THE DANDY RIG.

THE dandy rig bears a striking resemblance to the yawl rig, the only difference being in the mizzen-sail; which, in the dandy rig, is of Bermudian, or jib-like form, and set on the mast without yard or gaff. (See the engraving facing page 39, which illustrates both rigs-yawl and dandy.)

Some of the open pleasure boats on the south coast of England that are so rigged are fine, powerful vessels. Among the large ones I measured was a boat nearly fifty feet in length, by thirteen and a half or fourteen feet in width, and of the burthen of twenty tons and upwards; a perfectly open boat, capable of carrying twenty or thirty persons, without crowding.

Although so large and capacious, these boats, whether yawl or dandy-rigged, are safely managed at sea in ordinary weather by two persons.

The most laborious work belonging to them is the beaching and launching; but, with the facilities of capstans, rollers, and other contrivances, the toil is considerably lightened.

The advantages belonging to the dandy rig are precisely the same as those of the yawl rig; the mainsail swings clear of the mizzen, and is worked without a boom, whereby the danger and inconvenience of that heavy contrivance, swaying over head, is avoided—a matter of considerable importance in a boat laden with passengers.

THE SCHOONER RIG.

THE fore-and-aft schooner rig consists of two masts and three principal sails, viz. a mainsail, which is, in fact, a gaff-sail fitted with a boom; a spencer, or fore-sail, which is fitted with a gaff, but (generally) without a boom; and a stay-sail, which is the leading sail, and is set on the fore-stay. In addition to these sails, schooners sometimes carry topsails, jibs, and flying-jibs. When a jib is used, a jib-boom has to be run out

beyond the standing bowsprit; and as regards the topsails, in some vessels gaff-topsails are used, in others jib-headed topsails.

Schooners of a larger class are fitted with square-rigged topsails; in some vessels on the main-mast only, in others on both masts. These vessels are termed square-rigged schooners, and square-topsail schooners, and sometimes square-headed schooners.

The schooner rig is, unquestionably, the very best, safest, and handiest of any for large yachts; and it is, besides, a favourite rig for large open pleasure boats, particularly those of a long and narrow form of hull, with sharp bows.

Schooner-rigged boats have long been in use by the native boatmen on various parts of the English coast; and since the victories gained in English waters by the famous schooner yacht America,' (1) various improvements have been made in the form and rig of schooners; so that schooner-rigged yachts of a superior class have become numerous.

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The stay-foresail of a schooner is usually set out beyond the stem by means of a bumkin, or a standing bowsprit; the spencer, or boom-foresail (which is the middle sail of the three), requires no boom, although one is frequently used; but the mainsail should be fitted with a boom and goose-neck, in the usual way. The two masts should be connected at the top by a jumper or triatic stay; and the spencer-peak should swing clear of that stay. In sailing a schooner-rigged vessel, the staysail-sheet is eased off on coming about, and the spencer kept aweather to pay her off. When running before the wind, the mainsail and spencer are boomed out, one on each side-styled, 'goose-winged.'

There are many magnificent schooner yachts belonging to members of the various English yacht clubs, some of which are of beautiful form and construction; and the interior accommodation abounds with every comfort and luxury man can desire. Such vessels are truly an ornament to our seas, and the pride and boast of the pleasure squadron.

(1) See infra, ‘American Racing Vessels,' where a full description and engraving of that celebrated yacht is given.

THE Itchen river, or Southampton, fishing boats are rigged in a simple but most useful and handy manner. Their chief peculiarities consist in a lofty mast and narrow-headed gaffmainsail, without a boom. The mainsail travels, at the clew, on an iron hawse across the stern, in the ordinary manner, and the sail is all inboard, a great advantage in bad weather. The fore-sail is also a lofty sail, but stands chiefly inboard. In squally weather these boats are frequently worked to windward under the head-sail only. When the mainsail is closereefed, it is reduced to less than half its size, and is all inboard. These are great advantages in heavy seas and strong winds.

In fine weather and light winds they sometimes set a sharpheaded topsail on a small spar, which answers both purposes of yard and top-mast.

These boats require very few ropes as rigging, they are extremely handy under sail, and may be managed easily by two hands, unless the vessel be of extra size and rig.

It is a well-known fact that some of the best hands on board our racing yachts are taken from the Itchen river boats, in which they have received their training.

LUGGERS.

A LUGGER is a boat or vessel rigged with lug-sails; some have one sail only; others two or three, besides a fore-sail and a mizzen; and boats of a large size, as sea-going and coasting luggers, sometimes set a topsail above the main lug-sail. The south coast fishing luggers in fine weather set their topsail above the mizzen-lug.

Anciently the lug-sail, if not the only form of rig used for sailing-boats and small vessels, was at all events the most general one. The ancient lug-sail was of square-like form, with a yard or spar at the top, and a sheet or guy at each of the lower corners. Modern sailors still find the lugger rig an exceeding handy one for boats and small vessels, whether decked or not. Lug-sails are now cut in various shapes, with more or less peak, according to fancy and the form of the boat for which intended.

The lugger rig has been from time immemorial a favourite one among beachmen, pilots, fishermen, and others, for open boats and as such men have great experience in boat-sailing, and would naturally select that which they consider the safest, most effective and useful, it may be fairly concluded that the lugger is the most convenient rig of all for an open coasting boat. The lug-sail requires less ropes and rigging than any other in open boats, the single halliard-rope serves as a stay

(when such is necessary) to the mast, the only other rope required being the main-sheet.

Some of the sea-going luggers employed on various parts of the coast rank among the finest and most powerful open boats in England; particularly the large open three-masted luggers, an engraving of one of which appears on the opposite page.

One of the chief advantages in the lugger rig is, the facility with which sail may be shortened; and a lugger which in fine weather carries three lugsails, a jib, and topsail—in all, five sails may be sailed in heavy weather under one or two only of the lug-sails, selected from the smaller ones. Another advantage is the lightness of the spars, and the facility with which one or more of the masts may be struck, and the boat relieved of the heavy pressure of top-hamper, a great advantage in bad weather.

A large and well-appointed lugger, with two or three masts, is probably as safe and handy a form of rig for an open sailingboat, for knocking about at sea in 'all weathers,' as any that has been contrived; and there are, undoubtedly, among the fishing, piloting, and coasting class, more boats fitted as luggers than any other form of rig, from which it may be inferred that the lugger rig is, for general purposes, the handiest and safest that is known.

A well-rigged lugger has, besides, great power as a sailingboat; and the masts being small and light, in proportion to the large area of canvas that is spread, the boat rides easily under her spars, and sails with less labouring in a sea-way than one with a single heavy mast.

Pilots, on approaching ships at sea, are enabled to lower a lug-sail in an instant, and strike the mast, to avoid collision with any part of the ship's rigging. A rope is then thrown them from the ship; with this they make the boat fast, and then quickly board the vessel. But in very rough weather and heavy seas, there would be great danger in running a boat alongside a vessel; so the pilot takes a turn round his waist with the rope thrown him from the ship, and casts himself into the sea; he is then cautiously drawn aboard the vessel.