"Reefing" Quotes from Famous Books
 ... you will see, Rogers," remarked Captain Lascelles. "Remember that there is a strict line of duty, and that going beyond, as you call it, may be quite as injurious to the service as neglecting any portion of it. Your business was to see that the men were properly reefing the topsail. By going out on the yard-arm you could not do this, and were thus neglecting your duty—not going beyond it. I have no intention of punishing you, on condition that you will recollect what ...
— The Three Midshipmen • W.H.G. Kingston
... in uniform and martial order; whilst as the ship rose upon their crests she seemed to hover for a moment over the ocean in mid air. And now the wind drew round to the northward and it blew almost a gale. The vessel felt its power and bent before it. It was beautiful to watch the process of hand-reefing topsails and making the vessel snug—the ready obedience to the word of command and the noiseless discipline with which each duty was fulfilled. First had the men clustered on the rigging like bees; ...
— Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North-West And Western Australia, Vol. 1 (of 2) • George Grey
... quickly, and there are always so few to do the work—and hard work, too, as the small-boat sailor knows. I have toiled all night, both watches on deck, in a typhoon off the coast of Japan, and been less exhausted than by two hours' work at reefing down a thirty-foot sloop and heaving up two anchors on a lee shore in a ...
— The Human Drift • Jack London
... deck again, which he did immediately, the various ships were lying with their heads all round the compass, the merchantmen showing no signs that they understood the signal; but on board the men-o'-war the crews were seen to be very busy reefing topsails; the topgallant and royal-masts and yards being ...
— The Voyage of the Aurora • Harry Collingwood |
