All the light spars had been sent down, and for fifteen days the ship had labored in the sea under close-reefed topsails and jib, trying to make weather, but without gaining a mile.
Would'nt surprise me if we had to double-reef topsailsafore mornin'.
The day is fine, and the breeze so light that it scarce ruffles the face of the great ocean, though it manages to fill the topsails of the Bounty, causing her to glide quietly on.
The ship of course was brought up to the wind and her topsails backed as quickly as possible, but the swimmers were left a considerable distance astern before this was accomplished.
The third day he hove the Sally to; being a stout craft and not overladen she weathered the gale with the loss of a jib, and was about makingtopsails again when a full-rigged ship was descried in the offing giving signals of distress.
Night was coming on very fast, and the sea was yet running too high for a boat to live, but the gallant captain furled his topsails once more to await the morning.
I shouldn't wonder if all hands were called to furl top-gallant sails and reef topsails before eight bells," answered Tremere.
They were to set the topsails first, then the other sails up to the royals.
The topsails were then set as smartly and as regularly as ever before.
The topsails and top-gallant sails were speedily set, the braces were manned, and the yards trimmed.
It isn't as if we'd got courses to hand and topsails to reef.
Glancing aloft he watched the great arches of the half-sheeted topsails swell blackly out and then collapse again with a thunderous flap.
The topsails slid away from him, the spray rushed up below, his feet struck the rail, and the next moment he was down in utter blackness and conscious of a shock of icy cold water.
Three whole main topsails had been blown away, and in reply to my inquiry why he had not reefed down, said with a patronising smile that “it was not White Star fashion to reef; if a whole sail would not stand, then let it go.
We had weathered Cape Jaffa about midnight, having carried close-reefed topsails and foresail with the greatest difficulty.
We ran under close-reefed topsails and the sea was not much, now that we ran before it, but our wake in the dark blue of the ocean was now a sickly olive green.
The mainsail was stowed, and we knew that the mate could handle the topsails if it became necessary to reef down.
Then there came an inventor from Whitstable and fitted the barque with patent topsailsof his own invention.
The first night out on the homeward trip we had three topsails to reef at once.
The frigate, having the island of Barbadoes some fifty leagues or so to the westward, caught sight of a stranger, her topsails just showing above the horizon to the eastward.
The courses were brailed up, the topsails closely reefed, and she was brought to the wind, so that they might pull up under her lee.
After some repose the men again set to work; the topsails were struck, the yards lowered down, and the raft was commenced under the lee of the vessel, where the strong current was checked.
Philip looked to windward, and in the spot where the horizon was clearest, he saw a vessel under topsails and foresail, standing right down.
When Philip awoke the next morning he found that the topsailswere hoisted, and the anchor short-stay apeak.
At any moment the enemy's topsails might reappear, and the American ships would be caught in a situation wholly defenseless.
Daybreak saw the squadron spreading topsails to return to Pensacola.
With a light breeze and working to windward, Perry's ship moved to intercept the British squadron which lay in column, topsails aback and waiting.
On her leeward side stood two English frigates, the Guerrière and the Belvidera, with the Shannon only five miles astern, and the rest of the hostile fleet lifting topsails above the southern horizon.
He therefore cut the other cable, and the Essex plunged into the wind under single-reefed topsails to claw past the headland.
The lower topsails were no longer detached from the ship; there was a misty mast to each; and the ship was running dry-decked through the high smooth seas.
Wore ship, and hove to, under close-reefed topsailson the starboard tack.
Topsails and gallantsails were set, and the propeller, which had hitherto been merely disconnected, and left to revolve, was hoisted up out of the water.
All this time we were standing on under topsails away from the bar, and the stranger was approaching us stern on.
The fires were let down, fore and main topsails were set, the ship's head turned to the N.
Another line was sent aboard about eight o'clock, and thetopsails were lowered, but the line snapped immediately.
The pilots in charge of the Crescent requested the master to inform Captain Temple that they desired that the ship should be hove to, with her head to the southward, and the topsails close reefed.
We got the topsails set, and the fragments of the jib stowed away, and the fore-topmast staysail set in its place, when the great mainsail gaped open, and the sail ripped from head to foot.
We soon had the topsails loosed; and one hand remaining, as usual, in each top, to overhaul the rigging and light the sail out, the rest of us laid down to man the sheets.
There was no watch to stand, and no topsails to reef.
They both backed their topsailsand sent boats aboard of us.
Every man had his station, and was not allowed to leave it; and nothing happened to break the monotony of the night, except once setting the main topsails to run clear of a large island to leeward, which they were drifting fast upon.
The light sails were clewed up and furled, the courses hauled up and the jibs down; then came the topsails in the buntlines, and the anchor let go.
The flapping of the topsails against their masts, the pattering of the reef-points, and the smoothness of the water, indicated an approaching calm.
Only the two close-reefed topsails and two storm stay-sails were carried, so that we were in excellent trim for fighting the bad weather when it did come.
I do not know what aretopsails or fore topsails," said Dolly.
Then, at last, Philip's standard came down with a run, and he lowered topsails too, so as to make the salute complete.
While we were talking, the frigate which was to convoy us loosed her topsails and fired a gun, followed soon after by another, as a signal to way.
In a short time afterwards another was descried, her topsails gradually rising out of the water.
The anchors were lifted, the topsails were suddenly let drop, and slowly we glided off from the land.
So, topsailsand mainstaysail were taken in, and the helm was put down until fore and mainsails jibed over.
He had hardly gained her deck before she set main and jib topsails and a big main staysail.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "topsails" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
