"The Boy, me and the Cat", 1912 - The first ICW "snowbird"..? ;)

[CapnK]

CJ and I have both read this, and I saw that Dylan over at KTL (Keep Turning Left) did a video about it. Looked thru the 8 pages in this sub-forum, and don't see it mentioned by name, so...

*Highly* recommended, a great read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfKz9Ux6kZ0

On Amazon, in both "e" and dead-tree formats here.

[Norman]

Good book, Kurt, read it many years ago, and have forgotten much of it. Dylan's read of excerpts brought back the texture of that adventure.

I had a renewed recollection of a vessel in the Washington Sailing Marina from 1958.  The catboat in the book was about 21 feet long, and half that wide.  Not fast, but comfortable, and stable.

The owner of the vessel in 1958 was neither sociable, nor anti sociable.  He spoke when spoken to, and answered questions, but did not respond further.

One cold winter day, after checking the bilge of my Lightning, I noticed smoke rising from his chimney, walked to his pier, and hailed him.  The hatch slid open, he popped up, and greeted me warmly, and invited me in for a cup of coffee.  Without any hesitation, I boarded, went below, and he buttoned back up.  There was a pot on the stove and a mug on the table.  Another mug was found, filled with water, and poured in the pot.  While we waited for the water to boil, we explored the problems and solutions related to maintaining a wooden boat to n the water, especially in winter weather.

His vessel compared to the catboat in Plummers book, in that it was short and wide, with a blunt bow.  Further, it was nearly flat bottom, with a centerboard, and had only sitting headroom.  The coal stove was about 18 inches square, and just aft were the coal and ash cans, both with tight fitted lids, so no mess if turned over.  Berths were on each side of the centerboard trunk, and quite wide.  The trunk had table leaves on each side, with fiddles, and he raised the one on my side in preparation for coffee.

The stove was on the port side, sink starboard, and aft, just inside the companionway, the hanging foul weather gear..  On forward was miscellaneous storage.  The cabin was about 2/3s of the length, she was built for cruising, not day sailing.  There was a small engine under a box in the cockpit, with fiddles for use as a table.

Soon the water boiled, coffee was added and a minute or so later, poured.  It developed that when he had a tough day, he came to the marina to unwind, and did not care to have his thoughts disturbed.  Knowing what I do today about combat veterans, I think that I understand him better.  Today was Saturday, he had come to check the bilge, and dry the air with his stove.  In cold damp weather he did this weekly to keep damp from accumulating in the bedding and cushions.  The interior was quite warm, considering the outdoors had been below freezing during the night.

On deck were the near total differences, she was not a catboat, but was a two masted, gaff rigged cutter.  Altho only a little more than 21 feet, the mizzen boom extended several feet beyond the stern, and a bowsprit added 3 or 4 feet to the length of the sail plan. His overall length was about 28 feet,  he was only paying slip rent for 21, just a little more than my 19 1/2 foot Lightning. What a difference in accommodations and comfort, though!

He was a retired WW2 sailor, now working in the civilian world.  He had bought his vessel in New England, and sailed her down, and she was built in the 30's.

The next summer was my only time that I saw him sailing, it was Friday evening, and I went straight to the marina to take advantage of a perfect sailing day.  I bought a sandwich, filled my water bottle, and headed out to the Potomac River.  Steady wind from the NW provided fine sailing, and after an hour or two, I headed back to the marina.  Ahead, the gaff cutter was just reaching the channel and turning down river, and I decided to overtake him and learn his destination.  Unfortunately, he had hoisted all his sails, and a beam reach provided an emense amount of drive to his big gaff sails, jib, and staysail.  After half an hour, with no clear reduction of distance between us, I came about to beat my way back up River to the marina.

I have often wished to have such a vessel, in fiberglass, of course, for my cruising.  That broad beam gave it a stability characteristic of a catamaran.  Cooking under way would not only be possible, but easy.  The main sail with a single reef would sail as a catboat, and increases from there would be easy.

The boy, me, and the cat had similarl stability, but not the choice of sail area, but far more simplicity.  I suspect his son appreciated the simplicity.

[CharlieJ]

And then there's he book that really first hooked me on cruising-

Princess, New York

by Joe Richards

Pre and after WWII  he sailed Princess, a 26 foot wooden Friendship sloop down the ICW to Florida. Then went to war, came back and sailed her back up north. Joe's daughter still had the boat when Joe passed away in the 80's

Quite a tale

[Norman]

Charlie, I just searched the state inter-library loan, and they have Princess, New York.

When you posted it, I did a search, and nothing came up.  I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so requested it.

[Norman]

Princess, New York

Thanks, CJ, this is a great book, and I just finished it.

The plot and tribulations seemed familiar, but they are found in many sailing tales.  It was not until 3/4 ths through that I suddenly knew that the plot was more than familiar, I had read it before, probably early 1950's, when it was a recent publication.  Certainly before 1956, when I went into the Army, as my reading mostly stopped for a few years then.  My favorite library in the 50's had a table near the entrance with the newest additions displayed, and I normally checked to see what they had there.  I was most likely the first to check out that book.

Joe's refuge in the hunting lodge in Georgia with a group of government officials was the landmark event that nailed the memory with certainty.  Last printed in 1956, so only available in old libraries.  The page edges are light brown from oxidation and age.  Last checked out by hand in 2002, but dates are no longer stamped when checked out, so who knows how many times since then.

Norman

[CharlieJ]

That's one of my "do not loan out" books :) Glad you  enjoyed it

[Norman]

Joe often referred to Princess as a solid off shore boat, but spent much more of his voyaging in the 'ditch' rather than outside.  Particularly after his seagoing experience on army tugs, I expected him to pick up the Gulf stream, and ride it home.  That would have allowed a single trip back south to get his car, rather than every three days or so, hitch hiking back to bring it forward.

I have very fond memories of the days when hitch hiking was a common means of travel.  One of my classmates hitched to California after graduation, ran out of money hitched back, and the next summer did it again.  He said he never had a ride that did not go well.

His artistic successes in selling pictures south bound were impressive.  He rarely went into his financial status, so it is not clear how well he did as an artist.  In the Morehead City circle of consumers, he was well appreciated.

The quality of his writing is excellent, and I am disappointed that he did not write more.  With a wife and two children, he may have been too busy with the normal part of making a living and parenthood to do another one.

Norman

[CharlieJ]

I'm going to have to re-read. refresh my memory:) My book has a picture of Princess tied behind his daughters house in Florida. She kept the boat a  long time after he passed away,

[Norman]

The copy that I read is from 1956, and has no photo's at all.  He did ink line drawings scattered through it, and the chart of his route is on the inside of the covers.  The publisher is Bobbs Merrill.

The first printing was in 1952, and he came home from the war in 1946, still single, so the children were no more than 4 when the first edition was published.  Your copy must be a much later reprint.  Who is the publisher, and date of publication?

As an aside, one of the libraries in Rochester NY has a first edition copy of Slocum's book, with fold out charts of his voyage around the world.  I left my drivers license for security, and took it into a different part of the library and color copied the charts.  They had the route printed in red.  The edition from my library was many decades later, and did not have charts in it.  The librarian in the reference only section examined the book carefully to see that she received the same copy that I had taken out, before returning my license.

One by one, I am giving my favorite books to friends whom I believe are most likely to enjoy them.They are encouraged to pass them on in a similar manner.  "Sailing With Paul", written by a Mennonite professor was given to Captain Kidd, on Trailer sailor, with instructions to pass it on, and several months later, he emailed that he had done so.  It had been read by two preachers I know here before I sent it to him.  The author bought a sailboat in Greece, and retraced Paul's journeys over a 3 year time.  He learned to sail on the Chesapeake Bay, with a Compac 16.

I am reading Chichester's 'Gypsy Moth Circles The Globe'.  The first chapter is not promising a great read, but I am sure that it will even out soon.

Relative to the Golden Globe Race, he considered September to be too early in the season too pass the Cape of Good Hope, due to end of season storm risk.

I spent 4 days at the beach over Labor day, and the waves were just big enough that I never went in, but a fine social event with the friends there at the Church summer camp.  Most of the rain fell at night, and on the beach, a pleasant breeze all day.

Norman