Upon Sailing against a Sea.

Making sail against a head sea is attended with considerable danger, particularly if the sea be short; thus when one sea has passed abaft a vessel's midships and depressed her head, she will be met by a second before her head has risen, which will shock and pass over her with a force expressed by the square of the united velocities of the ship and sea; therefore, by reducing the headway, it will diminish the power of the waves. If this be accomplished by taking in the square sails forward, it will also prevent her pitching so deep into the sea.

It is a custom when a sea is seen coming upon the bow to put the helm down, and thus cause the ship to meet it. This practice, I should imagine, must have arisen from its relieving the person who is steering from the weight of the helm, which is greater as the sea passes aft and strikes the rudder; for it is attended with the expressions, "Ease her, ease her!" but it does not appear that the pitching is in the least prevented: the helmsman being eased of his burthen, it is concluded the ship suffers a general relief. However it has the advantage of easing the rudder, from the sudden jerk of the sea, and prevents the ship being thrown off from her course; but if a towering sea is observed coming upon the beam, it would be the height of imprudence to put the helm down; rather put it up, and thus diminish the force of the wave by running from it.

We cannot conclude this chapter, without particularly advising the practice of keeping the people to fixed stations. By frequent custom, the evolution becomes familiar. Therefore let station lists be made out for the principal manœuvres; as tacking, veering, furling sails, reefing, and heaving up the anchor.

ON COMING TO AN ANCHOR.

WHEN a ship is coming to an anchor, she should always be under easy sail, as the topsails, jib, and fore topmast staysail, mizen, and mizen staysail.

To bring a Ship to an Anchor with a Side Wind, where there is no Current.

To bring a ship to an anchor with a side wind, where there is no current, let the sail be reduced to the topsails, and when she shall be within a few ships' length to leeward of her anchoring birth, put the helm alee, haul down the jib and fore topmast staysail, clew up the fore and main topsails, and throw the

mizen topsail sharp aback to the mast.

When she has stern way, let go the anchor, right the helm, and give the ship the necessary cable; then send the hands up to furl the sails.

To come to an Anchor with the Wind aft, where there is no Current.

When coming to an anchor, with the wind aft, where there is no current, if the ship has fresh head way, it will be proper to take in the main topsail while the ship is yet in the offing. The anchoring birth being fixed upon, steer the ship to a small distance on one side of it: when nearly abreast of the anchoring birth, put the helm hard over, haul out the mizen, and haul aft the mizen staysail sheet, to luff the ship smartly to her situation; clew the fore topsail up when it shakes, brace sharp aback the mizen topsail, and let go the anchor when the ship has

stern way.

REMARKS.

Should it blow hard the ship must be made as snug as possible while in the offing. All sails that can be spared should be furled, and topgallant yards got down. Both the bower cables must be ranged, or the best bower and sheet, and great care taken that every thing be clear about the anchors.

In seeking out an anchoring birth, attention is to be paid to the buoys of the ships at anchor, lest their cables be overlaid.

To come to an Anchor without tending.

It sometimes happens that a ship is to be brought up in a place where there is not sufficient room to tend her. In this case reduce her head way as much as possible, before she comes to her anchoring birth.

To come to an Anchor upon a Weather Tide.

To come to an anchor upon a weather tide, the ship should be so steered as to be brought to her birth stemming the tide, and shot ahead of her anchor.

To come to an anchor upon a Lee Tide.

To come to an anchor upon a lee tide, the ship must be brought to her situation, if possible, upon that tack which will most admit her head stemming the tide, in order to bring up with greater ease. Should it blow hard, and the tide be strong, the square sails had better be furled while the ship is yet in the offing, and the ship be run into her anchoring birth under the

staysails. When the ship is arrived at her intended situation, put the helm alee, haul down the fore topmast staysail, and set the mizen and mizen staysail, to bring the ship rapidly to the wind; then let go the anchor, before she loses her way and falls off from the wind.

Upon this occasion, both bower cables, or best bower and sheet, should be ranged and bitted, in case of parting. If the first cable be not thought good enough to bring the ship up, when about a third of it is out, let go the second anchor, and veer away upon both cables. This anchor must be hove up before the ship tends for the weather tide.

When a ship is expected to bring up extremely hard, it is an excellent plan to range the cable, and bit it to the foremost bits, then to haul up a second range, and bit it to the after bits, that the cable, thus doubly bitted, may be wore away with ease. Great care must be taken that the after part of the second range be abaft the after part of the first.

To let go all the Anchors to the best Advantage.

When it is found that a ship cannot clear the shore under her lee by sailing, owing to the strength of the wind and the height of the sea; the last resource is to come to an anchor with all the anchors in the best position. For this purpose, let the cables that are bent be got clear for running. Then furl all the square sails with as much expedition as possible, and shoot the ship along the shore under the staysails. When the square sails are furled, let go the weathermost anchor, and veer away briskly the cable, then let go the next weathermost, and so on, till all the anchors are gone, nearly in a line along the shore; thus, when the ship becomes wind rode, all the cables may be made to bear an equal strain, and are separated from each other.

ON KEEPING A CLEAR ANCHOR.

The art of keeping a clear anchor is thought to be a difficult branch of seamanship, but I believe only from its being so seldom practised by the generality of seamen, particularly by those who sail long voyages; those seamen not being often in a tide's way at single anchor without having a pilot on board, whose duty is to tend the ship at high and low water.

Upon the Nature of Sheering a Vessel to one Side of her Anchor.

If the side of a ship at anchor is presented to tide by any means, the water will act upon her two ways, one in the direc

tion of her keel, the other in the direction of her beam, which last will cause her to sheer out to one side of her anchor, which before was ahead. Suppose, for example, the power that presents the ship's side to the tide was a spring from the anchor coming in aft on the starboard side; upon heaving in the spring, the ship will sheer over to port, and bring the anchor upon the starboard bow. The more the spring is hove in, the more the ship will go ahead and over to port, till her side makes an angle with the tide of 45 degrees, when she will be the farthest over from her anchor that she can go; and if the spring is hove in after this, the ship will return, and be in the stream of her anchor when she is hove round broadside to the tide. Now if the helm is put over to starboard, it will act the part of the spring, by forcing the ship's stern to starboard, and thus by causing the water to act upon her starboard side, the ship will be forced over to port: and if the helm had been put aport, the larboard side would be presented to the action of the water, and the ship would go over to starboard: but the power of the rudder being according to the strength of the tide, which strength lessens upon the rudder as the ship sheers obliquely to the stream, it can never produce so great an effect as the spring.

REMARKS.

It should be a practice to shoot a ship, if it can possibly be done, on the same side of her anchor at each change of tide, that the danger arising from the anchor's not turning as the ship. swings may be avoided; for should the anchor not turn in the ground, the cable will get foul about the upper fluke or stock, and either trip it out of the ground, or damage the cable. It often happens, when an anchor is tripped out of stiff ground, that it will not take hold a second time without the upper fluke should cant down; for the quantity of clay that adheres to the fluke prevents its digging into the ground afresh, so the anchor keeps tripping over the surface, and another anchor must be let go before the ship can be brought up.

As a ship by being sheered presents one bow to the tide, if the wind is directly against the tide, it must blow upon the opposite quarter.

To Tend a Ship for a Weather Tide.

Let us suppose a ship riding at single anchor upon a lee tide, with the wind in the direction of the tide, and that it is required, upon the tide's setting to windward, to tend the ship clear of her anchor. For this purpose, when the weather tide sets, and brings the wind broad upon either bow, hoist the jib and fore topmast staysail with the sheets aft; and if there is little wind,

brace full the yards, and set the main topmast staysail to shoot the ship a taught cable from her anchor. Now put the helm alee, and wait till the tide sets the ship over to windward of her cable, the buoy coming upon the same side that the helm is put over to; after which, should the wind blow so fresh as to shoot the ship end-on with the cable, brace to the head yard, and keep the after yards full to assist the helm. If from little wind the buoy bears nearly abeam, the jib and fore topmast staysail may be hauled down; but if the wind blows fresh, and shoots the ship nearly end-on with the cable, bringing the buoy upon the quarter, it will be necessary to keep the fore topmast staysail up, as in this situation the ship will be in danger of breaking her sheer against the helm, and the fore topmast staysail will be in readiness to catch her before she can fall to windward of her anchor. As the weather tide slacks, the ship will gradually fall wind-rode, when haul down the fore topmast staysail and right the helm; and should it blow fresh, let the yards be braced forward, and the ship be given the necessary cable.

To Tend a Ship with the Wind a few Points across the Tide.

Let us suppose a ship, riding lee tide with the wind two or three points upon the bow, is to be swung for a weather tide. When the lee tide is done the ship will become wind-rode, of course must swing with her head to the weather shore. As the tide makes to windward and brings the wind broad upon either side, hoist the jib and fore topmast staysail with the sheets aft, to shoot the ship a taught cable from her anchor. If there is little wind, let her be assisted by the main topmast and mizen staysails, and filling the yards. When the tide has set the ship over to windward of her cable and thus brought the buoy upon the lee side, put the helm alee, haul down the jib and fore topmast staysail, and if it blows fresh, brace to the head yards and fill the after yards, in which position she will lay quiet the remainder of the tide. As the weather tide slacks, the ship will shoot end-on with the cable, and gradually fall wind-rode, when, should it blow fresh, let her be given the necesssary cable before the lee tide makes strong, and the yards be pointed to the wind.

To Tend a Ship with the Wind across the Tide.

When the wind is across the tide, the simplest method of tending a ship is to keep her both tides to leeward of her anchor. At each slack water the ship will become wind-rode, and as she tends, and brings the wind on either side, put the helm aweather, and hoist the fore topmast staysail with the sheet to wind