Terms, Four Dollars a Year. I 

 Ten Cents a Copy. J 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1876. 



( Volume 7, Number 12. 



1 17 Chatham St.(CityHalltsqr.) 



For Forest and Stream. 



%t 



\onzt of ^lari&z. 



NUMBER I. 



Being Notes of a Family Cruise of Five Hundred Miles and 



Return, in a Sloop- Yacht twenty three feet long, by Major 



Sarasota and his Family. 



» 



IN offering the following notes of a cruise along the 

 coast of Florida, from Pensacola in the extreme west- 

 ern part of the State, to Little Sarasota Bay, which by the 

 coast line is over five hundred miles to the eastward and 

 southward, my chief aim will be to give such readers of 

 Forest and Stream as may wish to take a similar trip, 

 information which will enable them to sail over the same 

 waters in safety, and without a pilot. 



The greater part of the route, and the most difficult, viz: 

 from Pensacola to Cedar Keys, was entirely new to me. 

 I admit that I rather enjoy searching out the strange 

 nooks and corners for myself, although it may take a little 

 more time, but I find it pleasanter to hang up on a mud 

 flat once in a while, until the rising tide lifts me off, than 

 to have the self sufficient knowledge of the ordinary pilot 

 continually thrust upon me. There is another, and to ray 

 mind a still greater advantage, in dispensing with his ser- 

 vices. I wished to make a family affair of this cruise, as 

 we were to visit our old home at Sarasota, and if I take 

 my wife along, a strange man is sadly in the way upon a 

 small craft, where a voyage of so great alength is under- 

 taken. I hope also to show to others who may wish to 

 cruise on Florida waters, that if their better halves will 

 stand a little roughing it, and take kindly to living in the 

 close quarters of a boat's cabin, they need not leave them at 

 the hotels, but let them also join in "A. life on the ocean wave, 

 a home on the rolling deep." If they are only as fond of 

 fishing as Mrs. "X." is, I know they will put up with some 

 of the little disco forts, for the sake of the pleasure to be 

 experienced in pulling in the fine grouper and red snapper, 

 to say nothing of many other kinds of lesser note, which 

 are to be met with all along shore. And beside this, many 

 of the discomforts exist in the imagination only. 



First, a few words about my yacht and outfit. In 

 making my selection of a boat, I was greatly influenced 

 by the fact, that between Pensacola and Apalachicoia, 

 neatly all the route is outside, upon the deep waters of the 

 gulf, and where harbors are a long distance apart. For this 

 kind of cruising I am a believer in the keel boat, as being 

 safer than the center-board. For the coast between Apa 

 lachicola and Charlotte Harbor, 1 prefer what I know as 

 the Newport or Providence river sail boat. An experience 

 of some four years on the coast south of Cedar Keys, leads 

 me to differ with those of your correspondents who recom- 

 mend a skiff boat for these waters. The Newport model 

 draws but little water with the center-board up, only from 

 6 to 15 inches, yet as the bottom is rounded it is much 

 the safer boat, and in beating to windward there is none of 

 that heavy "chug," u chug," as each wave is met, often 

 deadening the headway completely. I have heard the 

 sound compared to the noise of the clods thrown upon a 

 coffin, and I think the comparison good, but it isn't a 

 pleasant thought to call to mind, when the weather looks 

 dirty, with night coming on, and you are still a long way 

 to leeward of th* wished for harbor or home. 



So, if going no faither west than Apalachicoia, or farther 

 south than the Caloosahatchie river, I recommend the New- 

 port style. If beyond these points, I think the keel boat the 

 safer. In either case the boat should, be sufficiently 

 decked over to afford shelter at night or during bad 

 weather. Although the people all along the coast will be 

 found very hospitable, and never refuse to share what they 

 may have with the voyager, it will be found, better as a rule 

 to make one's home on board; for I am sorry to say that I 

 found many places in West Florida, especially just before 

 the new crop comes in, where they have but little to share. 

 It is, therefore, a good plan to lay in a liberal supply of 

 provisions, even more than you want for your own use of 



some kinds, such as tobacco, sugar and coffee, as I found 

 several places where I could not buy meal or potatoes 

 for money, but they were only too glad to exchange for 

 syrup or coffee. 



Living up to my theories as to a boat, I found one at last, 

 at a fair figure. She was sloop rigged, 23 feet long, 8 

 feet beam, and drawing two and a half feet of water. It 

 did not promise to be very fast, but dry and safe. As she 

 was only quarter decked, I exercised my Yankee handiuess 

 with tools, and built a cabin on her. I left stern sheets 3£ 

 feet long, and a locker of two feet at the stern, which used 

 up the space aft. the cabin. In this locker I stowed canr.ed 

 meats, fruit, and milk, with other articles of provisions 

 that would be in constant demand, while the more bulky 

 articles were stowed forward of the mast. A trunk placed 

 just aft the mast acted as a bulkhead, and as there was no 

 centre-board case in the way, we still had room in the cabin 

 to spread out an extra large mattress for our bed. This 

 was rolled up out of the way when not in use. There was 

 just enough room to sit in a low chair with comfort in the 

 cabin, I would have built it higher had I not feared to 

 make the boat top heavy. An oil cloth carpet covered the 

 floor, and rows of hooks for clothing were placed near the 

 top. I arranged slings on each side just under what used 

 to be the combings, before the cabin was put on, where I 

 could sling my Ballard and double-bairel shotgun. The 

 cooking utensils, consisting of furnace, stewpan, bake kettle, 

 coffee pot, &c, were stowed under the seat, just aft the 

 cabin, which runs athwart ship, canvas flaps keeping the 

 soot from marking our clothing. All sheets and halliards 

 were so arranged as to belay aft, and everything possible 

 was done to make her handy for one man to manage. As 

 my crew was to consist of Mrs. "X." and my little son 

 and daughter, aged respectively six and nine years, it 

 would not do to expect much assistance from them at first, 

 but I am happy to say they all broke in very quickly, and 

 became first class sailors long before the trip was over. 



Monday Morning, May 1.— Before many were stirring we 

 went quietly on board the "Idle Hour," and with a light 

 northerly wind slipped away from the wlwf, the "stars 

 and stripes" fluttering gaily at our peak. The wind died 

 away completely before we were half way across the bay, 

 but we had not long to wait before the regular S. W. sea 

 breeze set in for the day. As Town Point which is on the 

 opposite side, lies S. by S. W. from my starting point, it 

 was necessary to do some beating. A shoal makes out 

 from this point to the west, and is quite broad on the north 

 side for some 800 yards out, and if drawing over two feet 

 of water it is well to keep at least 350 yards away. There 

 is no stake or buoy at the end, and as the water is often 

 made dark and opaque by the fresh water coming down 

 from the rivers, the shoal is not always to be made out 

 until you are almost on top of it. Shoals of this kind are 

 almost an invariable accompaniment of the points in Pensa- 

 cola Bay, seldom, however, extending more than 400 yards 

 out. 



The next point beyond Town Point, and a little over two 

 miles away, bearing S. E. by S. is Deer Point. The Quar- 

 antine flag is displayed here during the summer, and all 

 vessels from outside are examined by the surgeon in charge 

 of the station. The wind had been so light that we did 

 not sound the long sand spit which makes out from this 

 point until noon. Santa Rosa Sound now opened before 

 us, and with a fair wind over the starboard quarter we were 

 at last well off on our journey. For the first thirty odd 

 miles the course is about E. N. E., or if the wind will ad- 

 mit, keep about midway of the sound, and you will go 

 clear of all shoals. There are no oyster reefs or rocks in 

 this sound, so if by by chance you do get too near the 

 land, and get aground, there is little danger of damage. 

 The land upon the main-land side is held for several miles as 

 a live oak reservation by the U. S. Government, and no 

 settlements are met until about 25miles from Pensa- 

 cola. 



About 35 miles up the Sound, what is locally known as 

 the "Narrows," begin, and here the channel is so tortuous, 

 constantly shifting from the main land to the island, and 



then back again, that I cannot give directions which will 

 be of service. Five fe^t can be taken through in the channel 

 at low tide. I was favored with a high tide, and went over 

 all the shoals without the slightest difficulty. It is seldom 

 over two or three hundred yards across the Narrows and 

 the settlements on the main -land side are very close to- 

 gether, as there is some excellent hammock land extend- 

 ing along the shore. There is a fine spring of water at a 

 place called the "Mound" about half way through the Nar- 

 rows. The island side is entirely without settlements, and 

 and is the most barren and desolate looking country I ever 

 set foot upon. I thought I had seen white sand before, but 

 some of the dunes bore such a striking resemblance to snow 

 drifts, that I must yield the palm to Santa Kosa Island- 

 many of them reaching from the beach to a height of 

 twenty-five or thirty feet, without the slightest panicle of 

 vegetation, and combing over the top in true snow drift 

 style. It needed but little imagination to take one back to 

 the frozen north, in the midst of such surroundings. Just 

 before the end of the Narrows is reached, the land seems 

 to close in completely ahead, and now the channel is 

 close in on the main-land side. At one place so close 

 that a pine tree is often guilty of taking off a topmast. 

 When this tree is passed, Choctahaichie Bay, or as it 

 is called on the old chaits Santa Rosa Bay, will begin to 

 open. Just here are two or three fine farms which have 

 the most promising looking crops of corn I have seen. 

 After rounding a point, which makes out from the island, 

 the channel passes over to the island side, and holds with- 

 in a hundred yards or less of it until the East Pass channel 

 is reached. As the sand fl its here are very light colored, 

 and the channel almost black, there is no difficulty in keep- 

 ing in deep water. We came to anchor on the edge of the 

 channel about 8 o'clock in the evening, very well pleased 

 with the day's run of 55 miles. 



May 2d.— Went ashore in the skiff at daylight to consult 

 Capt. Lynn Destin, or as he is usually called, Capt. Lynn, 

 about the condition of the pass. Capt. L. was original iy 

 from Connecticut, and as he settled here in 1S36, while the 

 Indians still roamed over the country, has lived a life of 

 considerable vicissitude. He can spin a very interesting 

 anecdote, either of land or sea. During the last rebellion 

 he performed valuable service as a pilot to the gun boats. 

 Many a starving reffuger was put across by him onto Santa 

 Rosa Island, on a straight road for Fort Pickens, and with 

 a full stomach and haversack. His place is the pleasantest 

 location I have met with. He has always devoted most of 

 his attention to fishing, but has a fine lot of orange trees 

 and raises plenty of vegetables, to say nothing of an im- 

 mense crop of peanuts. He is probably better aquainted 

 with the coast than any one else about here. The voyager 

 will find him hospitable, and always ready to assist in any 

 way in his power, and any information he gives, can be 

 depended upon as trustworthy, which is more than I can 

 say of some others I met on the coast. Indeed, I found it 

 hard to find two men who would agree in their directions 

 for sailing to any one place, and was obliged finally to de- 

 pend entirely upon myself. 



Capt. Lynn said that although it had been blowing pretty 

 fresh from the S. W. all night, and there was quite a heavy 

 sea on outside, still it was not breaking quite all the way 

 across the pass, and i could run out in safety. It is called 

 60 miles from East Pass to the buoy off St. Andrews Bay, 

 and there is no harbor that can be made in an emergency, 

 in all that distance, so it may be called rather a risky run 

 for a small boat. My chart, and all others that I have 

 seen, show an inlet about half way between two places. 

 Capt. L. said it was known on the coast as Phillip's Inlet. 

 He had been in there many times when on his fishing trips, 

 once in a boat drawing three feet of water, and yet at other 

 times he had been there when tue sand beach was solid all 

 the way across. Inside there is a lagoon lour or five miles 

 long, by two or three broad, and when much rain has 

 fallen, back in the country, this is raised so high that it 

 breaks a passage through the beach, which will Keep open 

 until the next heavy easterly storm. He thought it was 

 open at the present time, but as the wind then was, advised, 



