the consequent loss of much ground. Always
be ready to luff and take advantage of any little gust of wind, and it
is astonishing the amount of windward gain a clever sailor makes in this
way. This does not mean to luff so much at every putt as to dump the
wind out of your sail, or attempt to sail so close to the wind as not to
get its full power.

The amount of sail carried should be proportionate to the wind; it is a
great mistake to oversail a boat so that it wallows through the seas,
necessitating luffing or dumping out the wind in the squalls and
lowering of the peak when running before the wind. The angle of keel at
which your boat sails best can only be determined by experiment, and it
is a great blunder to carry sail so as to heel her to a greater one.
When sailing close hauled or to windward, all obstructions that may
catch the wind should be placed below deck if possible, or if it should
be necessary to have the crew up to windward, let them lay close to the
deck. (See sketch of start.)

As to the distribution of weight, aim to have your boat sail on the
proper water-line at all times: do not allow your crew, when beating to
windward, to pile aft, so as to escape spray, and so lift the bow out,
at the same time do not get your bow too deeply in. When ready to go
about (go on another tack), give the order "hard a lee," and let go the
tiller, the unbalanced action of the wind on the sail will bring the
boat up into the wind with a sweeping curve, and then use the rudder to
put her on the other tack.

In this way you will go about easily, and will not lose headway, as is
the case when the tiller is jammed over at the beginning. Immediately on
hearing the order "hard a lee," the crew should stand ready to shift the
ballast, and as the boat rounds up should change it rapidly, so as to
have it to windward when the sail fills on the other tack. A manoeuvre
of the same character should be executed when luffing around a mark.

Always be sure before going about that you have plenty of board down. We
will suppose that you have luffed around the first mark, and the next
leg is a run with the wind aft of abeam. This will not be particularly
exacting, the only points to keep in mind being to have your water-line
on proper trim, a full sail, and a straight course.

The second mark will have to be gybed around. This is a manoeuvre your
crew cannot be too well drilled in. Give yourself plenty of room, and do
not attempt t