Chapter I: Front Matter

THE BOOK OF
THE SAILBOAT

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By A. Hyatt Verrill

The Real Story of the Whaler

The Book of the Sailboat

The Book of the Motor Boat

Isles of Spice and Palm

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
Publishers New York

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1—Leg-o’-mutton sail. 2—Gunter sail. 3—Lateen sail. 4—Sprit
sail. 5—Lug sail. 6—Boom-and-gaff sail. 7—Cat rig.
8—Jib-and-mainsail rig. 9—Sloop rig. 10—Yawl rig
(Polemast). 11—Schooner rig (Polemast).

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THE BOOK OF
THE SAILBOAT

_HOW TO RIG, SAIL AND
HANDLE SMALL BOATS_

BY
A. HYATT VERRILL

AUTHOR OF “THE BOOK OF THE MOTOR BOAT”
“ISLES OF SPICE AND PALM,” “THE REAL
STORY OF THE WHALER”

ILLUSTRATED

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK LONDON
1916

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COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. A SHORT HISTORY OF BOATS 1
The first boat. Rafts and canoes. Catamarans.
Early forms of boats. Coracles and goofahs. The
evolution of the sailboat. Types of modern boats.
Schooners, sloops, ketches, catboats, round- and
flat-bottomed boats.

II. WHAT BOAT TO USE 10
Speed, stability and seaworthiness. Boats for
various uses. Whale-boats, surf-boats, life-boats,
fishing boats, oyster-boats, pilot-boats,
spongers, skiffs, dories, skip-jacks, etc.

III. PARTS OF BOATS 19
Various parts of a boat’s hull. Masts and spars.
Blocks and tackle. Anchors and cables. Deck
fittings. Cleats, chocks. Rudders, tillers,
wheels, etc. Keels and centerboards. Leeboards.
Ropes and standing rigging. What each is for.

IV. VARIOUS RIGS 39
Square-rigged vessels. Ships, barks, barkentines,
brigs, brigantines, topsail-schooners, schooners.
Ketch and yawl rigs. Sloop rigs. Catboats. Types
of fore and aft sails. Lateen, lug, gunter, sprit,
leg-o’-mutton and other sails. What rig to use.

V. HOW TO SAIL A SMALL BOAT 59
First steps in learning to sail. Handling and
sailing small boats. Getting under way. Sailing on
the wind, tacking. Coming about. Sailing before
the wind. Wearing ship. Jibing. Luffing. Reefing.
Coming to a landing. Coming to anchor.

VI. THE CARE OF BOATS 87
Equipment. Anchors and safety appliances.
Moorings. Sea anchors. Stowing sail. Care of boats
and sails. Caulking, painting, etc.

VII. MARLINSPIKE SEAMANSHIP 102
Ropes and their parts. Simple and useful knots.
Splices. Bends and hitches. Ornamental knots.

VIII. SIMPLE NAVIGATION 125
Rules of the road at sea. Lights, beacons and
signals. Buoys and lighthouses. Channels. Use of
compass. Charts and their use. Dead reckoning.
Logs. Sounding. Landmarks. Bearings. Currents and
tides. Fogs. Stars. Winds and waves. Storms.
Sailing in heavy weather. What to do in case of
accident.

IX. BUILDING SMALL BOATS 164
The simplest boat to build. How to build a
round-bottomed boat. Building from patterns.

X. WHAT NOT TO DO 180

NAUTICAL TERMS AND THEIR MEANINGS 187

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Fore-and-aft sails and rigs _Frontispiece_
Primitive boats 2
Types of small boats adapted to special uses 12
Types of bows and sterns 22
Keels, centerboards, leeboards and rudders 27
Boat fittings and parts of boats 30
Running rigging of fore-and-aft rig 34
Standing rigging, masts, etc. 36
Various rigs 41
Parts of rails, spars, etc., of fore-and-aft rig 43
Ketch rig. Cat yawl rig 45
Sails of square-rigged vessels 48
Hull, spars and rigging of a ship 52
Effect of wind on boats of various forms 63
Sailing 71
Reefing a sail 84
Caulking tools 93
Anchors 96
Useful knots and splices 105
Ornamental knots 116
Ropework 121
Rules of the road and buoys 129
Harbor chart showing lights, buoys, channels,
soundings, bearings, bottom, etc. 136
Use of compass in boat 140
Compasses 143
Effect of waves on stability 151
Building a flat-bottomed boat 171

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THE BOOK OF
THE SAILBOAT