Forward, the two topsails and fore topmast staysail were holding, but between the flashes the upper canvas melted away like a puff of steam, the ragged ends flying and thrashing into long ribbons to leeward.
Forward, a bit of a staysail was set as taut as a drumhead, looking no bigger than a good-sized handkerchief.
Well there with the starboard main-braces; haul taut and make fast to port; swing your head-yards; and get the starboard staysail sheet aft.
Mr Forbes, get the starboard fore-topmast staysailsheets aft and well belayed, if you please.
Get in all your light flying kites first of all, and stow them snugly; then brail in your mizzen and stow it; let run your staysail halliards, and haul up your courses.
She was lying 'bout south and dodging with staysailto windward when we had the last sight av her," said Donegal.
Almost as this happened Niven slipped from the hauled-down staysail and fell upon the house too, but apparently upon feet and hands together.
He said nothing to Stickine, who now held the wheel, but Appleby saw him bending over it, and there was a banging and thrashing of canvas as the staysail went up and the trysail came down.
The boat was coming up tolerably fast, and somebody hailing them, but they didn't stop to answer, and getting the staysail aback knocked out the shackle-pin.
Well, there was nobody wanting to waste any time, and they got the mainsail up with a split you could have ridden a horse through in the middle of it, and 'bout half the staysail to swing her with.
There was little canvas on the slanted spars, two jibs that ran water above the bowsprit, two topsails on either mast, a staysail or two between them, and half the spanker on the mizzen.
Then we'll let her come up with staysail to weather.
There was a big lump of the staysail under me, and I fetched the top of the house on my hands and toes.
The courses were quickly brailed up and furled, the fore-staysail alone being set.
Over she heeled before it, the fore-staysail with a loud report flew out of the bolt-ropes ere it had done its duty of paying off the ship's head.
We lay-to under a storm staysail with topgallant-masts struck, yards on deck and the lower yards stowed on the rail, the hatches battened down and everything as snug as good seamanship could provide.
At eight bells in the second dog-watch he came to the conclusion that the time for action had arrived; and before allowing the watch to go below he ordered everything to be clewed up and furled, leaving only the fore staysail standing.
Then the gooseneck on the staysail broke, and as we have no other, we patched it up with ropes.
By morning we were in the grip of a summer gale, but luckily for us it was in the right direction, and with only a double-reefed staysail and a triple-reefed mizzen, we plunged along at about twelve knots an hour.
We all laid into the canvas like mad, and in no time had snugged down to a staysail and the peak of our mainsail.
We ducked the staysail and foresail, lowered the peak of the mainsail, and waited to feel of it--a rough and ready seamanship often used in these little California windjammers.
I was just stooping to throw the stops off the staysail when I felt myself seized from behind, and forced rapidly toward the side of the ship.
The new arrivals did it while the cable clanked and rattled as the schooner drove astern, but at the first heave the rottenstaysail tore off the hanks, and one jib burst as they ran it up its stay.
They set that, cast two jibs and the staysail loose, and let them lie, and Wyllard sat down feeling that the thing they had done would, if attempted in cold blood, have appeared almost impossible.
Out main-boom; box your jib and staysail up to weather!
After that they trimmed her fore-staysail over, and there was by contrast a curious quietness as Dampier jammed his helm up, and the schooner swung off before the sea.
Get your boom-foresail over, and the staysailon to her!
You can run down the staysailand outer jib so she'll not fall to leeward all at once," he said.
The big ship was plowing along before the wind with not a rag set except the foretopmast-staysail and jib.
Here he came within range of us fellows up the mizzen, and I had the disconnected mizzen-staysail halyard-block in my hand ready for him.
The fore-topsail was first furled, and the maintopsail, which was closely reefed, and the fore-topmast staysail were the only sails set.
Flow your fore topmast staysail sheet, to help her to come to, and call all hands to make sail.
Then we let go the fore topmast staysail halyards and hauled down the sail; finally laying out and securing it before going aloft to furl the topsails, which we tackled one at a time.
Then, letting go the fore braces, we dragged round the head yards and got them also braced up; whereupon I ran aft to the wheel again, leaving Gurney and Saunders to trim over the fore topmast staysail sheet.
With the exception of the fore-staysail every sail was lowered and carefully stowed; the topmasts were struck, and everything on deck was lashed and secured.
The fore-staysail was now stowed, for, from the fury of the tornado, it would either have been torn out of the bolt-rope or run the vessel under water.
The mizzen staysail followed suit; and then, seeing that the ship bore the pressure pretty well, Captain Miles ordered the fore-topmast staysail to be hoisted.
Rousing up the Frenchmen to lend a hand, we got a main-trysail and fore-staysail hoisted.
A part of the fore-staysail was hoisted, just to pay the vessel's head off.
I thought, indeed, that she was gone; but, recovering from the effects of the first blast, she rose a little when her staysail felt the force of the wind.
Some of the lower parts of the fore-staysail remained.
The head of the staysail mounted in thunder, and the slatting of its folds and the thrashing of its sheet was like the rattling of heavy field-pieces whisked at full gallop over a stony road.
Let go the mizzentop-sail halliards, and man the fore staysail down- haul!
I hailed for assistance, and let fly the fore-topmast staysail sheet, while Bramble rounded the ship to.
It was fortunate that we got the staysail hoisted for us, or we could have made nothing of it.
A fore-staysail was set on the mizen-mast--the helm was put down and the ship brought-to under it.
I sprang to the helm and put it up, while Grampus hoisted the fore-staysail just a foot or so above the deck.
The orders were given, the mainsail, foresail, and fore-staysail hoisted, and the jibs run out on the bowsprit.
Topsails close Reeft, and the Mizn and Mizn Staysail being split, we unbent them and bent others.
The main staysail shot out of the boltropes with a report like a twelve-pounder, and this eased her so that if the fore staysail would only hold she would go off.
She was "coming to" instead of "going off," and I tried to get the main storm staysail down but could not make myself heard.
This, split open, formed a jib and fore-staysail We had a coil of rope, with which we fitted the stays and sheets.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "staysail" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
