File:Outing (1885) (14578476127).jpg

Identifier: outing48newy (find matches)
Title: Outing
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Leisure Sports Travel
Publisher: (New York : Outing Pub. Co.)
Contributing Library: Tisch Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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arethe same to be applied to anything whichcarries a fore-and-aft rig. In fact, thesailing-skiff is in many ways more difficultto handle than the larger boat. Beingclose to the water it does not hold thebreeze as true as the tall sail, because thelower stratum of wind will strike the waterand ricochet at a slightly different angle;also the force is constantly varying becauseeach separate puff or lightening of thebreeze makes itself felt at once, whereasupon a large sail, these slight variances offorce and direction are averaged over thetvhole area of canvas. Other disadvan-tages due to lightness of material, etc., areobvious. To appreciate the liberal course in boat-handling which a sailing-skiff can furnishthe beginner, one has but to watch hismanoeuvres for a little while. This is afavorite diversion of the rocking-chairfleet, most of whom can box the compass,discourse on the barometer, expound thetide theory and name the head-sails on afour-masted schooner, but few, if any, of 496
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Drawing by Hy. S. Watson. ARMS AND THE MAN AT THE PICNIC LANDING Boats and Boat-Handlers 497 whom could bring a thirty-foot sloop upto a sea-wall in a fresh breeze withoutshutting her up like an accordion. Tounderstand how much more the tyro inthe sailing-skiff gets for his money thanthe man in the knockabout, let us watchhim from the start. He has a fifteen-footsharpie (flat-bottomed) skiff with a jib andmainsail rig. The boat is tied to the lee sideof the club-house float by a long painter. The beginner hauls her in and stepsaboard forward of the mast. Next hetries to slip around the mast, but the boatheels toward him. He grabs the masthigh up, where his leverage is so great thatthe boat rolls him off into the water to achorus of delighted cries from the rock-ing-chair fleet. The water is waist deepand in climbing back into his craft hegrips the mast low down near its foot wherehe discovers that it will bear his weight.(Lesson i.) The higher the strain on themast the greater the tax

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