fore hatch or over the side of the vessel until the other end will clear the

forestay.

When spinnakers were first introduced no goose-neck was used, the heel of the boom being lashed against the mast. A practice then sometimes was to have a sheave hole at either end of the boom, with a rope three times the length of the boom rove through each sheave hole. One end of this rope served as the outhaul, the other for the lashing round the mast. To shift over, the boom was launched across to the other rail, and what had been the inboard end became the outboard end. Of course the guys had to be shifted from one end to the other. As spinnaker booms are now of such enormous length, it would be almost impossible, and highly dangerous, to work them in this way, although it might do for a five-tonner.

Spinnaker booms when first fitted with the goose-neck were no longer than the length from deck to hounds, so that they could be worked under the forestay without being unshipped. However, it would appear that the advantages of a longer boom are greater than the inconvenience of having to unship it for shifting, and now, generally, a spinnaker boom when shifted and topped up and down the mast, reaches above the upper cap.

The following plan was worked during the summer of 1876 in the Lily, 10-tonner, but we have never met with it elsewhere. The arrangement was thus described: Take a yacht of say 65 tons, and suppose her 70ft. long and 15ft. beam, with a mast measuring 60ft. from deck to cap, from which if 9ft. is subtracted for masthead, and 4ft. more allowed for the angle made by the forestay, a spinnaker boom, to swing over clear, cannot exceed 43ft. (as the goose-neck is 3ft. from deck), which of course is much too little to balance the mainboom and sail. It is proposed to have a boom of 42ft., and another smaller one of 21ft. made a little heavier than the long one, and fitted with two irons 7ft. apart; the longer one to be made in the usual manner, with bolts in both ends, for the goose-neck; but the sheaves in the ends to be, one vertical, and the other horizontal. It will then make a very snug storm boom for the balloon jib when shipped singly, whilst the smaller one, by leading a tack rope (or outhaul) through the block on the outer iron will do very well for the staysail. In the drawing, in case No. 1, the boom is on end and ready for letting fall to starboard; and in No. 2 dipped and falling to port. A A (No. 1) represents the 42ft. boom, and B B the 21footer; the dotted line b b the arc the boom would travel if not let run down; and the dotted line c c the actual line it travels when housed. Cin the small diagram represents the outer iron or cap on the end of the small boom (which can be made square or round; in the diagram it is made square, to prevent twisting), and a a bolt to which the standing part of the

heel rope is made fast by clip hooks; the rope passes through the horizontal sheave at h, and back to the block on the cap at f. The fall can be belayed to a cleat on the small boom, or would greatly ease the strain on the gooseneck if made fast on the rail or to the rigging. When gybing it would only be necessary to top the boom by the lift, let go the heel rope, and let it run down; then swing over, lower away, and haul out the boom when squared. It would be better to hook on the Burton purchase to the cap at e, both as an extra support and to make sure of the boom whilst swinging. This plan would not only obviate the danger and trouble of

dipping the boom, but give a 57ft. spar, besides giving greater strength, the boom being double where the most strain comes; and the extra weight is a positive advantage, as helping to balance the main boom. Of course this plan would allow of almost any length of spars, as a 40ft. lower boom would give a 74ft. spar, and still leave 8ft. between the irons; and in these days of excessive spars and canvas no doubt it would be attempted to balance a ringtail, but the lengths given seem a good comparative length for any class.

A more simple plan for "telescoping" a spinnaker boom is shown by Fig. 39, a is the inner part of the boom; c is a brass cylinder with an angular slot in it at s. This cylinder is fixed tightly to the outer part of the boom by the screw bolts i i. The two parts of the boom meet inside

the cylinder at the ticked line t.

be used together, the ring m is

When the two parts of the boom are to put on the cylinder. The inboard part of the boom is then put into the cylinder, and the whole is firmly screwed up by the thumb-screw x. Both parts of the boom have their ends "socketed" so as to take a goose-neck, and thus either part can be used alone.

CHAPTER XIII.

SEAMANSHIP.

SEAMANSHIP comprises the practice of the whole duties of a sailor, including all kinds of work upon rigging, making sail, taking in sail, steering, reefing, working the ship, heaving the lead, and whatever else relates to the management of a ship. Before a man can be called a seaman, he must have practised all the duties enumerated, and be capable of performing them in a satisfactory manner without supervision; he is then called an able seaman, as distinct from an "ordinary seaman," who is a young sailor not yet versed in the practice of the seaman's art. A seaman, as generally understood, is one who is versed in the art of square rig sailing, but there are "fore and aft rig" men as well, and the instruction given in this chapter will relate to the duties of the latter alone, as the square rig, so far as yachts are concerned, may be said to have entirely disappeared.

TO SET THE MAINSAIL.-Take the coats off. Hook on the peak halyards, and mouse the hooks. Overhaul some of the main sheet, and belay on both quarters. Top the boom up five or six feet clear of the crutch, taking care that the crutch is not lifted out of the sockets, and dropped overboard. When the boom is topped up,* haul the main sheet taut, and belay. Cast off the tyers or gaskets, leaving one as a "bunt gasket" amidships at present to keep the sail from blowing out. See that the purchases have been well overhauled (fleeted); and that the peak downhaul and the topsail sheet are rove. Man the peak halyards, cast off the bunt tyer, and hoist the gaff end between the topping lifts, guiding it with the peak line. When the gaff shows above the lifts, hoist away on the throat halyards, and let the sail go up with the gaff as nearly as possible at right angles to the mast. If the sail is peaked before the throat is up (i.e., if the peak of the sail goes up faster than

* It is a practice in racing vessels to unhook from the boom what is to be the lee topping lift whilst hoisting, so that the mainsail will not girt across it, and cause a delay,

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the throat), it will be hard work getting the throat up, if it can be got up at all without resorting to the purchase. Get the throat as high as possible with the halyards, and belay. Leave the peak for the present, and pull the sail out on the foot by the outhaul. Purchase up the throat as high as required, and set the peak up, using the peak purchase until the sail begins to girt in the throat; a few girts here will not matter, as the peak will be sure to settle down a good deal. Sometimes in small yachts, after the throat is set up hand-taut, the peak is got as high as it can be without the purchase. The sail is then set up by the main purchase, "peak and all" going up bodily. When the foot of the sail is laced to the boom the tack is always lashed down to the gooseneck, and the main purchase brings the luff of the sail taut-like a bar of iron. When the sail is not laced (it is seldom laced in a cutter), the tack-tackle is generally hooked on after the throat and peak are up, and the luff of the sail is brought taut by this tack-tackle. But the better plan for a racing yacht is to make the tack fast before hoisting by passing a lashing through the tack cringle and round the gooseneck of the boom; then pull the sail out on the boom; it will be found that the main (throat) purchase will get the luff of the sail much tauter than the tack-tackle can. We are speaking now of setting the sail to the best advantage; but it is quite possible that the skipper may want the tack triced up, for which purpose the tricing line will be hooked on to one of the mast hoops near the throat, and to the tack cringle of the sail.

When the sail is set, the tyers should be made up in neat bunches, and the sail coats should be folded up ready for stowing away in the sail room. It is the practice to always have one reef earing rove, and if the weather looks at all threatening a second one should be rove. The first earing should be fast round the boom, then, if the outhaul should burst, or the clew of the sail tear out, the sail will not fly in along the boom nor get adrift. In anticipation of such accidents a common plan is to pass a tyer through the clew cringle and round the boom, three or four times.

If whilst sailing the peak should settle down so much as to require setting up, the best time to choose for doing so will be when the vessel is head to wind in stays. The weight of the boom should be taken by the weather topping lift.

In bending a new mainsail great care should be taken not to get any strain on the head or foot at first. In first hoisting take the weight of the boom with the topping lifts; set the throat up taut by the halyards, and then get the peak a little more than half up. Then set the luff taut with the tack-tackle, and afterwards set the peak up,