166 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 17, 1887. 



THE SECOND CRUISE OF THE PILGRIM. 



THE little Pilgrim was refitted during July, 188G, and furnished 

 with a long housing topmast, jibtopsa.il and all the fixings 

 of a genuine American cutter. Remembering the heavy blows 

 and seas she bad encountered in the cruise of last year, I bad 

 BOOlbs. of Babbit lead packed along the keel in the chinks of the 

 cast iron to balance the topmast and give her more stability. 

 Then 1 concluded she could stand anything, and one might be a 

 little reckless in carrying sail. Before her bottom had been 

 smoothed and her trim found, the Hull Open Regatta was sailed 

 and the race lost by an error of judgment upon the part of Boston 

 advisers, and this is how it hanpened: 



It was au ugly day. The classes started under housed topmasts 

 or reefs, with a gale and a sky that boded mischief. I think the 

 numerous capsizes aud drowning of men along the coast made 

 every captain cautious. In half an hour it was calm, but the sky 

 continued ominous, and deterred all from making sail. So we 

 fumed at the zephyrs and dreaded the sky, till we had gone around 

 and got under Fort Independence out of the strong ebb tide. We 

 were ahead of the Witch that took a prize, and bid fair to come 

 in among the first; but there was only a breath of wind here and 

 upon the opposite shore the water was black with it. Then it was 

 advised to stand over and to get that breeze and reach the finish. 

 The cutter was headed across and the strong ebb sent hor broad 

 side to seaward. When half way over the wind came out from 

 behind the fort strong and gusty, our competitors who had hung 

 on under the fort were now to windward a quarter of a mile and 

 ran directly to the finish, while we had to make four tacks to get 

 around the' stake boat. The tide and foolishness lost us a prize, 

 and we came in sixth. Then we loafed home and anchored off 

 the Point. 



On Aug. 21 the Pilgrim was at the South Boston Y. C. stage, get- 

 ting water and stores aboard and being admired by ladies and 

 gentlemen who had come down to see her off. The lines were 

 cast off at 4 P. M., sail was made, and with adieux, shaking of 

 hats, handkerchiefs and parasols, the little cruiser started upon 

 another adventurous cruise eastward. We passed several sloops 

 and one large cutter on the way and dropped anchor in Marble- 

 head exactly at 7 P. M. After a hearty supper the shore was vis- 

 ited for papers, the boys rowed around the harbor, and we re- 

 mained upon deck for hours, smoking, talking and enjoying the 

 surroundings. It was a perfect moonlight night; the yachts were 

 thick and full of merrymakers; there were many boats loaded 

 with sweet singers abroad; the wavelets and the windows and 

 roofs of the Neck cottages glinted in the lunar rays; the club 

 house was brilliant with colored lanterns and bursting with 

 music, and the roar of the breakers outside came soft and low like 

 the humming of bees in a drowsy summer's day. "It was just too 

 sweet for anything," as a young lady would say; but the songs and 

 laughter ended, the lights began to go out alone shore, the air was 

 becoming rude and raw, and we rolled out our bedding upon the 

 transoms and sought repose. 



There was a strong breeze and a good sea from the eastward 

 when we poked the Pilgrim's nosepole outside the next morning, 

 and we ran over to and along the Beverly shore and iiad good views 

 of the Shona and Clara. The general impression made by them 

 was that they were good racing machines, but not suitable for 

 cheap and comfortable cruising. We carried whole mainsail, 

 staysail and jib, though the wind was squally and the bowsprit 

 was under often, but the exhilaration of being once more afloat 

 upon the open sea and the beautiful scenery of the north shore 

 made us too happy to care for the rough pitching and the gentle 

 showers of spray. Several yachts had started out with us, but all 

 except a 30ft. sloop and the America turned back when they foui.d 

 it was work outside. We went out between House Island and the 

 Spindle upon Whale Back Ledge and had a rough thrash to wind- 

 ward until we got inside Eastern Point. We had been watching a 

 trim craft coming from off the point before the wind, and as she 

 passed us off Kettle Island we were greatly surprised to see that it 

 was the Shona that we had left quiet at anchor at Beverly, She 

 had made two long legs to windward outside, escaping our notice, 

 and was now running home. Surely she had sailed all around us 

 and could have given us much time allowance. So much for size 

 aud excessive narrow beam. We boat the sloop, however, hand- 

 somely, passing her near Manchester and found the America at 

 anchor in Southeast harbor as we sailed in and anchored among 

 the smells and fishing cralt of Gloucester. 



The next day Williams and Howe left us and returned to Bos- 

 ton, sad at heart that they could not go along, aud my crew was 

 reduced to C. G. King, of South Boston, au amateur sailor of the 

 harbor, who had never been to sea except as a passenger on a 

 steamer, and my youngest son Jack, sixteen years old, occasion- 

 ally seasick. But the craft was a single-hand yacht and one niau 

 is supposed to handle a single-hander. So he can in a light wind, 

 except when the sheets get foul, the gafftopsail halliards kink, the 

 spinaker boom goas adrift, the boat, chases up to thump the stern, 

 the sails have to be reduced, the wind shifts suddenly, or a mer- 

 maid holds the anchor down in the mud. Then she becomes a 

 four, six or eight hauder, and often requires a few sheaves to aug- 

 ment the hand-power, it is not advisable to go out to sea in a 

 single-hander with less than two good men and a cook. 



A line southwest breeae was blowing, and we cleared upon the 

 starboard tack Webber's Rock Buoy, off Eastern Point, uncovered 

 Thatcher's Island from. Milk Island, raced, with spinaker set, a 

 down east schooner through the channel past Straitsmouth, and 

 left the bold promontories of Cape Ann benind and pointed for the 

 Isles of Shoals. The spinaker was taken in, as the winddrewmore 

 off shore, when the wind fell very light and the swell made the 

 main boom SlaC in a distressing way. 



I don't know anything more aggravating in a small craft than a 

 calm and a main boom. In it conies on the home roll, and one 

 must get banged, catch it and push it outward, or dodge it; then 

 it goes out and drags the weary rope off the deck or out of the 

 water, gives a vicious twitch at the traveler as the sheet 

 straightens, dips its outer end and a part of the mainsail into the 

 next sea, and strikes against the backstay with a shock that runs 

 up the mast and sail and expends itself upon the jaws of the gaff 

 and masthead as if it would twist the spar off. It goes through 

 the same performance over aud over again until you worry over 

 the chafes and the strains, and feel as if the boom was jerkiug at 

 your heart strings, and then you get, mad and bridle the boom, 

 only to find head sails trying their very best to wear themselves 

 out across the stays and the sheet blocks gnawing a hole through 

 into the forecastle. 



We bad lunch and a smoke, and studied with the glasses the 

 numerous sails in the distance. The boys went to sleep upon the 

 house and I was trying to light my cigar, when I received a heavy 

 blow upon my nose and frontal protuberances that tore off the 

 bark, made blood run, sent stars across my vision, knocked the 

 cigar, match and ashes all over me, and nearly dumped me sense- 

 less into ttie sea. A catspaw from southeast had crept up suddenly, 

 jibed the. boom and nearly finished my cruise. When I found I 

 was neither struck by lightning, killed nor overboard, I brushed 

 the debris out of my eyes and shouted to the boys to draw the head 

 sheets while I payed off the main sheet. Then I sent the boat 

 after my hat, hunted up and lighted the cigar stump, keeping my 

 weather eye open and reflected upon the many dangers in the use 

 of tobacco. The new breeze grew fresher and the sea rose rapidly, 

 as wo went cutting through the bright blue crests and rolling 

 gracefully to the more important billows. The wind was upon 

 the quarter— just where the Pilgrim and I like it— every sail bellied 

 out without a wrinkle, and the gafftopsail pus tied forward so 

 strongly and bent the topmast so that I had the preventer backstay 

 taken back and hooked. 



While scanning the horizon we saw upon the weather bow what 

 seemed a long row of gray gulls upon the water, and, questioning 

 them with the glass, found they were the Isles of Shoals. So I 

 kept up a little and soon could make out the rugged outlines of the 

 islands, the summer hotels and White island Lighthouse upon its 

 lonely, barren promontory of adamant. I had never boen there 

 before and felt the necessity of caution and slower progress until 

 I learned the bearings of the channels. My boy was too sick to 

 come up on deck, I could not leave the helm, and it devolved upon 

 Charlie to take in the gafftopsail. I luffed her until everything 

 was shaking, and he hauled it down with much trouble and with- 

 out mishap, though the cutter tumbled around in a lively way 

 and the wind blew very fresh. 



It is astonishing how soon a pleasant wind aft the beam becomes 

 a mild gale when one hauls upon the wind. We found it so in this 

 ease, with the wind abeam there was as much as the cutter with 

 her three lower sails could stagger under, but the chart indicated 

 good weather near to White Island -we had passed well to wind- 

 ward of White Island Ledge— and we ran along close in and had a 

 fine view of the pinnacles, cliffs and buttresses of granite that 

 threw back disdainfully in spray, foam and surge, the bold ad- 

 vances of the ocean swell. Lounging and Star Islands were soon 

 abeam, the buoy upon Half -Way Rock was easily seen ahead, and 

 the course was clear. The former island is a series of outcropping 

 ledges with a rough board shanty upon the highest part and 

 scarcely a show for vegetation anywhere. If it is used for lounging, 

 as its name might suggest, one ought to carry a plank to rest 

 Upon. I would as soon lie down upon a New England stone wall. 



We hauled to after passing the buoy, headed into the harbor, 



SAILPLAN OF "WITCH." 



where two fishing schooners and three or four sailboats were ly 

 ing, hauled down head sails and anchored not far from the wharf 

 upon Star Island. Ten fathoms were, payed out and the anchor 

 struck bottom, five, ten, fifteen, twenty were giveu and an attempt 

 made to snub her. The sea sweeping over the bar between Star 

 and Cedar islands drove us steadily astern, more cable was given 

 to bring her up, and more again, till the thirty fathoms and the 

 end around the mast were reached, but the Pilgrim did not like 

 the neighborhood and would not stop. She continued to drag un- 

 til I thought the sea room between her and Smutty Nose was be- 

 coming too small. Then we took hold and hauled in that thirty 

 fathouis and 351bs. anchor, coiled it all over everything, got wet, 

 swore a little about the harbor, put the sail on her just in time to 

 clear the rocks along shore and sat down breathless and indig- 

 nant. 



I ran her up to the fishermen and asked what kind of anchor it- 

 was necessary to have in those waters, as 1 had a notion it would 

 be necessary to tie on our 3,3001bs. keel and both anchors to hold. 



"Rooky bottom and bad holding ground with wind this way. 

 You must have a heavy anchor and much scope. If you catch o'n 

 a rock you'll hold so long and so strong you'll wish you'd never 

 anchored at all. Better go in close and catch a mooring. AU the 

 smali craft do that." 



We saw about a dozen persons wrapped in mufflers and appear- 

 ing half frozen around the hotels of Star and Hog islands; they 

 manifested such entire indifference at our arrival, the islands 

 looked so desolate, cheerless and unattractive, and the prospect of 

 rail under all night at one of the moorings was so probable, that 

 we contented ourselves with close inspection of the shores of the 

 group, sailed past a little steamer going into bankruptcy on ac- 

 count of a small passenger list, that tooted up to Hog Island 

 wbarfj made a leg over toward Duck Island to see the giills that 

 cloud its horizon, then jibed over and turned our backs upon Gos- 

 port Harbor f orever. 



I was disappointed, for I thought to find a safe place for my 

 yacht and enough of land and forest, to relievo the tedium of so much 

 salt water. It is barren enough and far enough removed from the 

 mainland to be free from the fever spores, but a victim of the 

 August pest wrote me that he spent the season there and suffered 

 much from hay asthma. Spores or not, I would brave anything 

 rather than be tied for a season to the shoals and that dismal, 

 bottomless sea-swept harbor. 



The Pilgrim passed the bell buoy and Whaloback at 15 o'clock, 

 and it took an hour to get up to the anchorage at Newcastle, as 

 the wind died out at sunset and the tide had begun to run out. 

 After supper we were surprised by a most brilliant aurora borealis. 

 The sky was bright with stars, the wind light from southwest, 

 and a heavy bank of clouds filled the northern sky. The aurora 

 extended from northeast to southwest, and the finger-like streams 

 of light were close together; numerous, brilliant, and often ex- 

 tending nearly to the zenith. Flash after flash of silvery light 

 made the stars pale and th e bank of storm-clouds black as Erebus. 

 The duration ot this magnetic storm was over an hour, the dis- 

 play the most striking I had ever seen, and we remained on deck 

 until the night air grew cold and the splendor had departed. 

 Then the boys were not long getting to sleep, but I lay back and 

 road a home paper with the cabin lamp brightly burning. 



About 10:30 1 was annoyed by the tap of a rope, as I thought, 

 upon the starboard side of the house. I endured it for some time, 

 then, haviug finished my paper, I sprang up the steps, burst open 

 the door and stepped into the cockpit. I was startled to find a 

 man's hand upon the rail, and a dory alongside. 1 could see across 

 the bright river quite a distance, but nearly to us extended the 

 very dark shadows of the shore, fish-house and wharf. " What 

 arc you doing here?" I asked in a peremptory tone. 



The man was evidently taken aback by my sudden appearance 

 when all had been so quiet, he let go his hold, pushed off, mut- 

 tered and mumbled something uu intelligible and, finally, when 

 six fathoms away, said: "Is Ned Baker aboard?" 



" Who is Ned Baker?" I asked. 



"A friend of mine who is coming from Boston in a yacht." 

 "What yacht?" 



"The— a — Mary Stover," bewildered. 



"There is no Ned Baker aboard, this is not the Mary Stover, but 

 the Pilgrim, and you have no right to be alongside of my craft at 

 this time of night," said I. 



"I hope yon won't have any hard feeling," said the stranger, as 

 he shipped his oars and began to pull away. 



"Hard feelings? I thought you were all honest people about 

 here. If you come round my vessel again in this manner you'll 

 get hurt. Do you hear?" I shouted. Then I ran below, got my 

 revolver, rushed upon deck and fired a bullet over the fast, disap- 

 pearing boat, which greatly accelerated its movements until it 

 disappeared m the deep shadows near Fort Point. The remainder 

 of the night passed without any further piratical adventures. 

 There was shouting and whistling along the shore, and the occa- 

 sional passage of a dory down the middle of the river, which served 

 to break the monotony of the watch. 



I have thought much over this affair and have not yet made up 

 my mind whether I had to deal with a harbor thief or a poor inno- 

 cent fisherman. There, was just one thing that takes away the 

 blood curdling aspect of the case, "I hope you won't have any 

 hard feelings." If the night prowler had not said that, I should 

 relegate him to the bad, but somehow it seems so innocent a re- 

 mark, so full of real sense of injury done and desire for forgive- 

 ness, that I can't swell around in war paint and feathers, I shall 

 always keep watch at Newcastle, but I leave it to those who know 

 the place and its inhabitants to pass judgment upon the adven- 

 ture, Cahesweix, 



THE CUTTER WITCH. 



IF there is any locality that specially favors the small keel 

 classes it is Marblehead Harbor aud the adjo.ning bays, and it 

 is no wonder that with such waters close at hand, the Corinthian 

 Y. C. has met with such great success in a short time; nor that its 

 list of keel boats contains the names of some of the best of their 

 size, both as racers aud cruisers. Among them all the Witch, 

 whose lines we give this week, is very favorably known for her 

 speed, while she is no less interesting as a study of what may be 

 done in the way of a staunch little keel boat, at a moderate cost. 

 The Witch was designed by Mr. William Eddy, of Marblehead, a 

 builder very favorably known both for the general excellence of 

 his workmanship and for the successful craft that he has modeled. 

 She is owned by Com. Crowninshield, of the Corinthian Y. C, an 

 enthusiastic yachtsman of Marblehead. The dimensions of the 

 Witch are as follows: 



Length on deck 26ft. 



1. w.l 22ft. 



Beam, extreme 8ft. 



Draft, extreme 4ft. lOin. 



aft 4ft. 8in. 



Depth of keel below rabbet Ifr, Gin. 



Ballast, keel, lead, tons 3 



inside, lead, tons 10 



total 2.10 



Mast, from fore side of stem Oft. 



diameter, deck 7in. 



diameter, head 



deck to hounds 



Topmast, fid to hounds 



diameter 



Bowsprit, heel to cranse 



outside gammon iron 



diameter at stem 



Boom, length 25ft. 



diameter 



Gaff, length 17ft. 



diameter 



Topsail yard, length .„>4Sft. 



diameter , 



Mainsail, lull 10ft. lOin. 



foot 24ft, 



head 16ft. 



leach 34ft. 



tack to peau 35ft. 



clew to throat 29ft. 



Staysail, luff 21ft. 



leach 19ft. 



foot 10ft. 



Jib, luff £9ft. 



leach 20ft. 



foot lGft. 



Area mainsail, square feet 479 



Area staysail 95 



Area jib , .153 



Total area, lower sails 7S6 



Center of effort from stem 12ft. lOin. 



The keel is sided 4%in., stem 4in. and sternposi 4iu. at tuck and 

 2^in. at heel. The frames are sided 2^in„ moulded :%in . at heels, 

 and l%iu. at heads; spaced 12in. each with an iron floor. The keel 

 bolts are %iu. diameter, the planking is l^in. and deck IMin. The 



..21ft, Klin. 

 . .17ft. lOin. 



8%in. 

 ...18ft. fiin. 

 ..13ft. Gin. 

 Gin. 



4j^in. 



3^in. 

 3iu, 



9in. 



