Posted by Stuart Wier on September 05, 1997 at 15:56:49:
It is nice to read about Jonathan Engdahl's
experience setting up his lugsail rig and using it.
I imagine after a little more use he will be able
to lower it without difficulty while underway.
If Jonathan wants an inexpensive mast something
like the Swallow's he might try this. Find a supplier
of pine poles as for fence posts. If necessary
smooth it with drawknife, or planes, wood rasps, sandpaper,
etc. Treat with several coats of 1/6 varnish, 1/3
boiled linseed oil, and 1/2 turpentine, letting each coat
dry for days (or weeks). You can put it to use after the
first coat is set. Renew the finish every year or as needed.
This is much like what the Swallow had on her mast.
Since you are making your own rig don't forget an extra
ring or small block at the masthead for hositing the
pennant on its flag staff. It's little extra work and
adds a lot to the style.
An excellent drawing of the rig of a lug sail
exactly like the Swallow apparently had appears
in the magazine "Practical Boat Owner" (UK) May 1974.
See also the book "Spritsails and Lugsails" by John Leather
(London: Adlard Coles, 1979, 1989. 392 p.)
U.S. readers might look at Rigging the Shellback Dinghy
in WoodenBoat May 1994 (No. 118). This rig is simpler than
the Swallow rig and has neither traveler nor boom downhaul.
Some other notes. You can make your own sail if you like,
getting closer to the professional article than a blue tarp.
There are several good descriptions. See the Great
Encouragement to Boatwrights website listed here.
The most sail for the least effort is probably the blue tarp.
Sailmaking is harder than it looks - harder to make a
sail that works noticibly better than the blue tarp,
anyway. Of course for the Swallow you might choose a
dark brown tarp as more authentic, if you can find anything
like that.
The best lug sail is probably made by a sailmaker who
has made lugsails before. Loosefooted on the boom (unlike the
Swallow only in this regard), attached to boom only
at tack and clew. The clew attachment allows
adjustment of tension in the foot of the sail.
A boom downhaul helps control sail shape,
as described in "Swallows and Amazons."
A remaining question: how was the sheet rigged on the Swallow?
Ransome never mentions a sheet traveler, but lack of evidence
is not always evidence of lack. Regardless of the original Swallow,
are traveler or blocks worth the trouble on a boat this size?
What do the sailors think?
Stuart Wier