but she is far more easily handled, and is much to be preferred for single-handed cruising. Having a shorter and lighter boom, she is more fitted to encounter heavy weather; as the boom is all inboard, it is easy to take in reefs in the mainsail; whereas to reef down the large mainsail of a cutter yacht, on an unwieldy boom projecting far over the counter, is a difficult and laborious task when the vessel is tumbling about in a seaway.
A yawl, too, can be comfortably hove to under mizzen and jib, and then, if there be but one man on board, he can leave the helm while he lowers the mainsail on deck and reefs it at his leisure, the vessel taking care of herself.
Moreover, the operation of reefing, necessarily of so frequent occurrence on a cutter, can often be avoided on a yawl; when the rising wind demands the reduction of canvas, this can be done by other methods than reefing, while yet leaving the sails nicely balanced. For example, when struck by a squall a vessel can be greatly relieved by hauling down the foresail. But to lower the foresail of a cutter without at the same time reefing the mainsail puts the vessel out of trim, causes her to carry excessive weather helm, and in some cases to become almost unmanageable. On a yawl, on the other hand, the foresail and mizzen are lowered, and then the vessel will sail well under mainsail and jib. If it comes on to blow still harder, the mainsail can be lowered, and then under mizzen,
