July 22, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



819 



CRUISE OF THE COOT. 



XXV, 



IT was early in the forenoon when the Coot reaehed down from her 

 night's anchorage in Broad Creek to the North River light, and 

 worked out against a li s ht s utuerly breeze. The narrow passage is 

 marked by a midchannel buoy at each end, but I could find no traces 

 of the inner one. Many of the beacons and marks in the Sound had 

 been carried away by the heavy ice of the winter, the light at Roan- 

 oke River being knocked off its lees, and all the stakes gone in Core 

 S ■•uud. Strange to say, the Lighthouse Service has been slow to 

 replace the marks, contrary to its usual despatch iu such ma'ters 

 Several vessels were lost in consequence One schooner was spitted 

 on the submerged iron socket of a stake in Core Sound and sank. 

 The destination of the Coot was Elizabeth City, at the head of the 



A "SOUNDER 11 — BEFORE THE WIND, 



Pasquotank River, the first met with, steering west. From North 

 River the shore can b~ follower pretty close, passing half wav be- 

 tween it and Wane's Point Light, erec ed on a long sandspit jutting 

 across the month of the Pa^quorank, after which beacons properly 

 painted will pilot you afely up tbe river, the city opening to view 

 upon ronudiDg Brickhouse Point. The wind had increased to the 

 regulation mild gale from S.S E., and the Coot went flying before it 



with great foaming curlers in her wake. Off the town there is a 

 deep hole of 40ft. The proper anchorage is in 10ft. around the last 

 red oeacon, and abreast of the railroad and steamship wharf at the 

 northern end of the town. Tliere protection is also had against the 

 sea, which constantly rolls in upon the city wharves. Though 

 Elizibeih is not very impressive to one fresh from Norfolk, it is the 

 largest and most important town on the Sound, and the last likely 

 place at whirh to fill up with stores. All the surrounding countrv 

 d aws upon Elizabeth It has the only rnari- e railway on the Soui d, 

 and is connected with Norfolk by rail. Steamers from various points 



in Albermarle and Pamlico, con- 

 nect here for the North. The river 

 water is fresh enough to fill up your 

 tanks. Some miles higher up the 

 old Dismal Swamp Canal has its en- 

 trance. To this canal the prosperity 

 of Elizabeth is originally due, and 

 there is now a movement to dredge 

 it out to suit modern traffic. Mean- 

 while manufactures have sprung 

 up to add to the life of the town. 

 There is a cotton seed mill, an ice 

 bouse, a net and twine factory, 

 several saw mills, a large four-story 

 brick hotel occupying a whole block, 

 a fine court bouse and many hand- 

 som- littln, dwellings with taslefully 

 decorated gardens. Likewise speci- 

 mens of the old bome-tead of ante- 

 bellum era and a large contingent of 

 tenants 1 cottages scattered about the 

 outskirts. The stores take up several 

 block* near the water, and most ne- 

 cessaries are to be had at fair prices. 

 A gmeral air of thrift and progress 

 pervades the place. It may be re- 

 marked that all the manufactures are 

 carried on by men from the North. 

 The professions are stt 11 represented, 

 and supply the society of 'he town, 

 w hich is somewhat noted for its con- 

 tingent of fair young ladies. I saw 

 v. hole troops of them about the 

 streets, but of course took no interest 

 in them. The shipping in the harbor 

 is confined to a few schooners, a pro- 

 peller or two and the Old Domh v n'a 

 fine sidewheeler Shenandoah, which 

 runs to New Berne up the Neuse 

 River. The small boats are peculiar. 

 The moment y>u leave the Coinjock 

 Canal you ei;ter into a separate zone 

 of boat construe ion. The style you 

 then meet pre vails all over tbe Sound 

 to the exclu ion of every other. In 

 hull tbese boats are a cross betwe< n 

 the canoe and ordinary ship's yawl 

 boat. Inrigtbeyare quite original. 

 Tbe mast is stout and short. A siil 

 short on the luff and lo g on the 

 head, with much peak about like a 

 cutter's main-ail, is spread by a sprit 

 from tack to head. A jib to stem 

 head is deemed absolutely necessary, 

 as all boaimen here ate strongly op- 

 posed to taking the rough waters of 

 the Pound without some head sail 

 My exp rier.ee is that ihey are right, for the Coot's cat rig was a sorry 

 cheme in more than one instance. Eqmtlv ind rensaMe to the 

 'Sounder" is a flying topsail of h avy .,,ate : al. It is tarried ia 11 

 but the worst weatner, ami is in reality a working sail and not a kite 

 m spite of its size- It is bent to a long, stout yard, which is hoisted 

 io the masthead, the heel coming half way down the mast where 

 it is secured. A headstay leads from head of yard to the stem of the 

 boat, and the sheet from a yard on the foot of the topsail, is taken 

 directly to the boat s quarter. Thus the topsail is independent of the 

 mainsail, and can be maneuvered at will. When running before the 

 wind the mainsail is winged out one side 

 and the topsail on the other The cut of 

 these rigs gives them a very smart look 

 on the wind So keen has competition 

 become all round the coa-ts that piles of 

 sandbags are shifted to wind war 1 by 

 the crews as in racing machines about 

 New York, and everybody is on the qui 

 vive to beat everybody else. "Can she 

 run well?" was the first question asked 

 of the Coot, "running" referring to her 

 sailing qualities in general. Every one 

 about the Sounds is an expert at boat- 

 ing. From infancy the youngster is 

 bred to a boat. At five years of age he 

 knows it all. I overheard two li'tle 

 urchins seriously discussing the Coot's 

 mamsbeet. "Ah, b it can he haul in all 

 those parts quick enough ?" said the first. 

 'Yes he can. for I saw him do it." was 

 the quick rejoinder. The doctor makes 

 the rounds through the country in his 

 boat. Sick people sail fifty miles in a 

 "kunner" to c tcb the doctor. The 

 grocer sends his bov with his wares by 

 the rivers and creeHs The lawyers look 

 up their clients under sail, "and the 

 farmers come to town in their dugouts. 

 The gallants take their lady loves out 

 for a cruise down harbor, and the 

 average man goes fishing when he has 

 nothing else on hand, w hile the boy of 

 the town does his loafing afloat instead 

 of in the gutters. The Coot came in for 

 endless comm-nt and such a stream of 

 visitors that I shifted my berth ..ext day 

 for a lonely place up river. An expe- 

 dition inland revealed large and well- 

 tilled farms and an open country in 

 which I was told there was n > game, 

 and birds were scarce owing to the thick 

 settlement. Every one pointed to Hyde 

 and Dare counties and the Alligitor 

 River as the great preserve for deer, 

 i • , , bear, swans, gees", ducks, quail, car- 



wfe < %E&'£3& tUrfiee ' squirrels, snipe, beach 9 chickens, 

 willets, crabs eagles mmx. otter, beaver, muskrats, etc . and 

 later ^ information confirmed the reports of the good thmgs for 

 r/Hr,, 1 !?'^^ ™ 116 ?',' 1 '^™?*^ settI, d- well wooded 

 ^le^ CU t t ( P^ a< l C , , ;? S -. 1 - beliPve that a)1 thac portion of Da^e 

 ^ e Alligator is under lease to the Kitty hawk Sports- 

 mar, s Club ot New York. What the te-ms are I do not know, but 

 the natives are certainly not familiar with any such rights, for they 

 hunt through that region as they please, and pretty much when they 

 please, regardless of game laws. What little they bring down, 

 however is only for their immediate consumption and would never 

 be missed. The ground will remain practically virgin as long as the 

 city to.ir.sts can be held at bay. One man told me about ten coV or 

 hog bears he and a guide had brought down near the shores of the 

 Alligator. The bears had been in search of gumberries. and gave 

 notice of their whereabouts a long way off through the cracking of 

 the limbs as they tore them from the trees. About Par t reek and 

 Long bhoal River deer are very plenty, also swan, geese and ducks 



A "SOUNDER 11 — ON THE WIND. 



in season, oysters without end. When a boatman gets hungry here- 

 abouts he rounds up, fills the sternsheet full of oysters in a few 

 minutes and draws jib again. 



HULL Y 0., 1ST CHAMPIONSHIP RACE -The morning of July 

 17 was so calm that all of the entries in the first championship race 

 of the Hull Y. C. were not able to reach tne s art. About noon, how- 

 ever, a good breeze came out from E.S E.. shifting later to W. and 

 then dropping to a calm. Soon sfter a very severe squall struck the 

 fleet, capsizing t« o yachts, but doing no serious harm. Twenty-four 

 yachts started, the first at 3 P. M , in the five classes. When the 

 squall struck Zetta was compelled to anchor and ride it out, after- 

 ward giving up. Rocket and Crusader, t»o of the centerboards.were 

 capsized, but all hands were rescued. Most of the yachts rode out 

 the squall under bare poles. The times were: 



FIRST CLASS KEELS. 



Leng h. 



Maud, S. B. Wood 34 05 



Carmen, B. L. M. Tower 30. OS 



Actual. Corrected. 

 Withdrawn. 



Nimbus, J. J. Souther 



FIRST CLASS CEN-1 ERBOARDS. 



.34.05 



SECOND CLASS CENTERBOARDS. 



3 06 12 



2 53 27 



2 36 52 

 2 27 28 



3 10 SO 

 3 14 10 



2 55 22 



3 02 36 



2 29 10 



2 37 36 



2 22 16 

 2 29 14 



1 38 52.4 



Rambler. J. J.Henry 27 00 



Erin, J. Cavanagh 



SECOND CLASS KEELS. 



Lizzie F. Daly. Wm. Daly, Jr i6.ll 



Majtl, W. H. Wilkinson 26.28 



THIRD CLASS KEEL8. 



Kitty, E. H. Sarbell 



THIRD CLASS CENTERBOARDS. 



Posy, R, G. Hunt 22 06 1 59 53 



Sea Bird. C. L Joy 23.01 Did not finish. 



Queen Mab, E. L. Burwell 22.06 2 07 09 1 46 08 



FOURTH CLASS CENTERBOARDS. 



Tom Cat, C. G. Weld 19.01 1 36 45 1 12 52 



Mabel, C. R. Howe 19 06 1 33 47 1 10 57 



Tartar. F. L Dunne 19 06 1 35 18 1 12 48 



Crusader, A. Wilson 19 01 Capsized. 



Nora. Boyuton & McManus 25.05 Withdrawn. 



Myrtle, R. C. Poor 19.06 Withdrawn. 



FIFTH CLASS. 



Wildfire, A. A. Keith 18 01 1 51 50 1 26 59 



Rocket, H. M. Faxon 16 06 Capsized. 



Elsie, C. P. Hardwick 16.10 Withdrew. 



Josephine. D H FolJett 18.06 Withdrew. 



bpray, H. H. Faxon 18 10 2 01 44 1 37 37 



FOURTH CLASS KEELS. 



Zetta, H. E. Fowler 20.00 Withdrew. 



The prizes were: First cla<s keels, $35. Carmen; firsr, class center- 

 boards, Nimbus. §35; second class keel , $20, Lizzie F Daly; second 

 class centerboards. $20. Rambler; tnird keels, one-naif of prize. $7 50 

 Kitty; third class centerboards. $15. Posy; tourth class centerboctrds' 

 5,12. Mabel; fifth class, Wildfire, $10. Mabel and Tartar filed cross 

 protests egainst each other. 



SHREWSBURY RACES.-On July 16, the third race for the North 



Shrewsbury championship was sailed in a light S. wind. The times 

 were: 



FIRST CLASS. 



_. ... , „. ... Start. Finish. . Elapsed. Corrected. 



Little Night 2 21 46 4 35 39 2 13 50 2 13 50 



E/elka 2 20 37 4 3' 28 2 09 ^1 2( 9 36" 



Maud 1 2 21 29 4 33 56 2 It 27 2 12 27 



Anuie 2 22 15 4 41 12 2 18 57 2 16 57 



SECOND CLASS. 



Fern 2 27 39 4 S3 08 2 05 29 2 06 09 



Spot 2 29 27 4 36 46 2 06 19 2 07 04 



An open sweepstake regatta, is proposed, to he sailed on the Shrews- 

 bury the last of this month. 



