Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/144

 deck. Roll up the foot of the sail; tie up the reef-point. Hook the tack and sheets to the reef-cringles, and then haul the sail up again with the halyards.

To set a. Lay the sail on deck and lace its head to the yard. Bend the sheet to the clew with a gaff-topsail sheet-bend (see Fig. 31). Bend on the halyards with a topsail halyard-bend (see Fig. 30). Hoist on the halyards, while keeping some strain on the tack to steady the sail and guide it; and haul in the slack of the sheet as the sail goes up. When the yard is chock-a-block belay the halyards, get the tack down with its tackle and belay it, and lastly haul in the sheet.

To set a, a hand is sent aloft who laces the luff of the sail to the topmast while the sail is being hoisted.

The method of setting a jib-headed topsail on a pole mast has already been explained.

Topsails of any sort should be hoisted and lowered on the weather-side of the mainsail. If hoisted or lowered on the lee-side they are apt to blow away. Topsails are passed up between the mainsail and the topping-lift, and care must be taken when bending the sheets to lead them inside the topping-lift.

In order to set a, the spinnaker-boom is first lowered to the required side of the vessel by slacking up the spinnaker topping-lift. At the same time the fore and the after guys are led to the two extremities of the vessel, and with these the boom is guided until it is 'squared'—that is,