One oar, which should not be too long or heavy, should lie always within easy reach of the man sailing single-handed. With this he can pull the boat round if she misses stays, and steer her if the rudder carries away, or when running before a heavy sea. It is well to have a hollow cut into the transom to hold the oar, so that one can scull over the stern, a convenient method of propelling a boat when in a crowded harbour.
In case a boat is driven out to sea in heavy weather, a deep-sea or floating anchor should be made with the spars, in the way described in Chapter VII. Small open boats have frequently ridden out Atlantic gales with safety in this fashion.
Every one who goes open-boat sailing on an exposed coast should study the rules published by the National Lifeboat Institution with regard to the management of open boats in rough water, and the beaching of them through a surf. The following is a summary of these rules:—
I. As a general rule speed must be given to a boat rowing seaward against a heavy surf; for otherwise a sea may carry her back with it, turning her broadside on, or end-up, and so capsizing her. She should be given such way as to enable her to pass through the crest of the sea and leave it as soon as possible behind her.
II. A boat running before a broken sea to the shore offers no resistance to it and is carried before it, thus running great danger of capsizing, either
