The Goldwing came about handsomely, as she always did under fair treatment: the boom went over to the starboard. The skipper then hauled in the port, which had become the lee, sheet, as the sail went over. The breeze was lively, and the boat worked quickly. "Meet her, Ash," said Dory; and the helmsman threw the wheel over till he could feel the pressure of the water on the rudder as the sails filled. "What do you mean by 'meet her'?" asked Archie. "The helm was hard down when I gave that order," replied the skipper. "If it had remained in that position, it would have been hard up after the sails filled, and the sloop would have continued to swing around till she was before the wind; and it would take time to get her back to her proper course. As soon as the boat begins to catch the wind on the new tack, the helm must be shifted to meet her. When the boat was on the starboard-tack, all the pressure of the water was on the weather-side of the rudder, as the Goldwing carries a weather-helm. As soon as the boat begins to swing, this pressure is removed. There is none to speak of on either side. But as soon as she begins to fill on the port-tack, the pressure comes on that side." "And you feel it the instant it begins to bear on the rudder," added Ash. "You want the sails to fill on the new tack, and she should be met with the helm before she has fallen off much beyond her proper course. In a light wind, when the boat moves sluggishly, she may fall off somewhat before she feels the pressure on the rudder." "She isn't on any thing, and I don't see how she can fall off," said Archie, the critic. "Yes, she is on something: she is on the wind, and she falls off when she goes to leeward. As Ash says, he can feel the pressure as soon as the sails fill; and we sail a boat quite as much by the feeling as by the use of the eyes. Mr. Herschoff, who built the Sylph, is one of the best boatmen in the country, and he is totally blind. Of course, he has to work the boat entirely by the feeling; and those who have good eyes do it largely in the same way. Practice alone can give you this skill." "Thad said the keel and the rudder balanced the sails, and kept up a sort of equilibrium," added Syl. "That was quite right. When you see a fellow on a tight-rope in the circus, with a long pole in his hands, you may observe that he keeps lifting one end or the other. He throws the weight of the pole, the ends of which are loaded with lead, to one side or the other to preserve his balance. You shift the helm for the same reason. You can tell what the boat is doing with your eyes shut after you get used to her. When a flaw of wind comes, it throws a boat with a weather-helm up into the wind; and if you were blindfolded, the tiller or the wheel would tell you all about it." "What do you do when the flaw comes?" asked Archie. "Meet it with the helm if it is not too stiff for her." "Suppose it is strong enough to capsize her if she keeps her course?" Hop inquired.