Rigs, Salt and Fresh: Schooner Days CXXVIII (128)

ON the Great Lakes rigs of sailing vessels differed sharply from those on salt water. Sailors had a laugh the other day over some Innocent letterpress about the model of "the Schooner Tern." Those of them who had been to the coast would know that, unless the man was talking about a schooner called the Tern, after a kind of gull, he would be meaning a tern-schooner, which is the standard coastal name for a three-master. On the lakes here we called these three-posters, three-’n'-afters." Two-masters we always perversely called ‘fore-’n’-afters.”

The lake three-and-after differed from the terns of the Maritime Provinces and New England seaboard In this: She was sparred like a ship would be, with reference to the height of masts. The mainmast was the highest, the foremast next to that, and the mizzen the shortest. If, as did happen In a few instances on the lakes there was a fourth or even a fifth mast, these were slightly shorter again than the mizzen.

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That is the way three-masted schooners used to be rigged on the seaboard a hundred years ago, but by the middle of the century that fashion had passed, and for as long as the grandfathers of salt water sailors can remember the tern schooners of the coast have been rigged with all three masts the same height, but more sail upon the mizzen than on the others, because the mizzen boom, or spanker boom as they call it, was much longer than on the lakes. Even In four, five, six or seven-masters like the Thos. W. Lawson, the aftermost mast of all had the largest sail. In the Thos. W. Lawson this seventh lower sail was called the pusher. On the lakes the after-most mast of all has the smallest sail, if there were more masts than two.

In our lake three-’n’-afters the mizzen mast was a little spar, usually shooting up through the cabin, and always placed near the stern. Consequently the mizzen gaff and boom were short, so as not to project unduly behind the vessel. We liked all our projections, like all our wounds, in front. A lake schooner’s jibboom was sometimes sixty feet long. Down on the coast they go in for shorter nose-poles. hut the tall mizzenmast is stepped well forward of the cabin, and the mizzen boom and gaff are long.

There are reasons for these customs. The salt water rig, with the largest sail aft, is better for working to windward. It will be noticed that fast-flying insects have their smaller wings in front. But the lake rig, with the biggest sail inboard, was quicker to handle. A small mizzen could be guyed out to either side to turn her around quickly; it could be stowed altogether in blowy weather, and was seldom reefed; or it could be carried In conjunction with the foresail, with the mainsail safely stowed. Many mizzens were made without reef points.

Also, the small mizzen was more serviceable running before the wind. It did not blanket the other sails as much or as quickly as the big mizzen or spanker does on salt water, and it was much easier to jibe over.

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The longer you live the more you will notice that local peculiarities have their particular uses. Our lake schooners had to navigate in channels and confined waters that would drive a deep-sea man to anchor till a pilot and a tug came to his rescue.

For the same reason, many of our lakers had raffees, three-cornered sails spread on yards on the fore-mast. They were useful for many purposes, but their’ best was to box a vessel off, making her turn sharply when the yard was braced aback. They were known on salt water, but rarely used. On the lakes they were common.

Our fore-and-afters also differed from the two-masted schooners of salt water by having bigger foresails, and the mainmast farther aft. Foresail and mainsail were often of equal area. On salt water two-masted schooners the mainsail was always the biggest; again, better for windward work, but not so handy for quick turns, running, before the wind, or small crews. The Bluenose, for example, has a mainboom twenty or thirty feet longer than any lake schooner of her tonnage would swing, and her mainsail is twice as big as any laker of her carrying capacity would swing. What a handful! The last time she went out for a sail here the main sheet was never started, though she went all around the Island and had the wind aft for much of the time. But her fishermen crew knew their business; too much rope In that main sheet to overhaul for pleasure, and too many guests to get knocked overboard If the big boom jibed!

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"This poem of my wife's and the cartoon which I am sending are our contribution towards the saving of the "Lyman M. Davis," writes

--LOUDON WILSON, Royal Oak, Mich.

Shall you destroy the last old schooner,

Put from your sight that work well done

Of thousands of sailors, builders, captains.

Who laid the foundation of years to come?

She is built of the stuff of which they were made,

Strong and reliable, swift and true,

She is fit to represent them now

To let posterity give them their due.

For the profane lust of callous eyes.

For dishonored dollars of vandal crowds.

Shall her faithful decks be consumed by fire?

Shall devouring flames creep up her shrouds?

Let not her tall masts warp and fall

Or her blackened keel sink beneath the blue!

Preserve this grand ship of the colorful past

And the future will ever be grateful to you!

—G. HARRINGTON WILSON

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TO AN OLD TIMER.

It’s sad to see a good old ship lie waiting for the end.

To me it looks like some poor soul who hasn’t got a friend Unwanted now, its best days past, a derelict of yore,

The last of all the sailing ships that traded to this shore;

Forgotten now, her glorious past, a record to admire,

A vandal’s hand to end its days, would set the ship afire.

Toronto's known as being good, a clean and wholesome city,

The citizens, a worthy cause, will always touch their pity, So now’s the time to do some good, they shouldn’t let it slip,

But rally round and do their best to save the good old ship;

She’ll stand out as a memory to future generations,

Of how our pioneers built trade between the other nations.

Our cargoes now go round the world, they sail on every sea,

And Canada’s proud, her name is known wherever you may be,

In days gone by ’twas good old ships just like the Lyman D,

That took the grain across the lakes or sailed it o'er the sea;

So let us do our very best to save her from the fire,

She gave her best now let her rest in honorable retire.

--THE VIKING.

I hope this may be of some use to aid in the work of soliciting subscriptions to save the Lyman M. Davis from destruction.

--THE VIKING.

TO A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD.

Sir,—I am 12 years old and am interested in building model boats. I have built three models so far, and I would like to get a picture of the Lyman M. Davis, which I am now building. Could you help me by sending a picture of the boat, or should I rig the sails like the Grand Haven rig? Please try to save this boat from being destroyed.

—JOHN J. WARRINGTON.

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Five pictures of the Lyman M. Davis under sail have appeared In The Telegram, John, and to-day we print a couple more for good measure. She never had a Grand Haven rig.

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GOLDEN FLEECE

Sir,—I have been following your series on “Schooner Days" each Saturday, and would like to get some information about a three-master called “The Golden Fleece.” I have come across an old model, with only the hull and Only a small part of the rigging left, and I would like to restore It. If you could tell me where to obtain details if there was such a ship In commission, I would be greatly obliged. —W. J. D. EVANS.

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Bring your model In, Mr. Evans, if she is portable. The Golden Fleece and the Golden West were two fine barquentines sixty years ago, and Schooner Days will be glad to give you what Information is available.

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THE MINNEDOSA, one of the few four-posters on the lakes. She was the pride of Kingston, and $1,000 was spent on the gold leaf and carving on her stem and stern. She was lost with Capt. John Phillips and all hands, foundering 2 1/2 miles out from Harbor Beach, Lake Huron, on Oct. 20th, 1895. In a salt-water four-master the relative sizes of the lower sails would be reversed, the spanker being the largest, instead of the foresail.

THE BLUENOSE, approximately the same size as the White Oak and the Azov--larger in dimensions but smaller in tonnage. Note how much larger proportionately is her mainsail, in accordance with salt-water practice.

The WHITE OAK and the AZOV, two typical Lake Ontario schooners, at Chatham, a photograph for which we tank friend "Red" Macdonald, of Goderich. His father owned and sailed the Azov for many years. In the picture she is spreading a double raffee on the foremast, a sail almost exclusively used on fresh water.

THE LYMAN M. DAVIS

Under full sail, flying everything except her raffee.

Reefed down for a lake blow.