Practical Boat-Sailing Part 5

TWO SAILING-SHIPS MEETING.

ART. 11.--If two sailing-ships are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, the helms of both shall be put to port, so that each may pa.s.s on the port side of the other.

TWO SAILING-SHIPS CROSSING.

ART. 12.--When two sailing-ships are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, then, if they have the wind on different sides, the ship with the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the ship with the wind on the starboard side, _except_ in the case in which the ship with the wind on the port side is close-hauled, and the other ship free, in which case the latter ship shall keep out of the way. But if they have the wind on the same side, or if one of them has the wind aft, the ship which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the ship which is to leeward.

SAILING-SHIP AND SHIP UNDER STEAM.

ART. 15.--If two ships, one of which is a sailing-ship and the other a steamship, are proceeding in such directions as to involve risk of collision, the steamship shall keep out of the way of the sailing-ship.

SHIPS UNDER STEAM TO SLACK SPEED.

ART. 16.--Every steamship, when approaching another ship so as to involve risk of collision, shall slacken her speed, or, if necessary, stop and reverse; and every steamship shall, when in a fog, go at a moderate speed.

VESSELS OVERTAKING OTHER VESSELS.

ART. 17.--Every vessel overtaking any other vessel shall keep out of the way of the said last-mentioned vessel.

CONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLES 12, 15, AND 17.

ART. 18.--When, by the above rules, one of two ships is to keep out of the way, the other shall keep her course, subject to the qualifications contained in the following article:--

PROVISO TO SAVE SPECIAL CASES.

ART. 19.--In obeying and construing these rules, due regard must be had to all dangers of navigation, and due regard must also be had to any special circ.u.mstances which may exist in any particular case, rendering a departure from the above rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger.

NO SHIP UNDER ANY CIRc.u.mSTANCES TO NEGLECT PROPER PRECAUTIONS.

ART. 20.--Nothing in these rules shall exonerate any ship, or the owner or master, or crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to carry lights or signals, or of any neglect to keep a proper lookout, or of the neglect of any precaution which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circ.u.mstances of the case.

The following diagrams are designed to ill.u.s.trate the use of the lights carried by vessels at sea as prescribed in the Regulations above, and the manner in which they indicate to each vessel the position and course of the other.

[Ill.u.s.tration: vessels approaching]

FIG. 1 (when the _red_ and _green lights_ are both seen).--A sees a _red_ and _green_ light ahead. A knows that a vessel is approaching him on a course directly opposite to the one he is steering, as B. If A sees a _white masthead light_ above the _red_ and _green lights_, he knows that the vessel B is a steamer. A should put his helm to port; and B, seeing the same lights on board of A, should by the same rule put his helm to port also.

FIG. 2 (when the _red light_ only is seen).--A sees a _red light_ ahead or on the port bow. A knows that either, first, a vessel is approaching him on his port bow, as B, or, second, a vessel is crossing his bows to port in some direction, as D D' D" (Fig. 3). If A sees a _white masthead light_ above the _red light_, he knows that the vessel is a steamer, and is either approaching in the same direction as B (Fig 2), or is crossing to port in the same direction as D D' D" (Fig. 3).

In the first position (Fig. 2) A sees B a little on the port bow, B's _red light_ exposed, and, by the diagrams, B should see A's _red light_ as well; in which case both vessels should put their helms to port.

In the second position (Fig. 3) A sees D on his starboard bow, and, from the fact that he only sees D's _red light_, he knows that D must be steering in some direction, as at D D' D"; at the same time, D D' D"

will see A's _green light on his port bow_.

In this case, A, having D clearly on his starboard bow, should put his helm to starboard to turn from D, and D, having A clearly on his port bow, should put his helm to port to turn to starboard from A.

FIG. 4 (when the _green light_ is seen, and the _red light_ is not seen).--A sees a _green light_ ahead, or on his bow. A knows that either, first, a vessel is approaching him on his starboard bow, as B, or, second, that a vessel is crossing his bow in some direction to starboard, as D D' D" (Fig. 5).

If A sees a _white masthead light_ above the _green light_, A knows that the vessel is a steamer, and is either approaching him in the same direction as B, or is crossing to starboard in some direction, as D D'

D".

In the _first position_ A sees B on his starboard bow, B's _green light_ exposed, and, by the diagram, B should see A's _green light_ as well; in which case both vessels should put their helms to starboard.

In the _second position_ A sees D on his port bow, and, from the fact that he only sees D's _green light_, he knows that D must be steering in some direction, as D D' D"; at the same time D will see A's _red light_ on his starboard bow. In this case A, having D clearly on his port bow, should put his helm to port to turn from D; and D, having A clearly on his starboard bow, should put his helm to starboard to turn to port from A.

SALUTES.

When lying in harbor in a well-ordered and disciplined yacht, considerable ceremony is made in hauling down the colors at sunset, and hoisting them at sunrise. It is customary to have this done with great exactness, and to the very minute often, at which the sun rises or sets, as ascertained by the nautical almanac, at the discharge of a swivel or small cannon; when all the colors aloft, including the ensign and private signal, should commence to descend towards the deck together, and at the same rate of speed. To execute this graceful ceremony it becomes necessary to post two hands at each of the signal-halliards,--one to haul down the color, the other to check it on its descent, so as to have it move with the same speed as the ensign, by which all other colors are regulated; then, with two hands to each flag, with the signal-halliards cast off, and every thing clear, and ready to lower away, another hand is placed at the swivel, and when the second-hand of one's watch touches the minute of sunset, the command "Fire!" is given, and down drop gracefully and slowly all the colors that are aloft. They may be set in the morning in the same way, or may be made up in a bundle on deck, and hoisted to their position aloft, when at a given signal, or discharge of a cannon, the stop is jerked asunder, and they are unfolded to the breeze at the same instant of time. This is a more graceful method than hoisting them up from deck, which, at the best, causes a jerky movement of the bunting.

In a sloop-yacht the ensign is carried always at the end of the gaff, when hoisted; and the burgee, or private signal, at the topmast head.

When pa.s.sing a vessel at sea that has her colors set, it is always courtesy to bend on one's own, and, as the nearest point is reached, lower the ensign half way towards the deck, and then hoist it back again to its position at the peak. This is called "dipping the colors;" and the smaller vessel should always be the one to offer the courtesy first.

If a man-of-war is met, care should be taken to be always the first; and here it is proper to dip one's ensign three times, as is it also to any large and important vessel, such as an European steamer moving along in all her majesty: she will not neglect to answer the politeness.

In entering harbor, especially if there are other yachts lying at anchor, it has become customary, at the same moment that the anchor is dropped, to discharge a gun announcing one's arrival; and, if there are other yachts present to whom the yacht is known, she will receive probably a salute from each in return.

In coming alongside of a yacht at anchor, all persons who are not guests of the captain, or especially invited, or of some rank or consequence, should come to the port gangway. The starboard side of a vessel at anchor is the captain's side, as is that side of the deck which is the windward-side when she is under way. Ladies always come on board on the starboard side, if the yacht be large enough to enter into all these niceties of quarterdeck etiquette.

Every yacht that is large enough to admit of it should be fitted with a ship's clock with watch movement, a swinging-lamp, and an aneroid barometer; all of which are of great use,--the clock to give the time which courses have been sailed; the lamp, light to the chart upon the table; and the barometer, admonition of a change in the weather.

It is of great importance that an "anchor-watch," as it is called, should be kept on all yachts, for many reasons. For instance, to see that none of the sails get adrift in the night, should it come on to blow; and to see that the anchor holds well, or to pay out more cable, if necessary; to watch the lantern in the fore-rigging, and take care that it does not go out, leaving the yacht at the mercy of the first lumber-man that may come pitching into her.

Do not anchor too near the sh.o.r.e, so that good sea-room cannot be obtained, should it be desired to get under way, to run out of the harbor, or to pay out cable to hold on.

It is very easy to row to the sh.o.r.e in a tender, with the yacht well out, but very hard to make an inch sometimes, when it becomes a lee-sh.o.r.e.

These may seem trivial matters to be so careful about; but it is looking out for all contingencies, and yet being without a particle of fear, that makes the true yachtman,--always ready, and every thing always on hand. It is for this very reason of being prepared, that fear is driven out; whilst, with the careless one, in times of emergency the ropes foul, the gaskets are missing, the anchor is not bent on, the lamp wants oil, the lead-line can't be found, and the jib-halliards, not being properly belayed and coiled down, unreve from the masthead block, and every thing is "at sixes and at sevens."

CHAPTER VI.

Cross-Bearings.--Two Examples.--Table of Proportional Distances.--Table for Determining the Distance that an Object at Sea can be seen in Statute Miles.--Determining Distance by the Flash of a Gun.--To find the Difference between the True and Apparent Direction of the Wind.--To find the Distance of an Object on Sh.o.r.e from the Yacht, by two Bearings of the Compa.s.s.--Use of the Charts.--Soundings.--Lead-Line.--Eight Bells and Watch and Watch.--Boxing the Compa.s.s.--Velocity of the Wind.--The Log Reel and Half-minute Gla.s.s.--Buoys.

CROSS-BEARINGS.

Perhaps there is nothing more useful in simple coast-sailing and entering harbors than to know how to find one's exact position upon the chart, at a moment's notice, by means of taking what is called _cross-bearings_. Nothing is necessary for this purpose, but a pair of parallel-rulers, a compa.s.s, and a sight of any two well-defined objects in view, that may be known upon the chart by their general relative positions, such as lighthouses, lightships, buoys, churches, headlands, &c.

The _parallel-rulers_ are two rulers attached by means of two bra.s.s swivels, so that they can be moved over the surface of a chart in any parallel direction to that from which they are first started; and are used to define direction upon any part of the chart. For instance, being placed upon the printed compa.s.s upon the chart, say upon the line of N.W. and S.E., they can be moved about the chart, carrying this same direction N.W. and S.E., to any other part of the chart. The two objects decided upon to be taken should be in such a direction as to form somewhat nearly a right angle with the yacht to obtain the most perfect results. All depends upon the apt.i.tude with which the observer can _line_ the object to be observed, i.e., its bearing by compa.s.s.

The writer knows of nothing so important and useful as this simple method of knowing just where one is at any moment, and thus be enabled to know just how to steer to avoid all dangers. These sights, or cross-bearings, can be taken every ten minutes with ease in fine weather, and the position of the yacht exactly defined.

EXAMPLE I. (see diagram, Fig. 1).--Bring the compa.s.s in its box on deck (it should be of large size, so as to guide the eye; and small pocket-compa.s.ses are useless for this purpose), and, standing behind it, line with the eye with great care the bearing of the north lighthouse by the compa.s.s, this we will suppose to be N.W. by N.; mark this upon a slip of paper, and then move the person so as to see the south lighthouse in the same way across the face of the compa.s.s, which is always between the observer and the object to be observed; and line the bearing of this lighthouse by compa.s.s, in the same manner, which we will suppose to be S.W. With these two results marked upon paper, refer to the chart, and place the parallel-rulers upon the printed compa.s.s, designed upon the chart, upon the line of N.W. by W. and S.E. by S. (its opposite), and move them by means of the pivots till one part of them rests upon north lighthouse; then draw a line of indefinite length upon the chart. Take up the rulers, and in the same manner place them upon the printed compa.s.s on the chart, on the line of S.W. and N.E., and carry them forward, keeping this angle, till some part rests upon south lighthouse; then draw a line which will at some point intersect the former line, which, if the bearings have been correctly taken, will be the exact position of the yacht at the time of the observation.