836 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 24, 1904. 
LITTLE CRUISES AROUND BOSTON 
By William Lambert Barnard. 
OST of us are victims of circum- 
stances, and those which controlled 
my goings and comings last sum- 
mer prevented my taking, with one 
exception, anything more extended 
than mere "week-end" cruises. I 
have, however, long thought that a 
description of a few of the short 
runs open to Boston yachtsmen 
might prove of interest, not only to 
those unfamiliar with the home 
waters of America's greatest small 
boat fleet, but even (as recalling the 
scenes of so many of their most 
pleasant memories) to my fellow Bostonians. Let this 
idea, then, berny apology, if you conclude that one is due 
you, for writing of these runs, so short as to scarcely de- 
serve the name of cruises. 
Sassoon is a keel knockabout, was designed by Messrs. 
Stewart & Binney, built at Quincy by Mclntyre & Kirk 
in 1894 for Mr. T. W. King, and was originally known 
GURNET, PLYMOUTH. 
Photo by N. L. Stebbins. 
as Hobo. She is 20ft. 5m. on the waterline and 29ft. 6in. 
over all. Her extreme breadth is 7ft. 4m., and her draft 
but 4ft. 3m. Despite this moderate draft she goes out to 
windward in a sea and blow with as little leeway as any 
boat on which I have ever sailed. So well turned and fair 
is her design, that although her displacement is seven 
thousand pounds, she will slip along with astonishing zeal 
in the ! least chill of a breeze. Her ballast, which was 
originally of iron, is now lead (3,500 pounds, all outside), 
and keeps her on her feet long after she should, from 
motives of comfort, have been reefed. I must confess 
that she is very lively in a short sea, and would be im- 
proved were a third of her ballast well distributed inside. 
Old "Bill' Smith, of Quincy, built on a cabin house 
some years after she was launched. It is low, with a 
beautifully flat top, and gives 4ft. 4m. head room — 4ft. 
Sin. under the slide. 
Her mainsail' and jib contain approximately 520 square 
feet of canvas. The mainsail has one objectionable fea- 
ture, in that the foot is not cut up enough, the boom 
swinging at right angles to the mast, and as it extends 
some three feet over the taffrail, has to be topped up a bit 
when running in a seaway. 
Her ends are sharp — the stern overhang surprisingly 
so ; add to this the fact that her midship section has great 
deadrise, so that her garboards are low and well filled 
out, and you have the secret of her clever performances in 
the shortest and steepest seas. 
I.— Cape Coi Bay "Way. 
Saturday, June 18. — With my wife at the tiller, Sassoon 
left her moorings in Hingham harbor at 2 130 P. M. under 
No. 1 jib and single reefed mainsail. The W.-N.W. wind 
was fresh and gusty, and the sky full of clouds. Hing- 
SASSOON. 
Photo by W. L. Barnard. 
ham harbor's mouth is blocked by three islands long ago 
named for a prominent character in the town's history, 
i. e., Ragged Sarah Langley. The stern realists of the 
United States hydrographic office have, however, charted 
the middle island as "Sailor." Passing between Sarah 
and Langley islands we could fetch Hull Gut easily, and 
were fairly off for our little holiday. 
Tearing through the Gut with a fair tide, we eased off 
our sheets, and passing friends in the neat sailing dory 
Inch Bug, settled into our stride. Finding the wind 
steadier and lighter than in the harbor, we shook out our 
reef at 3 :So, a moment or two after passing the Allerton 
beacon buoy. We then swung off dead before it for 
Harding's Ledge gas buoy, leaving the masts of the 
wrecked steamer Kiowa well to port. She was sunk last 
February in a howling snowstorm by colliding with an- 
other steam vessel. 
Before reaching Minot's Light, we met the steamers 
Cape Cod and Old Colony returning from their daily 
jaunts to Provincetown and Plymouth respectively. We 
stood beyond Minot's to the Davis Rock can buoy, and 
then made the course S. by E. J / 2 E. for Scituate. In- 
shore of us was an 18ft. knockabout running along the 
beach with balloon jib set. She had more of a southerly 
air than we were getting outside, but as we drew in to- 
ward the beach we began to get the wind off the land, 
about W.-S.W. 
_ Dusk was fast approaching as we ran beyond the old 
light tower and northerly breakwater until the entrance 
bore W. by N., when we stood in close-hauled against a 
strong ebb tide. (A red lantern is displayed from a post 
on the breakwater at night.) We could not fetch clean up 
the channel, and made several little tacks, hardly gaining 
a foot against the tide in a dying breeze. Finally, in a 
desperate attempt to cheat the current, I stood just too 
far, and Sassoon gently slid upon the mud on the north 
_ __ . 
. ._ 
LONG POINT, PROVINCETOWN. 
Photo by N. L. Stebbins. 
side of the channel. I tried towing and kedging without 
effect; I pulled the 25-pound anchor and its 30 fathoms of 
rope right through the mud back to the boat. 
As the ebb tide had about two hours to run when we 
grounded, we had to compose ourselves for a long wait, 
so shoved the main boom (the sail was lowered) way out 
to starboard and listed Sassoon well over on that (the 
shoal) side, so that she couldn't dive into the channel 
deck first. Then tilted the stoves into an erect position 
and cooked supper, telling my better half that it was a 
very English situation, and so presumably fashionable. 
But for once I found a woman who did not care to follow 
the fashions. 
Well, at dead low tide we were in ten inches of water 
(mostly grass at that), and so far laid out that our 
rail was two or three inches under water. A plumb-line 
from the port side of the companionway hatch would 
Cape Cod. Ue>- 
fo. Marconi ToWers. 
..fousett 3 Us, 
Track Chart 
Showing irhc Course pf ihc 
.S <3 ssoo n 
Vi.LBarnard 
.Scale in tfauticat Miles 
