Trip To The Jersey Shore

[Ariel 109]

Sometimes when in a hurry and looking for books at the old Strand Bookstore I only read the publisher's name at the bottom of the book splines, usually in the Sea and Ships section I'm just searching for the letters I and M of a book published by International Marine.  Scanning away this weekend I came across a book published by Alfred Knopf about sailing by a British writer named George Millar.  Loved this book, read it through in two evenings.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Millar_%28writer%29  

[captcraig]

Hi Ben, Looking through your thread is very interesting. At the OCBC where I'm a member someone dumped a pickup load of books in the dumpster. I was shocked when I saw them. Pulled them out and now have them in my shop. OCBC was founded in 1929 on a small man made lake here in OKC, I've read a number of the books in the last year and have really enjoyed them. Slocums book was the first. One of my boats is a Chris Craft Cherokee 32, while the Chris Craft boats are not the greatest, some of the Sparkmen and Stephens shines through. I'll post some photos of some of the cool hardware on the boat. I owned a Pearson Ensign and really liked the boat but wanted a bigger version so I bought Ariel 157 that lies Northport MI for the time being.  Haven't had a chance to pick the boat up yet but hope to do a little voyaging if I can get away. The boats of yesteryear are to me much more pleasing to the eye even if some are made of plastic. One book I read was written by Olin Stephens called "All this and sailing too" The book gives a good history of boat design and the transition from old school to the computer age.

[Ariel 109]

Congratulations on getting an Ariel Craig!  I never thought much about people being able to sail keel-boats in Oklahoma, but with those big reservoirs and all that wind comes sweeping down the plain stuff an Ariel would fit right in.  I keep missing out on that Olin Steven book when the Strand gets a copy, somebody always gets to it before me, someday.  

I just finished this book.  "Once is Enough" by Miles Smeeton is the story of getting somersaulted in a sailboat by a large wave in the icy waters west of Cape Horn and living to tell the tail.  A beautifully written book that was published in 1959 and as the Jonathan Raban's introduction states: "It has cast a spell on many with it's portrait of small boats as the last best hope of escape and adventure in an increasingly tame and constrained world".

[captcraig]

Can't remember where I've seen that book"Once is enough", maybe in our library. Your welcome to read my book "All this and Sailing too" if you would like. Bookrates are pretty cheap so I'm not worried about that but because I have an S&S design you'd have to mail it back(LOL) Went to Texoma today and the wind was blowing up to 30, so I just worked on the boat. Had a 5.5 inch deep galley sink and I've ordered a 7.5, doesn't sound like much but hope it will make washing a little easier. The books I pulled out of the dumpster (over 150) I hope to put back in the club with some proper bookshelves. We had more books than shelves so someone got a little carried away. Wish I had your wood working skills. The voyaging books have me ready to take off on a voyage of my own. I once did 1600 nm offshore with 5 guys on an Island Packet 45 but believe going alone would be more satisfying for me. I lived on the Eastern  Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and loved all the old wood boat stuff there and there are some pretty cool musuems in the area. The light house is "Sharps Island Light" Once an Island but washed away and the light house now resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Sailed plenty on the Chesapeake as a Licensed Master and sure miss it.     Best Regards Craig

[ebb]

In my salad days I had a couple first editions of  "Once".
Most amazing couple.  Really and truly incredible.
Just went looking for a photo, since I don't remember one.

google images found a book for sale, which I'm going to get,
'High Endeavours: The Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Miles & Beryl Smeeton'
by Miles Clark.   With a  title like that, the author must be Brit!

The bio has a charming picture of the couple on the cover!

[Ariel 109]

Ebb,

Interesting that the Smeetons and the Millairs, "Oyster River", both bought their sailboats as a way to get around post war currency restrictions against taking money out of Britain.  Buy a yacht in Britain, most had been laid up for years during the duration of the war, sail it somewhere on vacation like North America or the Mediterranean and sell it.  In the Smeeton's case they even stashed diamond rings aboard their beloved boat the Tzu Hang to sell abroad.  This inspired the novelist Nevil Shute to write the book  "Trustee From The Toolroom", highly recommended!  Of course in the Smeeton's case they fell in love with their boat and didn't end up selling it, don't know what happened with the diamond rings.

Craig,

 It sounds like you've had plenty of sailing adventures and way more experience on the water than I have.  Thanks for the pictures, please post some more!  Love to see what lake Texoma looks like, it looks huge on Google Maps. My grandmother's family homesteaded in eastern Oklahoma, near a town called Nowata.  Three hundred years of pioneering across America and my relatives end up farming some scraggly plain of marginal land, oh well.

[mbd]

Isn't Jon, Sirrocco's owner in Oklahoma?

[ebb]

by Don Holm.  This book is available online in hugh chunks.  I downloaded
a nine page bio of the Smeetons.  Holms interviewed the couple for his book
 and also saw the famous TzeHang being shipped on  the back of a ferryboat.

TzuHang was sold, loaned or given to somebody named Hanse or Nance
and ended up in the drug trade and  being executed by buldozer by US narks.:mad:

TAKE THAT, you Naughty boat!

[captcraig]

I've been to Nowata and there is no shortage of water in the area so they didn't name it that for a lack of. My great great grandfather was a landrunner in the Cherokee Strip landrun. My father was a French Canadian from New Hampshire. He fought in WW II and was stationed in Oklahoma after the war and met my Mom here. So I'm half Okie dirt farmer and half French Canadian. Is Sirrocco an Ariel? Lake Texoma is very pretty I think. It has some sandy beach islands and the water is somewaht clear for a lake in this part of the country, I took this picture a couple of weeks ago on My CC Cherokee 32, had it on auto pilot with a light breeze and it was a beautiful day (not rubbing it in for you North sailors) (You can laugh at me when its a 105 on Texoma this summer) The photo of the davits is on my old Cal 35 near Hoopers Island on the east side of Chesapeake Bay not too far from Salisbury MD

[Bill]

Isn't Jon, Sirrocco's owner in Oklahoma?

Yes, Jon's location is Tulsa.

[captcraig]

Wonder if Jon is a member of Windycrest on Keystone Lake? Haven't been there but they host quite a few regattas. I'll check in to it. Sailed on Keystone in my 20s on a G-Cat 5m. Once was caught in a thunder storm there and backed the cat up on the beach, in the middle of the storm the wind did a 180 and the cat took off, disappeared in to the storm as I watched. After the stormed passed the boat was a good 1/2 offshore capsized. Hitched a ride on a powerboat to retrieve it. One of just a few of my storm sails in Oklahoma. I nearly drowned after a capsize on that G-cat a year later on Lake Hefner, with a date sailing at night we capsized in pretty darn cold water, I tried to right the boat while she held on to the lifejackets (niether of us were wearing one, I know), I couldn't right the cat and she tried to swim to me and couldn't catch me. I dove off the boat to be with her, time passed, fatigue, a boat in the distance. I called directions to a sloop that picked us up. Saved. Funny thing when you survive a near death experience with someone. Her and I ended up being married. The pic is of Cambridge Creek draw bridge leaving Cambridge Creek (MD) taken around 2001 or so. Great place to anchor, when I was there a restaurant called "Snappers" was right there at the little anchorage just on the other side of that bridge.

[Bill]

Clicking on the user name "Jon" in the member list gets you to his profile page.  According to our files, you can send him a private message (on the board) or Email him from there (if his Email address is still valid).

[Ariel 109]

You don't need to say anything more than what's written across the top of the dust jacket, "Six men cross the Pacific on a raft!  This book unwittingly contributed, along with the Rodgers and Hammerstein, to cause the tiki bar / polynesian restaurant craze across our fine land.

[Ariel 109]

My long lost George Dyson designed baidarka, a type of kayak, project resurfaces during the moving of my workshop to the Bronx.  One day I'm going to get this thing finished.  When lofted it's longer than an Ariel.  Check out this link, inspirational!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tellytomtelly/sets/72157629447998793/detail/



This is mind blowing!  What an amazing planet!!!

[video=vimeo;61487989]http://vimeo.com/61487989#[/video]

[carl291]

Hey All,
 
 Just wanted to let you know there is a Triton on ebay right now:  located at City Island
 
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-CLASSIC-PEARSON-28FT-W-NEW-YANMAR-I-O-NY-FORR-61-/111064986145;jsessionid=6561B2D4A0AD700F31323D551C0146A4?ViewItem=&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123&item=111064986145&forcev4exp=true