but it is the fastest; that is, given a certain area of canvas, that canvas is far more effective if it be all put into one sail than if it be divided into several sails; and this is more especially the case when a boat is on a wind. It is only because huge sails are difficult to handle that seagoing vessels have so many sails—an objection that does not apply to small boats.
But when a boat is intended for cruising on choppy waters it is inadvisable to fit her with one big sail, which also involves a lofty mast. When tumbling about in a seaway in a strong breeze the less top hamper the better, so that a smaller mainsail and a jib constitute the best rig. When running or sailing with the wind abeam, a boat is more easy to steer if she has a jib; a boat with one sail is apt to miss stays if the sea is rough, but with the assistance of a jib her head can always be paid off.
On some small craft, which, like the sloop, carry one head-sail only, the foot of the jib is laced to the boom, which makes the sail stand much flatter, more especially when the boat is sailing free and the sheet is slacked off.
There is also a convenient plan by which the head-sail can be used as jib or spinnaker at will. The after end of the bowsprit is fitted to an iron gooseneck on the mast which allows it to work freely in all directions. The bowsprit does not pass through a gammon iron, neither is it otherwise fixed to the stem of the boat, but has attached to it
