As the wind increased I
would go on deck, if below, and turn the wheel up a spoke more or
less, relash it, or, as sailors say, put it in a becket, and then
leave it as before.
[Illustration: Sail-Plan of the _Spray_ The solid lines represent the
sail-plan of the _Spray_ on starting for the long voyage. With it she
crossed the Atlantic to Gibraltar, and then crossed again southwest to
Brazil. In South American waters the bowsprit and boom were shortened
and the jigger-sail added to form the yawl-rig with which the rest of
the trip was made, the sail-plan of which is indicated by the dotted
lines The extreme sail forward is a flying jib occasionally used, set
to a bamboo stick fastened to the bowsprit. The manner of setting and
bracing the jigger-mast is not indicated in this drawing, but may be
partly observed in the plans on pages 287 and 289.]
To answer the questions that might be asked to meet every contingency
would be a pleasure, but it would overburden my book. I can only say
here that much comes to one in practice, and that, with such as love
sailing, mother-wit is the best teacher, after experience.
Labor-saving appliances? There were none. The sails were hoisted by
hand; the halyards were rove through ordinary ships' blocks with
common patent rollers. Of course the sheets were all belayed aft.
[Illustration: Steering-gear of the _Spray_. The dotted lines are the
ropes used to lash the wheel.
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