Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-09-12
To Tie Editors II nc Enquirer.

10 Tie Editors 81 nc Enquirer.
AccoMAcE, Aug. ~.
Messrs. Editors: The readers Of the Wing
we're entertained Short time since with very
liveIy description OF the sayings and donss OF 4
pleasure party on AIe:ompkin beach III this conn
~. f. the correspondent; OF The Wing had been
here Yesterday, lie would nave witnessed much
more highly Interesting and exciting scene; that
j.. il he be fond oi boat racing. Il was conw>',
ar The frs, time between "Uay.side' and sea
side" AS our peninsula forms such 4 small
speck upon ordinary maps, will premise, Tor
the information Of your readers, that Inc average
distance from The Chesa peakc bay on one side 10
The Atlantic on The other, is not more Than esii
miles. This proximity has led Tor long time
10 numberless banlerings and challenges; while
the Inconvenience of transporting craft across
the land has heretofore prevented race. "A
short time ago however, the bay side, think
ins. perhaps, that they saw The way open IL
an easy victory, offered the seaside" 10
run them on their own ground. The cham
mons oil both parties were well ascerlaIned, by
repeated trials, before The day OF sailing; and ac-
cordingly, on arriving at The point oil The beach
from which they were 10 starr, we lound Two long,
yery slim and elegant looking canoes, which had
been carried over from the Bay side. There they
Law. anchored together in the quiet little cove, as
smooth as glass. and eflecing The ripple around
them almost as distinctly as q mirror. The lar
Ger one 10 start il the wind should blow hard,
and the smaller one in case OF light breeze. -
The sea side had selected as their champion the
r p Cropper. a boat built BY Mr.. lngersol of
York. We found her also on the ground lite
raly, as we'll as metaphoricaliy-sh being
/; hauled IN on the sand, receiving The last touches
Preparatory 10 starting: these consisted IN nj
y / II. ~
face with lallow, and in an application Of
oil over the whole bottom. One who has
meyer witnessed il, can ioim no idea OF the mi
np,eness of detail observed in fitting out these
race boals. They are first made as smooth rs The
panel of a carriage with The plane ind sand pa
I per: The least indentaton carefully hlled up and
snno,hed over. and then The masts, with exactly
| enouoh sprn1. in exactly the right place; the
sails re clear of a wrinkle as The most unexcep-
tonable tights of Broadway dandy. All This
nice and elegant preparation gives 10 The race coat
lha. marked difference oil appearance, when
compared with an ordinary craft, which Is OBJ
servable between the iaunt rig OF mah-oi-War
and lubberIy merchantmen: =
/ II was now about 10 o'clock, the wind ). h !,
BLOWN fresh. II lacks an hour yet oil high wa
Ter which is the time for starting. In The mean
time of olides the canoe 10 Try her lis; she
certainly goes of finely; and now She hams close
By The wind. she goes about, and II IS done
remarkab,y quick, 100, considering. her length
| Directly IN goes the boa! short distance, pre-
pa ra,ory 10 The final start. No one tonld LOOK
upon her finely shaped bow and neat truck, vi h
out SEEING a, once she was nearly perfect moiel.
| The boat. chances OF winning, however, were
essencd, as the wind, about this lime, began
sensibly 10 ull; and what was slli more IN favor
oil the canoe, with The wind ,. f., she could lay
I h,,, and haC
Each craft was now ready with their respec-
tive crews aboard. The choice Of position was
won hv HE sea side boat; she took her station
/ hata length behind and length 10 windward.-
For the fi,st lime. in the annals OF boat racing
J here, seaside and bay.siGe craft were ranged
M abou, 10 contend for superiority, which both
| had long and confidently claimed Al The helm
I oflhe canoe sal man whose beautiful handling
of his craft during the race, certainly merits ior
/ him passing word. Of tall and somewhat gaunt
/ figure, and. with self-reliance and gravity Of
! look amounting almost 10 solemnly, stranger
would no, have been surprised 10 hear from him
a moral lecture upon the irivoiy Of The times in
general and boat-racipg in particular. His
peighbors of The Bay side had selected his canoe
as ono of their swiftest, and he had come over 10
sail her himself. And certainly his tact and rea
| dy management in the race demonstrated that
they could not have had beller man. There he
SAT, cool and selfpossessed, waiting The word 10
start; his round-crowned, broad-brimmed ha,
carefully laid aside, lis place supplied BY silk
handkerchief lied closely around his head. Old
man. we should hate 10 see thee beaen. In the
Sea side craft are two young men, who. though
not bound together by ligamen, as palpable &c
the eye as that which connects the Siamese twins
are, nevertheless, as inseparable when boat
race is On hand. Their almost uniform success
has ranked them as at least worthy competitors
of The auslere looking Bay sider who is quietly
sitting in the canoe under their lee. The dis
lance 10 he run was about four miles, and return
The stake boat was already anchored, and at The
word they both glided off with free wind and
larboard lacks aboard. A minute or Two o
breathless suspense ensued, when the incest OBJ
server could no, Tell which was likely TO lead