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/190

 from your course (almost unavoidable when a squall suddenly strikes you in the face) may cause your peak to get foul of the bridge above, when a capsize of a particularly dangerous nature is likely to ensue. Several lives of men who were good swimmers and knew their work in a boat have been lost in this way. Kew Bridge, removed last year, was not only one of the most picturesque, but was also one of the most dangerous bridges on the Thames for the boat-sailor. It crossed the river diagonally at a bend where the wind is generally shifting and squally, and where the currents form perplexing eddies.

When sailing under a bridge with a balance-lug let go the tack if there is a chance of the peak striking the bridge. This as a rule allows the yard to dip several feet, and you can quickly sweat down your tack again as soon as you have got through.

If your mast is too high to pass under a bridge, take care to lower it in good time if the current is with you. It is exceedingly awkward to find your mast jammed at the step or tabernacle, just as the stream is sweeping you on to the arch.

On several rivers special local rules are in force which, in some cases, reverse the ordinary rules of the road at sea. For example, it is the custom on many narrow rivers for a vessel tacking up against the stream to give way to a vessel running before the wind down-stream, when the two meet at a bridge which will only admit of one sailing craft at a time passing through. It is obvious that