mast, on 

 either tack, being permanently hung there. On the yard 

 just forward of the mast is a short piece of line (g), having 

 an eye in one end, and a wooden toggle in the other, and abaft 



the mast is a thimble, k. The end of the halliard has an 

 eye spliced in it, then in setting sail— supposing, as is usually 

 the case, that the sail is on the port side— the halliard is 

 passed through the eye k, around the starboard side of the 

 mast, and toggled to the eye in the line g. 



The boom is rigged in a similar manner, with thimble (k) 

 and tack, the latter, about 5ft. long,, being spliced to the boom 



at I, and leading around starboard side of mast through k 

 and block m on deck, to cleat; or the tack may be fast at I, 

 lead through a thimble lashed at starboard side of mast, then 

 through eye k and to cleat on boom. In these sails the luff 

 must be set up very taut to keep them flat, so the tack aud 

 halliard gear must be strong. 



On each batten a short line (o), called a parrel, is made fast 

 just forward of the mast, fastening with a toggle to an eye 

 (p) on the batten abaft the mast, allowing such play as is 

 necessary in lowering sail or reefing. These parrels confine 

 the sail to the mast, keeping it flatter, and distributing its 

 weight more uniformly over the entire length of the mast, 

 thus easing the strain on the masthead. 

 . A topping lift is usually fitted, being in two parts, one on 

 each side of the sail. The lower ends are "crowsfeet," as 

 shown, the main lines leading through a block at the mast 

 head, and uniting in one part, which leads through a block 

 at the deck and to a cleat. 



Another line, t, called a jackstay, is made fast to the mast- 

 head, leads down outside of the sail, and is made fast to the 

 mast just above the boom, or it may be led through a thim- 

 ble ou the boom to a cleat. Its purpose is to hold up the 

 fore end of the boom in reefing and lowering sail. A down- 

 haul is also rigged to gather in the sail quickly, especially in 

 case of an upset. It is made fast to the yard near the eye, h, 

 and leads through a screweye or block on deck. The main 

 sheet is made fast to a span, or for a large sail a single block 

 travels on the span, and the sheet is rove through it, one end 

 of the latter having an eye in it. When running free, the 

 entire length of sheet is used, the eye bringing up in the 

 block and preventing it unreeving, but when closehauled the 

 eye is hooked over a cleat on the af terdeck,' and the sheet is 

 used double, giving a greater purchase and taking in the slack. 



For racing with very large sails, backstays are some- 

 times necessary, leading from the masthead to the deck 

 on each side, one being slacked off, and the other set up, in 

 jibing. When not in use, the slack is taken up by a rubber 

 band. In rigging the mizzen, the jackstaj r and backstay are 

 omitted, and the topping lift is a standing one, made fast to 

 masthead and boom, the sheet being single. 



The following method of handling a balance lugsail, writ- 

 ten by Mr. E. B. Tredwen, and published iu the London Field 

 some time since, refers both to the large racing sails, and to a 

 cruising rig also : "The difficulty which is experienced by 

 many canoeists, appears to arise from the needless labor of 

 taking off the sail every time the canoe is housed. I have 

 always found it best to keep a mast for each sail, a cruising 

 mast and a racing mast, and the respective sails are never 

 taken off their masts except for washing or repairing. Simi- 

 larly the mast which has been last used on the canoe is 

 always put away with the canoe, either unstepping it, and 

 laying it on deck, or lowering it (if a lowering mast be used) 

 and letting it lie with a lashing to keep it in place. 



If, however, the canoe must be left in the open, it is neces- 

 sary to remove the mast and sail, which is veiy easily done. 

 Having finished sailing and come alongside the boat house, 

 the topping lift is let go and the after end of the boom comes 

 on deck; then the tack must be slacked, or if the tack is a 

 fixture, the jackstay must be slacked a few inches. The 

 reeflines should next be gathered together, and stowed into 

 a fold of the sail, the halliard and hauling part of the top- 

 ping lift, similarly stowed in a fold on the opposite side of 

 the sail, and the main sheet cast three or four times around 

 all. 



All the lines leading to the masthead (topping lift, halliards, 

 etc.) should then be gathered to the mast about two feet 

 above deck and a tyer put around. The after end of the 

 sail can now be brought up to the mast and tied there, and 

 the whole let run into a long bag and stowed away in the 

 boat house. ' 



When next going out for a sail, the mast is stepped, the 

 tie of the boom end to the mast let go, and the sail brought 

 down to the deck, the mainsheet cleared from around the 

 sail, the topping lift set up, and the reeflines allowed to lie 

 in the fore end of the well. The jackstay being set up, 

 sail may be hoisted at once. The trouble when under way 

 of reeving two reeflines through two screweyes, and knot- 

 ting the ends for the sake of keeping tneni in their places, 

 appears to be a detail scarcely worth discussion. 



If the mast and sail are not taken oil the boat at the end 

 of the sail, there is not even the trouble of untying the knots 

 in the ends of the lines. When my canoe sails have not 

 been put away by a stranger, I can always get under sail in 

 five minutes. 



In a cruising sail there is n© necessity for the tack to lead 

 along the deck, or even along the boom. I have always 

 cruised with a fixed tack about 6in. long, made fast to the 

 lug of a triple pulley on the mast for the reefing gear to lead 

 through. 



The only occasion on which the tack need he started is in 

 racing, when the wind is very fight and the canoe is sailing 

 between high banks. The tack may then be eased up until 

 the yard is hoisted chock ablock, so" as to get the sail as high 

 as possible; at all other times a standing tack will do with- 

 out any part on deck." 



THE LOG BOOK. 



VIII.— OALOOSAHATCHEE EWER AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



My last was written from Dredge No. 1, at the headwaters of the 

 Caloosahatehee River, and 1 believe I promised you some items on 

 arrival at Kissimee. I cannot keep my promise, for we did not go to 

 Kissimee. But we did go to Okeechobee, and found it quite a pond, 

 also that it would kick up the biggest sea on the least provocation of 

 any pond we had ever seen. 



On leaving Fort Thompson at the headwaters, we passed through 

 a series of lakes connected bv canals. First came Lake Flirt, quite 

 a lake, but so filled with lily pads-and grass as to look more like a 

 meadow. Some seven or eight miles of canal and river alternately, 

 and we came to Bounet Lake— another meadow under water— more 

 canal, and we ran into Biekopochee (Little Water). Hickopociiee is 

 nearly circular, and from three to four miles in diameter. Water 

 quite deep. Bottom muddy. Caught some very fine black bass. 



Prom Hickopooh.ee a short canal takes us to Okeechobee (Great 

 Water). Reached the lake at sunset on the 14th of March. Turned 

 out on the 15th and found a well developed norther on hand. Con- 

 cluded we did not care about going to sea, so amused ourselves 

 shooting "'gators." Okeechobee and vicinity must be the home of 

 the alligator. I think we saw thousands. Blew hard all day: Kith 

 and 17th ditto, but on the 18th we got away and ran across to mouth 

 of Kissimee. I heard of a canoeist once who could not find the 

 mouth of the Kissimee. I don't wonder now. 



After taking a good look at the mouth of the river, we decided to 

 spend what time we had at our disposal on the lake, and return via 

 Caloosahatehee. Sailed around the northern end of the lake as far as 

 Cuansey Bay, on the east shore. Stopped at the bay one day shoot- 

 ing 'gators,* and then laid our course for Kissimee River again. 

 Camped in the mouth of the river, and early nest morning started on 

 the back track, reaching Dredge No. 1 at 4 P. M., March 2a Left the 

 next morning and reached Fort Myers on the 35th. 



My companions left me at Myers, and I returned home alone, 

 spending a few days in Charlotte Harbor. Okeechobee is Great Water. 

 No doubt of that, but if any one contemplates going there for a sport- 



