






824 
FOREST AND STREAM. 

[Nov. 23, 1907. 

boards with the lower edge curved as the 
broken one had been cut. As a fact the board 
was too far aft, and the cutting off of the after 
corner and shoving the board down and con- 
sequently forward, moved the center of lateral 
resistance, as it is called, far enough forward 
from where it had been to put it in proper re- 
lation with the sail, so she could point up and 
go, being properly balanced, or ‘“‘hung,” as they 
used to express it. If the whole board had been 
moved a few inches forward in the boat the 
same result would have been attained. 
Many a boat you see sailing along with the 
man steering tugging all his might on the tiller 
to keep her from luffing, when by loosening the 
wedges in the forward side of the mast and 

“In irons” 
Smooth sailing 
tightening the headstay so as to pull the mast- 
head forward, all this conflict between sail and 
rudder could have been stopped. 
There is a certain point in each hull where 
that hull can be pushed sideways through the 
water; and; unless the sails push at this point, 
they will tend to turn either the bow or stern 
around, according to whether they be forward 
or aft. 
The cat-rigged boat has peculiarities that are 
somewhat confusing to the amateurs at first, 
but a day’s sail will show him what they are. 
For instance, in starting out for a sail from a 
dock or mooring, if the boat is shoved straight 
back, or the mooring let drop, without giving 
her bow a shove to one side, so as to fill her 
sail and start her ahead, they sometimes go 
stern first, and it is difficult to get the boat’s 
head around. A few strokes with an oar will 
do it; or by pushing the sail out to one side 
she can be turned, but this is not always effec- 
tive. If it is blowing hard she may stay ‘in 
irons,” as it is called, and back down into some 
other yacht, causing confusion. If this does 
happen and she gets afoul of some other boat, 

“Goosewwnged " 
let your peak hailiard go immediately to pre- 
vent a capsize. If, in starting, the catboat’s 
head is pushed around and her sail trimmed 
to catch the wind and given her a-start. all 
will go along smoothly. In sailing any boat, 
but particularly a catboat, where the mainsheet 
controls the whole sail, be sure the rope is not 
tangled up. Keep it clear to run out instantly, 
for sometimes a squall will hit the sail so sud- 
denly that the rudder cannot luff the boat 
quickly enough to relieve the pressure, and the 
sail must be slacked off instantly to prevent 
her being heeled over so far as to take water 
into the cockpit to leeward. If the squall be 
severe enough it might result in a capsize. 
With only one sail to watch, the novice should 
be able to keep the boat sailing all right. A 
flutter of the sail along the mast shows the sail 
is let out too far and the wind is beginning to 
hit the leeward side of it. If she is beating to 
windward with the sail trimmed in when she 
does this, it shows the boat is headed up too 
close inte the wind. Put the helm up until this 
fluttering ceases, 
At all times keep the boat going, never mind if 
another boat is pointing up higher; he may 
have a better boat and a flatter setting sail, or 
he may be doing what a weather vane does— 
pointing at the wind and standing still. Keep 
up a fair rate of speed, no matter how high 
your boat points. 
The hardest time to sail a boat to windward 
is when the breeze is so light you can hardly 
feel it. The boat’s actions are so faint as to 
tell you nothing, and your own experience is 
then taxed. Then is the time to light your 
pipe or cigar and watch the way the smoke 
blows. Watch the water also and try and make 
the bubbles slip past without paying the boat’s 
head off so far you are not going to windward. 
All sit to leeward so the sail will hang in a 
natural curve to receive the wind. Slack the 
halliards a little to give the sail more curve or 
bag and den’t try and flatten the mainsheet in 
too close. But when it blows, swig up every 
halliard as tight as fiddle strings; the wind will 
then give the sail all the bag it needs, and 
probably more than is good for it. 
Be careful in running a catboat before a heavy 
wind and sea. Don’t let her get rolling so hard 


—=—> 

as to dip the end of her boom into the water. 
Pull up on the topping lift and raise the end 
of her boom to keep it clear of the sea, even 
slacking down the peak if she keeps on tripping. 
The best rig is to have two quarter lifts with 
lazy-jacks, as shown above. You can then 
lower the sail even with the boom way out, and 
the sail comes down between them and don’t 
all go into the water. Pull the centerboard up 
part way in heavy weather and the boat will be 
much stiffer. The board, while it stops the 
boat’s drifting, is also acting as a trip to turn 
her over. 
Ore of the most dangerous things to do in 
sailing any boat, and particularly a catboat, is 
to jibe the sail. A “flying: jibe’ or, as some 
express it, to “jibe, all standing,’ is to leave 
the sheet way out and turn tthe boat by the 
rudder so the sail swings over slam, bang, 
fetching up on the opposite side with a jerk. 
This is a dangerous practice, except in very 
light winds. The sail will sometimes kick up 
in the air and “goose-wing,” as it is called, 
when the boom goes one side of the mast and 
the gaff the other. It is far safer to trim 
in the mainsheet and so prevent the main boom 
from doing any such wild gymnastics, slacking 
the sheet out quickly but easily when the boom 
goes over and so avoiding any violent jerk, 
To pick up a mooring in a cathoat, if you 
have sailed her enough to be able to judge 
how far she will run into the wind or “fore- 
reach,” one way is to run far enough to lee- 

ward, and when the mooring is right to wind 
ward, put your helm hard down and let hej 
luff at it, one man standing forward with «4 
boat-hook to fish up the buoy or rope. As soor 
as you are sure of catching it, let your peal 
down, or, better yet, let the whole sail run dow1 
smartly. If you are not sure of your boat, com( 
at the mooring with the wind about abeam and 
deaden the boat’s way by letting the sail out sc 
it flutters without driving her ahead. You cat 
then edge her slowly up to it by pulling in the 
sail just enough to send her slowly up to the 
mooring. Always see that the boom lift is fast} 
so you can slack the sail as soon as you are 
moored and not make a scandalous show by 
having the boom and sail go dragging in the 
water. 
You have probably watched some fellows try 
to pick up their mooring by coming at it heac 














































































on, before the wind. 
like a harpooner ready to strike a whale, and 
under the circumstances his job is about at 
| 
One man up on the stem,| 
ticklish. To hook up a rope floating in the| 
water, haul it in and belay it securely enough toh 
stop the flying craft, with a boat-hook to dis- } 
entangle and get rid of, and do all this in af 
few seconds on the narrow stem of a cat, surely | 
is acrobatic work. Ninety-nine times out oft 
a hundred, such an attempt ends in a dismal 
failure; the loss overboard of a boat-hook, the 
parting of the mooring rope (if he gets it be- 
layed), or an unexpected bath if he tries to! 
hold it. Should be succeed in belaying it, the} 
scene is even more ridiculous and calls forth | 
screams of laughter from the spectators. The |, 
boat being fetched up all standing usually sends \i 
everybody “‘all sitting,’ the sail, pulling like ap 
cart-horse, threatens to capsize the boat, until [ 
some bright sailor relieves the pressure by let- |i 
ting go the mainsheet. This unreeves, and the Y 
sail, blowing way out ahead, is scandalously |j 
lowered down by the-run, boom, gaff and all 
into the water. Confusion reigns supreme at/ 
such times, and one object lesson like this |} 
should last a lifetime and caution him against 
ever doing such a foolish act himself. | 



Confusion reigns 








In our Nov. 9 issue we said the Port Wash- ; 
ington one-design class was owned by members ti 
of the Manhasset Bay Y. C. This is an error 
on our part. They are owned by members of 
the club from which they derive their name, viz., 
Port Washington Y. C.. This is an energetic | 
young organization, three years old, with af 
membership of 130 and a finely situated club f 
house right on the shore of Manhasset Bay (Old }) 
Cow Bay). As their secretary, Mr. Dusinberre, 
writes us, “We sail and race yachts, sail ice I? 
boats, run motor boats, swim, fish, shoot, play 
baseball, tennis and indulge in track and field | 
athletics, and manage to have a pretty good 
time as we stay in commission the entire year.” 


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