boat toward the beach. There is seldom such a sea but that smooth well-rounded waves are mingled with the rough ones; with every smooth sea the boat should be sent on the course as far as she will go and sent to windward in the rough ones, and in some of the smooth ones if necessary, but in no case to leeward.

During a blow a boat should pass to the lee side of islands where it is possible to do so; also, to the lee side of shoals; no shoal is so deep but that it has an influence in smoothing the sea. A shoal near the surface will stop the sea altogether and leave only the wind for the boat to contend with.

75. Fog. If caught in a fog without a compass, the best way in which to prevent a boat from losing her direction is to make use of the run of the waves. If the waves were coming toward the starboard bow when the fog set in, they should be kept coming from the same quarter.

To trail a line over the stern will keep one running, straight ahead, and not in a circle as is often done. The longer the line the better; any swerving from a straight course will then show at once.

To verify the steering in a fog or rain the fall of rain drops or of any drizzle may be made use of by watching its slant.

In many sections the ripples that are always to be found along the side of a reef over which the tide has run are advantageously used as a guide in times of thick weather.

76. Direction of Swell as a Guidance.-If heading for an island, it will be useful to know that waves or swell have a tendency to follow the trend of the land, and if coming around a point will try to curve in and reach the shore parallel to it, instead of running at right angles with it. In a fog this is made use of by boatmen to learn when the shore is being approached as the following illustration goes to show. Suppose the boat a, Fig. 26, to be running southeast, the swell coming from the south, and the island c for which the boat is bound lies across and very close to the course. In time the swell that has been striking the boat on the starboard bow is observed to be coming more from the side instead of the bow; this tells the

helmsman that the boat has run so far that the end of the island has come between the boat and the swell and that the swell is trying to swing around the corner. Soon the swell is lost altogether, indicating that the island is close by and that the swell cannot curve in far enough to reach it; the position of the boat is then at b.

Another way in which swell, or waves, may prove useful to a boat without a compass is when the boat is running for enclosed waters in misty weather. The time in which the boat should have been in touch with her destination may have passed, yet there is no sign of land. Soundings give 6 fathoms

FIG. 26

with sand bottom, which means little, as all of the water within miles of the place is near to that depth. The swell is on the port beam and knowing he is close to the island that the swell is parallel to the shore; therefore, the operator proceeds cautiously, changing his course to follow the trend of the swell. As soon as a perceptible change in the direction of the swell occurs he will know it is caused by the curving of shore line at the entrance of the harbor he is looking for, as shown in Fig. 27, and this will enable him to reach his destination.

77. Reflections of Rocks and. Sand.-The majority of rocks and shoals within the range of the cruising power boat are usually unmarked by buoys of any kind, but most of such

obstructions do reflect their colors to the surface of the waters immediately surrounding them. The shade, or density, of the color will vary, with the different phases of the day, from clear distinctness to an indefinable something, yet to the practiced eye they may be distinguished and used with advantage. To cultivate the faculty of observing the different shades of the water well repays the operator of a power boat. It gives a confidence in running that adds to the comfort and interest, and in combination with a judicious use of the lead line, enables him to pick his way into harbors and inlets that are new to him with a degree of certainty. This applies more particularly to fairly clear waters and not such as are found in or close to the harbors of large cities. A mud bottom is not so good as a sand, or rock bottom, but even over a mud bottom there will be a different shade of color between the shallow water and the channels.

FIG. 27

78. When running in open waters, a faint line may appear at some distance ahead and commence to loom. On a near approach the entrance to a small harbor or inlet may be looked for, though the coast may appear to be one unbroken line. As the boat draws nearer dark spots of brown may be seen at some places, while at others grayish or white shadows prevail; the former indicates deep and the latter shallow water. When approaching to 400 or 500 feet perhaps, close observation will be apt to show water of a decided green tint and water having a certain placid or slick whitish appearance; the latter color should be avoided and the deeper green followed. Then with a good lookout in the bow it will be perfectly safe to proceed slowly into the place as far as is desired; the higher up the man watching the color is placed the better he will see the bottom and select the route to be taken.

79. The entrance to an all-sand harbor over a bar may be made by observing the difference in color when arriving at the 18-foot depth, for the break is clearly visible. When passing into the 12-foot depth, it will be well to slow down to half speed. Here the darker green veins of water should be chosen. They will be seen spreading or rather narrowing from all sides to two or three dark-green streaks. It might be more easily understood by saying that large light-green patches will be seen ahead, which vary in shade from light-green to almost a white, and that between these patches will be seen darker green leads in the water. The darker green leads may run through the center, or away off to one side, but wherever they are they should be followed as they indicate channels. Generally they lead to one main channel that runs into the deeper body of water to be found within.