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/197

 can quickly get access to the pump and clear it if it is choked. The above precaution is very necessary, for pumps often get out of order, especially when they are most needed. I remember well how, when my three-tonner on her way across the North Sea developed a serious leak, the pump choked after the first half-dozen strokes. On raising the pump-well hatch in the cabin floor I made a curious discovery. It would have been strange had the pump worked properly, for the well was full of wood shavings. The lazy carpenter I had employed at Hammersmith had evidently, after completing some work in the cabin, stowed the shavings in this well to save himself the trouble of throwing them overboard.

FITTING OUT FOR A CRUISE

To fit out even a small yacht for a lengthy cruise demands a good deal of consideration. In the first place, all her gear should be carefully overhauled and be replaced wherever found faulty. Two should always be carried, so that the vessel can be moored with them when riding out a gale, or when the holding-ground is bad; moreover, the loss of an anchor is a contingency for which one must be prepared, and without another one to let go one may find oneself in a very awkward predicament. The first anchor, for a boat of between five and ten tons, yacht measurement, should weigh about a hundredweight.