MANAGEMENT OF SDIPS. 99 



direction of the wind and the direction of the keel, or making an angle of 

 four points with the keel. Under these circumstances the sails take the wind, 

 and drive the ship forward in an oblique direction, making great lee-way ; 

 but the great length of the ship, and the water which presses against its 

 immersed portion, offer a continued resistance, while the curvature and 

 the slender shape of the bow permit the ship to cut the water with more 

 ease in the direction of the keel, and thus the lee-wav is diminished and the 

 headway increased. It is now evident that with the same wind, the yards 

 being braced four points in the opposite direction, the ship can also sail 

 towards the west. PL 26, jigs. Sa, 8b, represent two ships which move 

 in opposite directions. If the direction of the wind is not at right angles 

 with the direction of the ship, but at some angle either greater or less, the 

 yards in that case are not braced in the diagonal, but at an angle corres- 

 ponding with the direction of the wind, and the ship sails more or less close 

 to the wind. If the wind blows from the left hand, or the larboard side, 

 the ship is said to sail on the larboard tack ; that is, the larboard tacks draw 

 down the clews of the sails so that they may catch the wind : the contrary 

 is called sailing on the starboard tack. In order to change from one tack 

 to another, or to take the wind from one to another side, the ship must be 

 turned (pi. 26, Jigs. 9a, 9b). For example, if you are sailing with a north 

 wind towards the east-north-east on the larboard tack, or west-north-west 

 on the starboard tack, the ship can be turned either before the wind or up 

 into the wind. The former manner of turning is less desirable, because it 

 occasions great leeway, as the ship before the wind makes considerable 

 headway before it can be luffed up on the other tack. The method usually 

 adopted of going about is, therefore, that of running the ship through the 

 wdnd. The helm is put hard a-lee, and consequently the ship is brought 

 up to the wind and gradually into it, so that the sails catch it forward, 

 when instantly all the braces and the lower sheets and tacks are loosened, 

 and the yards swing round, taking the wind from ahead. Before the pro- 

 gress of the vessel, however, can be fairly checked they are braced round 

 on the other tack, whilst the helm is brought amidships and gradually 

 sharp down the other side of the ship, to prevent the vessel from going 

 further through the wind than just to fill the sails on the new tack. Good 

 sailers in this manoeuvre hardly lose two ship's lengths in leeway. 



If a storm arises by which the sails are exposed to danger, it is necessary 

 to reef them, slacking the tacks and sheets, and hauling in the clew-lines 

 and leech-lines (fig. 11). At the same time the sailors man the yards, 

 standing on the foot ropes (pi. 23, Jig. 3), take in the sails, and fasten the 

 reef-lines, thus diminishing the area of the sail. PI. 27, Jig. 4, represents a 

 ship in heavy weather under close reefed topsails. 



Ships sailing with a side wind have to take great care, especially when 

 they are struck in squalls by the wind. If a ship in that case goes under 

 full sail, the moment may come in which all the sails hang loose and flap 

 in the wind, while the next moment the sudden force of the wind either 

 lays the ship on her side, so that the yards and spars dip into the water, 

 or the sails are split, and the braces, tacks, and sheets are snapped asunder. 



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