The Seaman's Friend: Containing a treatise on practical seamanship, with plates, a dictionary of sea terms, customs and usages of the merchant serviceDana, Richard Henry
Science
The Seaman's Friend: Containing a treatise on practical seamanship, with plates, a dictionary of sea terms, customs and usages of the merchant service
Dana, Richard Henry
Maritime law; Merchant marine; Naval art and science; Naval art and science -- Dictionaries; Seamanship
TO WEAR UNDER A MAINSAIL.--Vessels lying-to under this sail generally
wear by hoisting the fore topmast staysail, or some other head sail. If
this cannot be done, brace the cross-jack yards to the wind, and, if
necessary, send down the mizzen topmast and the cross-jack yard. Brace
the head yards full. Take an opportunity when she has headway, and will
fall off, to put the helm up. Ease off the main sheet, and, as she
falls off, brace in the main yard a little. When the wind is abaft the
beam, raise the main tack. When she is dead before it, get the other
main tack down as far as possible; and when she has the wind on the
other quarter, ease the helm, haul aft the sheet, and brace up.
TO WEAR UNDER BARE POLES.--Some vessels, which are well down by the
stern, will wear in this situation, by merely pointing the after yards
to the wind, or sending down the mizzen topmast and the cross-jack
yard, and filling the head yards; but vessels in good trim will not do
this. To assist the vessel, veer a good scope of hawser out of the lee
quarter, with a buoy, or something for a stop-water, attached to the
end. As the ship sags off to leeward, the buoy will be to windward, and
will tend to bring the stern round to the wind. When she is before it,
haul the hawser aboard.
BOX-HAULING.--Put the helm down, light up the head sheets and slack the
lee braces, to deaden her way. As she comes to the wind, raise tacks
and sheets, and haul up the mainsail and spanker. As soon as she comes
head to the wind and loses her headway, square the after yards, brace
the head yards sharp aback, and flatten in the head sheets. The helm,
being put down to bring her up, will now pay her off, as she has
sternway on. As she goes off, keep the after sails lifting, and square
in the head yards. As soon as the sails on the foremast give her
headway, shift the helm. When she gets the wind on the other quarter,
haul down the jib, haul out the spanker, set the mainsail, and brace
the after yards sharp up. As she comes to on the other tack, brace up
the head yards, meet her with the helm, and set the jib.
BOX-HAULING SHORT ROUND; sometimes called _wearing short round._--Haul
up the mainsail and spanker, put the helm hard a-weather, square the
after yards, brace the head yards sharp aback, and flatten in the head
sheets. As she gathers sternway, shift the helm. After this, proceed as
in box-hauling by the former method. The first mode is preferable when
you wish to stop headway as soon as possible; as a vessel under good
way will range ahead some distance after the sails are all thrown flat
aback.
Few merchant vessels are strongly enough manned to perform these
evolutions; but they are often of service, as they turn a vessel round
quicker on her heel, and will stop her from fore-reaching when near in
shore or when close aboard another vessel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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