If a boat is intended for single-handed sailing it is well to have the halyards leading aft, so that one need not leave the tiller and go forward to lower the sail. The halyards, in this case, are led through blocks at the foot of the mast. These blocks should not be attached to the mast itself, but to the thwart through which the mast is stepped.
It cannot be too much insisted upon that an open boat must not be treated as if she were a yacht. For example, one would never attempt to climb the mast in order to reeve a halyard or for any other purpose, more especially when the boat is under way. The sail should be lowered, and the mast should be unstepped. When sailing an open boat the helmsman sits on the weather-side; but great risk is incurred by allowing the other hands—more especially if they are inexperienced—to do so. As a rule, therefore, passengers should be made to sit in the centre of the boat, and if there be much sea the bottom of the boat is the best place for them.
One should always carry a lifebuoy when sailing a small boat. To do so on boats engaged in racing is made compulsory by the rules of the upper Thames sailing clubs.
When a squall strikes a boat that has plenty of way on her, the increased wind pressure in her sails is chiefly exerted in propelling her faster through the water; but if the boat is stationary,
