EVERY BOY HIS OWN ICE-BOAT
By Charles L. Norton in St. Nicholas, 1881
Very few skaters have not, now and then, to a moderate extent, made ice-boats of themselves by standing up straight, with their backs to the wind, and allowing themselves to be blown along before it. Coats, held wide open, umbrellas, shawls, and the like, have been used to gain greater speed; but, after all was done, there remained the long pull back against the wind—no laughing matter, with the thermometer in the twenties, or lower, and a howling north-wester sending the loose snow in stinging sheets along the ice. There was so much fun, however, in running down before the gale, that boys have always made light of working to windward. Why in the world it did not sooner occur to some ingenious lad that he could turn himself into an efficient ice-boat, is one of those things that cannot be explained ; but certain it is that, until last winter, the world at large did not know that Canadians were in the habit of rigging themselves with spars and canvas, sailing “close-hauled,” “ running free,” having themselves “ taken aback, ” “missing stays,” being struck by squalls, and, in short, going through no end of fascinating maneuvers, with the aid of the wind, and without danger of a ducking in case of an upset.
The Old Style of Skate-Sailing
The name of the inventor of skate-sailing has not been announced, but his plan was the simple one of stretching an oblong sail on a light frame, and holding it by means of a spar reaching from end to end. With this, it is possible to do everything that an ice-boat can be expected to do. But the crew works at a disadvantage : the steersman can see only one-half as much as he ought to see, and of course stands in constant danger of collision. To lift or lower the sail, so as to see if the way is clear, is a somewhat awkward operation.
Another difficulty with this form of sail is, that its spars must be somewhat heavy, in order to bear the strain of sufficient bracing, as there is a tendency on the part of the sail to twist and make a complete wreck of itself and crew. The latest improvement does away effectually with both these imperfections, and seems to provide a nearly perfect device for skate-sailing.
Diagram of New Skate-Sail
In the first place, the sail is divided into foresail and main-sail, so that the crew has his whole course in plain sight between the two. Secondly, the main spar is made double, so that it affords two points of support for each of the “yards” or cross-pieces, and renders the whole affair so strong that comparatively light spars may be used. In the diagram given on the next page, A G is the main spar, from eight to twelve feet long, according to the size and strength of the crew. It is made of bamboo, or some light native wood like spruce or pine. The pieces should not be less than an inch and a half in diameter in the middle. They may be tapered toward the ends, but one side of each should be left flat. Each piece, in short, is shaped like an archer ' s bow, much lengthened. The flat sides are laid together, and the ends at A and G are lashed firmly with strong twine. In or near each end, at A and G, is set a button to hold the clew—corner, that is—of the sail.
The most perfect spar yet devised is made of four pieces of bamboo, with brass fishing-rod ferrules at the butts, fitting into one another at M. Brass tips hold the smaller ends of the bamboos together at A and G. The butts join at the middle of the spar, which can thus be taken to pieces and easily carried.
The sails are made from the heaviest cotton sheeting—unbleached is best. Tack the material and have the hem as strong as possible, especially at the corners, sewing through the tape and severa l thicknesses of the sheeting. If the sails are to keep their shape, the tape is indispensable. Stout laid cord (cotton, or hemp), sewn around the edges and forming small loops at the clews, makes a desirable finish, but is not absolutely necessary. Instead, small brass or galvanized rings may be sewn to the clews. These rings must be large enough to catch easily on the pins or knobs in the spar-ends.
The sails may range in size from three to five feet square, according to the size, strength, and weight of the skater. It is not difficult to arrange them for reefing, but they are so easily adjustable to the wind without reefing, that this is hardly necessary.
The cross-yards are quite light. Bamboo, five-eighths of an inch thick at the smaller end, is probably heavy enough for the largest practicable sail. They must be made three or four inches longer than the diagonal of the sail. Near the ends of the yards are buttons similar to those on the spar. To the middle of each yard is firmly lashed a cleat, some three to five inches long (K, in the above diagram)—whose ends are shaped so as to receive and hold the two pieces of the main spar, when they are sprung apart.
Two opposite clews of the sail are now hooked over the buttons at the ends of the yard, the main spar is sprung apart until the cleat can be inserted and held at right angles between its pieces, as at J. The yard is pushed along until the clew of the sail can be hooked over the button at the spar-end. The other sail is then put in position similarly at the other end of the spar, and the two remaining clews, at C and E, are strained together with a strap or cord as tightly as the material will permit. The whole affair is exceedingly light, strong, and elastic, and will stand any reasonable amount of strain.
Such is the rig. Now, the question is, how to manage it. This is a far less complicated matter than in the case of a sail-boat, although the principle is the same. If you are caught by a squall, all you have to do is to let go of everything, and your sails will fall flat on the ice and await your pleasure.
In running before the wind, all you have to do is to hold the spar across the course of the wind, steer with your feet, and go as fast as the wind does. You can vary your course at will considerably to the right or left without altering the position of the sail.
When your course is nearly at right angles to that of the wind, or against it, you will naturally take the spar under one or the other arm, and point the fore-sail more or less in the direction from which the wind comes.
Let us call this second diagram a pond, with the wind blowing from top to bottom. In this diagram, the black spots represent the skater, the arrows the direction in which he sails under different conditions, and the long line, etc., the spar and sails. In his first course down the middle of the pond, he grasps the spar by the middle, or holds it under his arms behind him. Squaring away with his back to the wind, as at A, he sails before it to the lower end of the pond, moving his feet only for the purpose of steering. In order to make the wind take him back to his starting-point, he turns his sails at an acute angle to the course of the wind, as at B, C, D, and E, instead of across it, as at A. If pointed nearly as at B or C, it will carry him directly across the pond. If as at D and E, it will carry him more or less up the pond, as indicated by the arrows. When he reaches the shore on one tack,—say that represented by E,—he “goes about,” that is, changes the direction of his sails so that they point as at D. The wind will now carry him on a slant to the opposite shore, which he will reach at a point still nearer the head of the pond. Thus, by zig-zagging from one side to the other, now on one tack and now on the other, he may work his way to windward.
Experiment alone can show each individual how best to trim his sails, whether to carry his spar under his windward or leeward arm, or before or behind him. Tastes differ in all these particulars. So, in going about,—changing, that is, from one tack to the other,—each must adopt the method which he personally finds most convenient. One, perhaps, will pass the spar over his head ; another will let the fore-sail fall off to leeward, and bring up the main-sail on the other side, so that it will in turn become the fore-sail. In all these particulars, each must be a law unto himself; but in regard to voiding collisions, it is plainly necessary to have a general understanding, and the rules of the Hudson River Ice-Boat Club, adapted to skate-sailing, are perhaps the best.
A Fleet Under Sail
Rules For Skate-Sailing.
I. Skate-sailers on the port tack must give way to those on the starboard tack.
II. When skate-sailers are moving side by side, or nearly so, on the same tack, those to windward must give way to those to leeward when requested to do so, if there is an obstacle in the course of the leewardmost. But the leeward skate-sailer must go about or change his course at the same time as the windward skate-sailer, or as soon as he can without coming into collision. and the new direction must be kept, at least until the obstacle has been cleared.
IV. When skate-sailers are running free, it rests with the rearmost ones to avoid collision.
V. Skate-sailers running free must always give way to those on either tack.
VI. Skate-sailers who violate any of the foregoing ailing sharply across its course. When the skater's right side is presented to the wind, he is on the starboard tack ; when his left side is presented to the wind, he is on the port tack.
VII. A touch, whether of person or of rig, constitutes a collision, either with another skate-sailer, or with a mark or buoy, and he who is responsible for it, under the rules, forfeits all claim to the victory.
VIII. No means of locomotion, other than that a f forded by the wind, is permissible during a race.
For the benefit of those who are not familiar with sea-terms, it should be stated that “ running free” means sailing before, or nearly before, the wind. “ Close-hauled, ” or “on the wind,” means go about or change his course at the same time as the windward skate-sailer, or as soon as he can without coming into collision. The new direction must be kept, at least until the obstacle has been cleared.
The possibility of using the sail on an ordinary coasting-sled will naturally occur to every skater. This can be accomplished with the aid of a few additional fixtures. A regular ice-boat has three runners, two in front and one in the rear. The latter is pivoted, so that it can be turned from side to side like the rudder of a boat, and used in like manner for steering. The first thing to be done with a sled is to provide it with sharp shoes, which will not slip over the ice sidewise. A pair of skates, or skate-blades, fastened one to each runner near the bend, are as good as anything. The fitting of the after-runner is a more complicated affair, if fastened to the sled, and it is not worth while to give directions for it here. The simplest way is to let the after part of the sled rest on its own proper runners, and depend on the feet for steering, or use a stout stick shod with iron. A blade-shaped iron is best, as it presents an edge to the ice.
It is possible to kneel on the sled and hold the sail under the arm, but a mast about three feet high, stepped at the side of the sled, is better. If but one mast is carried, it must be arranged so that it can be readily shifted from one side to the other. The head of the mast is crotched to receive the upper spar ; or a hook, large enough to hold it, is inserted an inch or two below the mast-head. The lower spar rests against the mast, and is held there by the crew with one of his hands. A crew of two, on a long sled of the so-called “ pig-sticker” variety, can do very pretty work, one tending the sail and the other steering ; but a crew of one will think that he needs at least two extra pairs of hands, until he gets the knack of the thing.
It is suggested that more sail can be carried by a single skater, if his yard-arms are shod with light metal disks, so that they can be allowed to rest on the ice and act as runners. So far as known, this has not been actually tried. It looks promising, but will necessitate rather heavier yards.
This new winter sport opens for all skaters a fresh field of enjoyment. Races or, if you please, “ regattas ” can be indulged in to any extent, and individual skill in the management of one's self under canvas will afford exhilarating exercise for brain and body, without in the least increasing the danger. Girls as well as boys, ladies as well as gentlemen, can take part in this pastime, and, indeed, one of the best ways of managing a sail is to have a double crew, one holding the spar “for w ard” and the other “aft.”
Of course, if the girls have anything to do with sails, they will very soon begin to decorate them, and use colored material. A set of sails made of silk would be amazingly pretty in combination with a tasteful skating costume, skimming across the gleaming surface of a frozen lake, and the effect would be heightened by little, colored streamers flying from the yard-arm. We shall expect, by another season, to hear of the organization of skate-sailing clubs, and the adoption of various constitutions and by-laws for their regulation.
