76 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Jan. 28, 
that as we entered Rockland Harbor we had all we 
needed with whole-sail. A big sloop, say 60ft., over- 
hauled us between the can buoys in Owl's Head Bay, 
but not so very easily, for we were going at good speed 
ourselves about that time. Anchored in Rockland 
Harbor at 2 P. M. 
July 17,— Wind E. and light. This was the first indi- 
cation of a change from the beautiful weather we had 
been enjoying since June 26. It hauled around to the 
S., however, before we had reached the breakwater, 
v/hich we cleared at 10:15. Ran into Camden Harbor at 
12 to enable F. to get his mail, and out again at 12:35, 
past the bell buoy ; Turtle Head 2 -.40. There was a 
rainstorm hanging over the land between Northport and 
Belfast. The wind hauled to the S. by E., and we had to 
trim the sheets flat in order to weather Dice Head. I 
had been sailing in the upper bay by_ a chart which had 
not been corrected since 1900, so mistook a new black 
lauoy off Nautilus Island, which was not rharked on the 
chart, for black spar No. i, which was obscured against 
the land. F. insisted it was the wrong buoy_; but I, 
though I had some misgivings on account of its great 
distance from Dice Head, insisted it was the right one. 
Suddenly my eye caught a streak of black on the port 
quarter, and there, to my mortification and also relief, 
was the real black spar No. i about two hundred yards 
away. The day had been bright and sunny till we 
turned Turtle Head, but now the rain overtook us. _ It 
was only a few drops, however, and was over by the time 
we came to anchor in Smith's Cove. "Duded up" and 
v/ent ashore, and after walking down to the Dome of the 
Rock, returned on board and got supper. Had to put 
the mosquito netting across the companion way before 
we had finished. 
July 18. — One of the most beautiful mornings I_ have 
ever seen. It was high water, and the sun shone brightly 
on the entrancing little town across the Bagaduce. I 
know of no village on the coast that puts forth a more 
homogeneous and charmingly consistent front than 
Castine, as it terraces back from the harbor front to 
Ft. George. After breakfast, F. had an ambition to go 
ashore and sit on a rock under a tree while he applied 
the Bristol brick 10 the knives, and while I busied rny- 
self about the boatswain's department. After getting 
some water at the well of an empty summer cottage, 
we got under way about ten and sailed over to the town, 
where I lay to while F. went ashore and did some 
errands. After a reach across to Turtle Head and a 
thrash to windward down the western bay, ending up 
with a little more than a whole-sail wind, we came to 
anchor in Gilkey Harbor — Ames' Cove, to be more 
precise. _ _ 
July 19. — Wind easterly; rain. As we only intended to 
run over to Camden, and it was snug and comfortable 
in bed and cold and cheerless outside, we stayed abed 
late. Got off under full sail about a quarter of eleven. 
It was not blowing hard enough to suggest _ a reef 
with a free wind. Glanced at the clock in the cabin when 
up with Minot's Ledge buoy. It was between 10:55 and 
II. By this time it began to blow much harder, and if 
the wind had not been free I would have put in a reef. 
By the time we had cleared the Ensign it was blowing 
pretty near a gale. We could not see the Camden side, 
so laid our course W.J'aS. for the bell buoy. It was 
now blowing a full gale, and when we sighted the buoy 
we realized that we were making some speed. We 
passed it at 11 :35, having run the five miles in 37 or 38 
minutes. We came to anchor a couple of minutes later, 
dropping both anchors. I keep the second anchor at the 
bow, too, with cable bent and coiled around the bitts, 
so that after casting off a stop or two it is all ready to 
let go. Furling the jib was a wet job, seeing that 
Bantam was putting her bowsprit under with every 
heave; but when that was done, the outside work was 
over, and we retired to the cabin and indulged in a 
change of clothes. We spent most of the afternoon in 
the cabin, only going on deck occasionally to tend to the 
cables, and later to put F. ashore, for this was the end 
of his cruise. I then returned, and after a good supper 
retired early and slept soundly, notwithstanding the 
motion. 
July 19- August 13. — Remained in Camden Harbor, tak- 
ing friends out for a sail occasionally. But Bantam is 
not well adapted to^ accommodate a party, for her cock- 
pit is small. 
August 14. — Sailed for Boothbay Harbor. The wind 
was W., coming in strong puffs, so put in one reef, as 
would be close-hauled in Mussel Ridge Channel. Though 
the wind was shifty. Bantam managed to get through 
Owl's Head Bay without tacking— now pointing west 
and again south. The wind came light after passing 
Ash Island, and I thought of shaking out the reef. But 
off Otter Island it came up fresh from the S.W. When 
up with Whitehead, found I could just lay my course for 
Tennant's Harbor, so, as I had never been in there, and 
it was a dead beat for Mosquito Island bell buoy, I de- 
cided to make for Tennant's, especially as the chances 
were that the wind would start in N.W. again in the 
morning, as it had been doing for the last few days, 
backing to S.W. After spending a couple of hours 
ashore' at Tennant's Harbor, I returned to Bantam, got 
my supper and turned in at 8. 
August 15.— Turned out at 4:50 A. M., and after get- 
ting breakfast and cleaning up, got under -way, gliding 
gently out of the harbor at 6. The wind was light 
from N.W., but by the time Bantam had cleared the 
bell off Mosquito it had worked around to the west- 
ward enough to prevent laying a course direct for Davis 
Straits, so headed to the south of Black Rock. I had 
kept the reef in, as I expected it to do as it had done 
recently — blow hard during the day; but finally despair- 
ing of wind, I shook out the reef and within half an 
hpur after had all I wanted. It was so clear that the 
houses on Monhegan, six miles away, could easily be 
distinguished. The new wind was from the S.W., so did 
not drop anchor in Townsend's Gut till 2 :30 P. M. 
August 16. — Had a sail in a friend's auxiliary round 
■ by the Sheepscot and Cross River, past The Ovens' 
Mouths, returning by Back River. This trip, practically 
impossible without power, made me wish I had a power 
tender. I wouldn't have a motor in the yacht herself; 
it would take away all interest in cruising for me. I 
don't know but that a power tender would do so, too; 
but it certainly would be handy fgr getting jntQ stlpjl re- 
mote and beautiful nooks as the Ovens' Mouths. It 
would perhaps double one's cruising radius. 
August 17.— With one reef in, the wind being strong 
from the W., sailed some members of the "Hope and 
Faith Association," together with sundry remains of a 
lawn fete over to "The Harbor." 
August 18-22.— Made my headquarters in "The Gut," 
taking an occasional morning or afternoon sail. On the 
19th returning to Bantam about 9 P. M. after a visit 
ashore, I found her dragging anchor. Carried a line to 
one of Captain M.'s moorings, and on getting up the 
anchor found the cable fouled around one of the fiukes. 
On coming to anchor that afternoon a strong puff came 
up just as I was going to round up into the wind, and I 
had to snub her with the hook to keep from going ashore. 
I suppose in dropping back she caught the bight of the 
cable over the fluke. On the 20th put Bantam out on 
Captain M.'s blockings to scrub bottom. She was very 
foul with grass from keel to^ waterline, and either scup- 
per had a nest of mussels in it. How seasons differ ! 
Last season after a similar cruise, there wasn't a particle ■ 
of grass on her bottom — just a little fringe on the edge 
of the lead. 
August 23. — My friend B., who is no stranger to Ban- 
tam, arrived on the morning boat, and was soon installed 
in the guest chamber, namely, the port berth. As soon as 
he had stowed his belongings, we worked out of the Gut 
with a head wind and favoring tide. As B. had had but 
a nominal breakfast, we dined at the hotel at Boothbay 
Harbor, then got up sail and worked down the_ bay to 
windward, until, below Squirrel Island, the wind left 
us. After a half hour it arose again from the same 
quarter, and we ran up the bay and inspected the new 
Bath-built cruiser Cleveland, which had come _ in pre- 
paratory to making her trial trip. Anchored in "The 
Harbor." 
August 24. — Under way at 10 A. M. Sailed around to 
Linekin's Bay, where B. got into the dinghy with the 
camera while I sailed Bantam back and forth to have 
her picture taken. Sailed up to Murray Hill and 
anchored for lunch, after which we rowed ashore and 
walked over to East Boothbay and visited the shipyards 
on the Damariscotta. 
August 25. — Under way about 10 A. M. I seldom sail 
before 9, and more often it is after 10 before I get up 
sail. I find that if one is under way by 10 and in harbor 
again by 4:30, he usually gets the crearn of the day's 
sailing, and has fewer hard luck calm stories to_ tell than 
the other fellow; at least this is so on the Maine coast. 
Ran into Christmas Cove long enough to have lunch, 
which, after cooking it below, we ate in the cockpit while 
drinking in the quiet beauties of this landlocked harbor. 
On the beat back to Boothbay Harbor, had an unpleasant 
experience with one of the regular steamers plying these 
waters. We were standing in on the starboard tack to- 
ward Inner Herron Island. I had noticed the steamer 
about a minute before rounding the northern end of the 
island, but did not give her a second thought, it never 
entering my head that she would not give us plenty of 
room. Having run as near the reefs as I thought pru- 
dent, I came about, and there was the steamer almost 
upon us ! I kept on a few seconds to get some headway, 
at the same time figuring whether the steamer could turn 
quickly enough to clear us if we kept on. She decided 
that point by giving three whistles. We gave her the 
benefit of the doubt by translating this to mean "We 
can't clear," and not "We won't try to clear." _ I imme- 
diately put Bantam on the starboard tack again, and as 
soon as she had headway, back on the port tack, for I 
was as near the rocks as I cared to be, and by this time 
the steamer had passed. 
August 26.— Rain. After breakfast, waited on board 
till eleven looking for wind. Then gave it up an went 
ashore and put in the morning at the barber's and the 
bowling alleys, the rain meanwhile keeping up steadily. 
The conditions being the same in the afternoon, stayed 
aboard. B. read some short stories aloud while I listened, 
and later brewed a hot Scotch — or to speak accurately, a 
hot Irish. 
August 27. — Bright and cheerful again. About 10 
A. M. ran out before a light N.E. wind which dropped 
away to nothing off Tumbler. After a calm which lasted 
about two minutes, it came up light from the S.W. Beat 
leisurely down the bay and between Cape Island and 
The Cuckolds, intending to run into Cape Harbor — the 
little harbor inclosed about the end of Cape Newagen by 
Cape and Hunting islands and The Ark. After clearing 
the reefs making off from Hunting, gybed and ran 
in for the entrance. I realized I had to hug the South- 
port shore, and thought I was doing so, as the lobster-pot 
buoys on that side were only a few feet away._ But 1 
soon found that the channel is not nearly as wide as it 
looks after half flood, and what looks like the middle of 
the entrance is really the edge of the reefs making out 
from the north of Hunting Island, for we suddenly felt 
a bump and a scrape and found ourselves hanging on the 
said reef. Fortunately the wind was very light, and the 
tide had still a couple of hours to flow._ So we got the 
anchor over the port quarter, and a friendly fisherman 
offering to carry it out for us, and the proprietor of a 
catboat which we saw moored within the harbor_ helping 
us heave on the cable, Bantam was off again in short 
order. After lunch, we left the harbor by the eastern 
passage, first rowing through it in the dinghy to locate 
the deep water, for the passage is very narrow. A reef 
makes out from the Southport shore, overlapping The 
Ark. This reef and those which fill the southern part 
of the harbor were under water, and to pass between 
them we made for a rock off the southern end of The 
Ark, which we had fixed upon as a mark. As soon as_ we 
had passed the grass on the port side, we put the tiller 
down and turned, almost at right-angles, to the_ north- 
ward through a well-defined passage, and so out into the 
open bay. 
August 28.— B. was forced to take his departure, and 
I felt the season was growing to a close. After seeing 
him off, sailed down the bay and around Ram Island. 
You can anchor between it and Fisherman's or make fast 
to a buoy there and go ashore and get a fine chowder and 
cup of coffee at the lighthouse keeper's home. 
August 29.: — Sailed about the bay, ending by anchoring 
at Mouse Island. The best anchorage is in the bight on 
the west shore of the island. The water is rather deep, 
but there is good holding ground and no kelp ledges.. On 
the north sl|ore gf the islan4s yovi ^re apt to lose^^QU? 
anchor on account of these. 
August 30. — Sailed a Sabbath day's journey into "The 
Gut," and ended the cruise by picking up one of Captain 
M.'s moorings. 
Selecting Marine Gasolene Engines 
BY A. E. POTTER. 
Between now and the close of the Motorboat and 
Sportsmen's Show, which occurs March 9, many of _our 
readers will be called upon to make selections of engines 
or launches for their own use. There are two classes — 
those who know what they want, and those who do not. 
If a man has owned and run a power boat, he ought to 
know more about what he wants than if this is to be his 
first season. If he has had experience in sailing boats 
he is better fitted to know the requirements in a launch, 
particularly if to be used for cruising, which is usually 
the power boat owner's ideal type even if he is unable 
tO' stand the cost. 
In selecting an engine, there are several important 
things to be taken into consideration, and these should 
be carefully weighed in the mind if one would avoid 
possibility of dissatisfaction, trouble or other contin- 
gencies. 
The price is no mean question, and is of course first 
to be considered. If you are not familiar with the two 
and four-cycle types, study them carefully, find out their 
difference, the advantages and disadvantages of both 
types, for they have both. Inquire from owners why 
they selected as they did, and if they would make a 
similar selection a second time. 
If an agent makes any verbal attempts to sell you an 
engine, have him in all cases commit to writing just what 
he claims, so that you may investigate and find whether 
his claims are indefinite, tending to deceive you, or are 
bona fide. Carefully study all catalogues, and sift out 
claims that you find extravagant and on their face un- 
reasonable. If you are unable to understand some claims, 
write to the manufacturer and have him verify what _ he 
says. In other words, put in all your spare time studying 
tip the gasolene engine for your own benefit. Having 
decided what type you prefer, select the particular make 
you think best adapted to your needs, and then find out 
if possible whether or not it is well adapted to your 
needs or your requirements. It may be necessary ^ to 
consult someone who will advise 3'ou as to its suitability, 
size, etc. You should be able to decide whether you will 
use an engine with a reversing gear or reversing wheel, 
as some cases will not permit of the use of one and will 
allow the other. It may be convenient and quite essen- 
tial to use a governor, and there are also cases where 
a governor would be superfluous. 
You should be familiar with both make-and-break and 
jump spark ignition, and ought to be able to say which 
you prefer. Some two-cycle engines are of the more 
modern "three-ported" style, while others use the check 
valve inlet. Some two-cycle engines have to be "primed" 
with gasolene when starting, others do not; some will 
start with the relief cock open or the compression other- 
wise relieved, and others never; some run in both direc- 
tions, others do not; some use gear pumps, some centri- 
fugal, and some plunger pumps for water circulation; 
float feed carburetors may be used in some cases and 
vaporizers in others ; there are removable heads, and 
heads and cylinders in one piece; there are some built to 
separate at the base, and others with end bearing plates; 
hand holes and without; removable igniters, and those 
that have to be taken out after removing the heads; 
valves may in some cases be easily removed and ground, 
and in others it may take a man from the shop several 
hours. These are all important features, but they are 
by no means all you should know of the engine before 
you give an order for it. 
You should know the diameter of the cylinders and the 
length of stroke, as well as the number of revolutions, 
and compare these with other engines of similar dimen- 
sions and rated horsepower. The life of the engine 
and its probable cost of operation should be considered; 
likewise probable cost of repairs and new parts. Its value 
as a second-hand engine after a year or two's careful use 
should be estimated by comparison with others. You do 
not know how soon you may want to purchase a larger 
engine or larger boat, and a second-hand engine, unless 
it is well made and well known, is not Usually a particu- 
larly salable article. 
One of the most usual defects I have found in engines, 
and these not necessarily of the cheaper makes, is poor 
alignment. This is a very hard thing to correct,^ and 
unless the engine with respect to its crank shaft, cylinder 
bore, piston and connecting rod, is absolutely in line, its 
life is materially shortened, and value correspondingly 
lessened. 
The amount of muffling that the manufacturers sup- 
ply with their engines varies greatly. In the design of 
the engine the amount that_ it will stand without great 
loss of power may be more in some cases than in others. 
If you do not care how much noise your engine makes, 
it does not matter; but rarely have I met a power boat 
owner but that he had greater respect for an engine if 
it did not make too much noise. 
In the construction of some engines, cheaper material 
is often used. In some cases it does not materially de- 
crease the value of the product, and in other cases it 
does. Iron water piping of course will not last so Jong 
as brass. Around salt water black iron exhaust piping 
is usually preferable to galvanized, and it costs less. 
Frequently the engine itself, without wheel, shaft, bat- 
teries, tools, etc., will be offered at a very low price; but 
when the necessary extras are added, usually at a padded 
price, the total exceeds that at which you considered 
another make too high priced. 
It may be that one make of engine has sin. cylinders 
and sin. stroke, while another has 4!^in. cylinders and 
S^^in. stroke. They both are perhaps listed at the same 
horsepower, but the piston displacement of the sin. by 
sin. is nearly 12^^ per cent, more than the 43^in. by S^in. 
Ordinarily the sin. stroke engine would run fully as fast 
as the 5^in. stroke, and all other things being equal, 
either the sin. by sin. is under or the 454in. by SJ^in. is 
overrated. 
The rate of compression is another feature to be looked 
aftpr, Jt may be so high tjiat tfie ^pgin? }s Tf^a^d to s^art, 
