then the inky stain will be an eyesore for days, until, for
peace of mind, the sail must be scrubbed again. Trifles these are to the
yachtsman who can leave all that to his crew, who sees only _results_,
but when the captain alone is the crew, the realities of sea life must be
endured as well as enjoyed, and yet surely he is the one to enjoy most
keenly the luxury of a white spotless sail whose own hands have made it
so.

If any sailor henceforth has me for his captain, and he has to "tidy up"
my yacht, he may be sure of having a very considerate if not indulgent
master--"Governor," of course, I mean, for there are no "masters" any
longer now, they are all promoted to the rank of "Governor."

And the reason I should be considerate is that until you do it all
yourself you cannot have any idea of the innumerable _minutiae_ to be
attended to in the proper care of a yacht. Mine, indeed, was in
miniature; but the number of little things was still great, though each
little thing was more little. On the whole we should say that a yacht's
crew, even in port, have full employment for all their working hours if
the hull, spars, sails, ropes, and boats, besides the cabin and stores,
are always kept in that condition of order, neatness, cleanliness,
readiness, and repair which ought to be little short of perfection when
regarded with a critical eye.

In like manner as you drive out in a carriage and return, and the
carriage and horses disappear into the stables for hours of careful work
by the men who are there, so may the day's sail in a yacht involve a
whole series of operations on board afterwards. Inattention to these in
the extreme can be observed in the boats of fishermen, and attention in
the extreme in the perfect vessels of the Royal Squadron; but even a very
reasonable amount of smartness requires a large expenditure of labour
which will not be effectual if it be hurried, and which is, of course,
worse than useless if it is done by inferior hands.

In perfect trim and "ship shape" now, we loosed from Sheerness, to
continue the sail eastwards, and with a leading breeze and a lovely
morning. This part of the Thames is about the best conjunction of river
and sea one could find, with land easily sighted on both sides, yet fine
salt waves, porpoises, and other attributes of the sea, and buoys, and
beacons, and light-ships to be attended to, and a definite line of course
determined on and followed by compass. A gale h