CHAPTER XIX.

UNA BOATS.

THOSE Wonderful little crafts called "Una" boats were introduced to us in 1853, in this way: the late Marquis of Conyngham (then Earl MountCharles), was in America in 1852, and in the boat building yard of Robert Fish (now well known as a yacht designer), saw the boat since celebrated as the "Una." He sent her to London by steamer, whence she was transported by rail to Southampton, and then towed to Cowes. The Una, we believe, spent a summer on the Serpentine, but she did not there excite the interest she did at Cowes. In fact, the Cowes people almost regarded the Una as a little too marvellous to be real. To see the Una dodging about on a wind and off a wind, round the stern of this craft, across the bows of that one, and generally weaving about between boats where there did not look room enough for an eel to wriggle, astonished the Cowes people, who had never seen anything more handy under canvas than a waterman's skiff with three sails, or an Itchen boat with two. In short, the Una with her one sail showed such speed, and was so handy, that in less than a year there was a whole fleet of Unas at Cowes, and about the Solent. The genus was named Una after Lord Conyngham's importation, and to this day no class of boat is a greater favourite for smooth-water sailing.

In America, the Una or "cat-rig" as it is termed, is a great favourite, and at Newport, where the rig is mostly seen, the boats enjoy a great reputation for handiness, weatherliness, and speed. There is no doubt that the one sail plan is the best for weatherly qualities and for handiness, if there be no sea, and if it is all turning to windward. In a sea, however, the heavy mast, stepped so far forward, makes the boats plunge dangerously, and the boats themselves are so shallow that they are not very well adapted for smashing through a head sea. Off a wind they are extremely wild, and show a very great tendency to broach to.

This tendency of coming to against the helm is common to all shallow boats when they are sailed off the wind; and if the rudder of a boat has to be kept right across her to check the tendency, speed is of course very much retarded. As a rule it is found that lifting the centre board greatly relieves the weather helm; and as the board is not wanted off a wind, to increase the lateral resistance it is always better to haul it up; the boat will steer all the better for it, and there will be less. surface for friction.

Some boat sailers have used a small jib on a short bowsprit when sailing off a wind; the bowsprit would run out through an iron fitted to the stem head, and the heel could be lashed to the mast if no bitts were fitted, as there need not be. A shroud would be required each side, and a bobstay, but if the bowsprit were a mere bumpkin only three or four feet long, no shrouds would be required. If it were found necessary to luff up in squalls, the head sheets should be the first to be started, therefore they should lead aft. A few years ago a boat built on the model of the Una, had her mast shifted to 5ft. abaft the stem and a jib or foresail added and mainsail reduced; she was found very easy on her helm when sailing off the wind, as might be expected; but on a wind she would not lie so close, and quite proved the inferiority of the two sails, so far as sailing in smooth water went. The advantages of the one sail are almost wholly confined to sailing to windward in smooth water, and, as sailing to windward under such conditions is the principal charm of sailing a small boat at all, the Una rig will retain its popularity.

A shallow boat like the Una is a little more unsafe perhaps than an ordinary sailing skiff, because they carry so much sail; and a person might be tempted into pressing them, because of the enormous stiffness they show up to the time that their gunwale or deck becomes level with the water.

However, with skilful management "Unas" are safe enough, and on the whole are not so dangerous as an open boat of similar length. They should always be luffed to squalls before their deck has a chance of being immersed, and a foot or two of main sheet (which should be held in the hand) given them if they cannot be relieved sufficiently without their being brought head to wind-a course never desirable if it can be avoided, as the boats soon lose steerage way. It is never advisable to let the main sheet go altogether with a boom sail, as it is with one without a boom, as the sail will not spill, and the boom may get in the water, which would be awkward, to say the least, if the boat got stern way on.

The "Una's" stores, copied from an inventory of the same, made when she was packed off by rail to Southampton, were as under: One

mast, one boom, one gaff, one pair of oars, one sail, one sail cover, one hatch cover, one rudder and tiller, four blocks, one main halyard, two bell-metal rowing-pins, four pigs of lead ballast. All that need be added to this list is a "baler," and it would do for a Una of the present day.

The rig, it will be seen upon reference to the sail plain, Fig. 88, is simple in the extreme, and even the famed balance lug cannot beat it in this respect. The sail is hoisted by a single halyard. The standing part is made fast on the gaff at a, then leads through a double block

SAIL PLAN UNA BOAT ÷ INCH SCALE.

FIG. 88.

at j on the mast, through a single blocks on the jaws of the gaff, up through j again, and down to the deck where the fall leads through a block n by the side of the mast, and belayed on the aft end of centreboard case. The fall can then be taken aft to the hand of the helmsman, who, in case of need, can drop the sail between topping lifts (not shown

in the drawing) without leaving the tiller. The Una had no stay at all, but the Cowes fashion now is to have a forestay, which prevents the mast going aft when sailing on a wind. The larger Una boats over 20ft. are fitted with topping lifts, and the smaller ones would be all the better for them, as a lift is handy in setting, stowing, or reefing the sail.

The main sheet is made fast to an eye bolt on one quarter, close to the intersection of gunwale and transom; it then leads through a block on the boom, and through a block on the other quarter, the fall coming into the well or cockpit to belay. This plan of fitting the mainsheet is still known as the "Una," just as the plan of working the halyards all in one is.

Practically, the Cowes Una boat of the present time differs very little from the original. The floor, it will be found, upon reference to the diagrams and tables, is a trifle flatter than the Una's; the quarters are lifted a little, as will be seen upon comparing the transoms; and there is more freeboard-the latter being a very desirable addition. The load water-line of the two crafts are almost identical, as will be found by comparing the half-breadths for the same. The centre-boards are of about equal area, the only alterations being that the modern plan is to pivot the board in the keel below the garboard, whilst formerly they were pivoted in the case inside the boat. The Cowes Una has a trifle less draught forward than the orginal, and the stem piece does not tumble aft; but, in other respects, there is not much difference in the two sheer plans, always of course remembering the increase in the freeboard. The draught of water of the Cowes Una forward appears to be excessive, and off a wind at least she would be lightened by the head to the extent of three or four inches.

The design for a Cowes Una (Plate XII.) has been made so that it is adapted for either a real "Una" of 15ft. 6in. in length, or one of greater size 21ft. in length. The sail plan of the Cowes boat is a smaller one than the Una had, but it will be found large enough for ordinary sailing. The sail, of course, will be laced to the boom, and a topping-lift would be found of service to keep the boom up when the peak is lowered, or when running off the wind.

The Una is still in existence on the estate of Lord de Ros, in Ireland, the late Marquis of Conyngham having presented her to that nobleman

in 1873.

* An American 21ft. Cat Boat would have about 3ft. more mast, and 2ft. more boom. The Cat Boat's mast would rake aft in. in 1ft.

In the body plan of the Cowes Una the midship section is shown on both sides of the middle line, o, between Nos. 4 and 6 sections. The station for the midship section is shown at No. 5 in the sheer plan.

No. 1 section is 1ft. 3in. from the fore side of the stern; all the other sections are 2ft. apart, but No. 8 (transom) is 2ft. 3in. from No. 7 station.

In the case of the Una, No. 8 (transom) is 2ft. 9in. from No. 7 station.

Diagonal k is struck 10ĝin. above the L.W.L., and at k 1 and k 2 cuts the side perpendiculars

p p 1 in. below the L.W.L.