Fore. - Towards the bow.

Bow. - The forward end of boat, especially the side of it.

Aft. - Towards the stern.

Quarters. - The after part of the side.

Beam. - The width of a boat.

Sheer. - The rise of a boat's ends at top above a horizontal line.

Camber or Gamber. - A similar rise in a boat's bottom.

Starboard and Port. - The right and left sides of a boat. A vessel with the wind on her right side is on the starboard tack, and vice versa.

Stability or Stiffness. - The tendency of a boat to resist being forced out of an upright position. A beat deficient in this quality is said to be "crank," and is very unsafe, especially for sailing.

Yard. - A spar placed across a mast to support the "head" or upper edge of a sail.

Boom. - A spar to extend the "foot" or lower edge.

Luff. - The foremost edge of the sail, nearest to the wind (see "to Luff.")

Leech. - The after edge of a sail.

Peak. - The upper after corner of a sail.

Clew. - The lower after corner.

Throat. - The foremost upper corner.

Tack. - The foremost lower corner, also the rope that secures this part.

Halliard. - The rope by which a sail is hoisted.

Sheet. - A rope attached to the boom, or to the clew, by which the sail is "trimmed" or regulated as to its position.

Lifts or Topping-lifts. - Ropes from the masthead to a boom, for raising it or preventing it from dropping.

Downhaul. - A rope for pulling a sail down.

Luff, to. - To turn a boat's head more towards the wind.

Bear away, to. - To turn from the wind.

Tack, to. - To turn a boat round towards the wind, until it blows on the contrary side to before the manoeuvre. Sometimes called "to stay" or "to go about."

Jibe, or Gybe, to. - The wind being aft, or nearly so, and the sail on one side, to turn the boat so that the wind comes on that side, when the sail has to swing across the boat.

Bring-Up, to. - To stop and secure a boat, generally by anchoring.

Way. - A boat's movement through the water, as "head-way," "sternway," "lee-way." A boat in motion is said "to have way;" if sufficient for steering, then "steerage-way;" if considerable "strong way" or "good way." She is also said to have "way on her," and inversely to be "under-way," when in movement. So to "get under-way" is to set the boat in motion.*

* Generally "getting under way" is used starting from moorings or an anchor (woodcut teasing rancorous pulling ' while if the boat is hove-to or stationary, though free, to get in motion is "to get way on her."

On a wind, by the wind. - A course, as near as possible, towards the direction from which the wind blows, also called "close-hauled."

Off the wind, down wind, or free. - A course away from the wind.

Reaching or sailing along the wind. - Sailing any course intermediate between the above two.



I add a list of these in hopes to stimulate the zeal of inventors:


1. A thoroughly efficient means of either (a) steering without rudder, or (b) entirely detaching the rudder, and re-shipping it while afloat.

2. A lamp that will take up little room, will not blow out, will show all round white, or red and green, and burn candles, or something cleaner than oil.

3. A well cover that will take up less room than hatches, and answer as well.

4. A compass small and compact enough for canoe purposes, and yet to act efficiently in all weather, and which can be used while battened down.

5. A chain or cord for centre-boards, that will work in a xxx4-inch trunk, bear a weight of 20 lbs., not chafe or rust, and which can be fastened to the centre-board without adding to its thickness.

6. A good pump or other means of getting out the water without opening the well.

7. A rust preventer which will suit all iron, from a sail needle to a centre-board.



A canoe cannot be paddled as effectually as a boat can be sculled, and for sailing, pure and simple, is inferior to a good sized sailing boat, such as one man can handle. Her superiority to these depends entirely upon her power of utilizing both means of propulsion, and upon her handiness in hitting and carrying about.

If, therefore, canoe racing is designed to bring out the best qualities of canoes, it is obviously undesirable to allow separate types ot the boats to be formed of which one is only fit to paddle and the other only fit to sail. These are both departures from the proper field of canoeing and not particularly successful invasions of the territory of the sculling boat on the one hand, and the sailing boat on the other.

Rightly designed racing classes and races should ensure that the canoe should win most prizes that is best all round. To combine paddling and sailing in every race would be hard upon men of small physical powers on the one hand, and, on the other upon good paddlers whose skill in sailing was small. I should therefore suggest that there should be three kinds of races, about equal in number - Paddling Races, Sailing Races, Paddling and Sailing Races. In the first I would allow no canoe to enter that could not sail round a course to windward and to leeward, and in the second no canoe that could not be paddled with an ordinary double paddle, say a mile in twelve minutes in smooth water. These tests should be performed to the satisfaction of judges appointed for the purpose. This would rapidly put a stop to the construction of racing machines of either type, at the same time it would bring racing into accordance with the actual conditions of canoeing, and secure that the canoe a man would build for the races, would be just the best possible canoe that he could have built if racing had not been proposed.

Canoe chasing (i.e., hauling over obstacles) should also be confined to "practical" canoes, either by combining it with both paddling and sailing, or by limiting it to boats which had passed both "tests."

No trouble would be given by these tests, as they could be taken in the course of a race. The owner of a new canoe would in his first paddling race receive a "certificate" of having paddled a mile in the time required, and in his first sailing race, if having sailed fairly to and from the wind. Very few restrictions as to dimensions, fittings, or ballast would be necessary, as these would be kept in proper bounds by the requirements of the races themselves, precisely as they are by the practical requirements of cruising, and thus the greatest possible liberty would be left to the exercise of ingenuity and skill.

If any canoe club existing, or about to be formed, would carry out these principles, it would at once sweep into its net all the numerous canoeists who now say "I'll not build a racing boat, she'd be no use for anything else."

For instance, on the Thames in summer you meet a canoe with some kind of a sail every few miles, and yet in the canoe races on the same river, half a dozen is a good entry, whether for paddling or sailing. But the half dozen entries do not consist of the canoes you meet on the river, nor do you often meet on the river the canoes which enter for these races.

Probably a single class would be found to answer better than more, as it would enable the club to throw its whole strength and resources into the encouragement of one strong class, instead of frittering them away over two or more weak ones. And all really "practical" canoes could be brought into a single class without difficulty under the "test" system, as opposed to that of measurement, which cannot be made to express rightly the handiness or unwieldiness of canoes. Some such rules as the following might be suggested :

Paddling Races.

- Canoes entered for these races shall not exceed 17 feet in length on waterline, or be of less than 27 inches beam, nor than 9 inches depth from gunwale to rabbet of keel at midships. The keel shall not be less than 1 inch in depth. No canoe shall compete that cannot in ordinary weather, in cruising trim, sail a fair course to and from the wind, without aid of paddle or current.

Sailing Races.

- Canoes entered for these races shall not exceed 17 feet in length on water line or be of more than 30 inches beam or than 12 inches depth. The keel shall not exceed 4 inches, and if a centre-board be carried, then 2 inches. Centre-boards shall not exceed half the length of the boat in length (united if more than one) nor 16 inches below the keel in depth when lowered, nor if of metal, a quarter of an inch in thickness. When hauled up they shall be entirely within the canoe. No metal weights shall be below the garboards, nor be permanently attached to the canoe. No canoe shall compete that cannot be paddled, in cruising trim, one statute mile in still water in 12 minutes.

Cruising Trim.

- When a race is ordered to be paddled or sailed in cruising trim, all centre-boards, hatches, bulkheads and floors must be on board and in their proper places. A double bladed paddle must be carried, also an anchor of suitable size for the canoe. All spars and sails must be on board, and be of not greater length than can be stowed within the canoe below deck. Not more than 56 lbs. or less than 28 lbs ballast or other weight may be carried, exclusive of centre-boards. Life saving gear shall be carried by each canoe. All races on open water shall be competed in cruising trim.

It would be a good thing to have a "challenge" prize on some such conditions as the following:

The prize to be assigned to the member who wins most races in one canoe during the year, but that not more paddling than sailing races nor more sailing than paddling, may be counted in favor of any competitor. Paddling-and-Sailing Races to count as half a race each way. Ties to be decided by greatest total number of races and if there be still a tie, it shall be decided by a Puddling-and-Sailing Race.



Every summer some few lives are lost at the different weirs on the Thames, and there is a periodical outcry in the papers that "something ought to be done." Now most of the danger from the Thames weirs arises from the fact that it is only occasional. During dry fine weather most of the weirs present no danger at all, you can paddle up close to them from above or below and, in fact, do what you will with them. At other times, even though no local rain may have fallen, a freshet from above converts these harmless affairs into destructive torrents. If only reasonable and careful people used the river, the weirs would get no victims ; but as it is impossible to forbid persons of any amount of folly or uncapacity from going afloat, and (more's the pity) taking ladies, children and aged persons with them, all that can be done is to try to minimise the peril. The present "Danger" boards are of little use, being always there, they are unheeded. What is wanted is a red flag - the universally recognised signal of danger - to be hoisted on all such places when in an unsafe condition, and then only. These would be attended to, which the boards are not. The hoisting of them would not add perceptibly to the labours of the men who at present attend to the weirs.

At the same time the public can defend itself to a great extent by observing a few simple precautions.

  • Never on any account get into the same boat with a fool, drunkard, or excitable person; avoid such as you would avoid a mad dog.
  • Never let there be any discussion in a boat as to how she is to be managed. Let one command the boat, remembering that an indifferent order promptly carried out is worth all the clever plans in the world, if argued over at the moment of action.
  • Lastly, let there be no singing, skylarking, or nonsense aboard when passing a difficult place. 



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