The Portland daily press., 1878-06-03
ON THE OCEAN SAILING.
annual Cruise of lhe Portland Yacht
Club.

The yachts of the Portland club got under
way Thursday last as has been already stated
and ran down to Potts harbor, where the,
anchored for the night Friday mornin!
dawned on the yacht squadron as they Law il
the harbor. At s o'clock the yacht ensign Sc
under the commodore's pennant, summonet
the captains of the fleet on board the Princes
for consultation. 1t was decided to make sal
for Boothbay. At half-past the yachts on
underway and stood out through The POTTS !,
the following order: Minnie, Idler, Willie
Oracle, Casco, Princess. Vif. Viva. The win,
was east and light, and the yachts slid slowl,
along over smooth sea out of Mericonea,
Sound. 1t was dead beat to Cane Small
Point The Casco arrived first, Willie mex
and the Princess soon after and lay to for tn
rest OF the squadron. The yachts came up ON,
BY one, dropped their jibs and lay to in lin
and pretty sight it was. A fleet of white
winged shallops nodding to the heavy sea ant
fiuttering their gay flags in the breeze. at
O'Clock the yachts were all up, and at gur
from the flag ship, jbs were run up, mair
sheets hauled 10, and the fleet was underway
again tacking east. The wind was light anG
dropped with the declining sun and the yachts
stole as softly as sheeted ghosts across thu
broad expanse Of Sheepscot Bay. The house:
of Boothbay shone brightly in the rays of the
setting sun, while the fleet was still in the
offing and night had we'll set in, before the
squadron dropped anchor in Townsend harbor
Flaming signals were shown from the Princess
The Casco sent up red, blue and green lights
the cannon of the arriving yachts roared q
salute, so the darkness of the night was broken
by both sight and sound.
Saturday morning the Idler came rippling in.
She had put into the Kennebec for the night.
The Minnie soon followed from her anchorage
at Squirrel Island. At Boothbay the club
were handsomely entertained by Capt. Cyrus
McKoun, a prince of good fellows, a modern
Viking, who has built his castle on a cliff OF
the ocean and swoops down upon "the toilers
of the sea-, not to kill and plunder, but to
refresh and cheer. At half-past 10 in the
forenoon gun from the flag ship summoned
all loiterers from the shore. Fifteen minutes
later the starting gun was fired and the fleet
bore down the bay, standing merrly along
with ripping southeast breeze. But it was
altogether too pleasant. Once out beyond the
lea of the land the wind fatted away to a
mere breath, and this died into stark calm.
The great plane of the ocean stretched away
vast, silent, unrutfied and motionless, save the
long beat of its giant pulses. Lying on deck
you could see myriad light green shafts of
the sun shoot into the dark green sea, piercing
the waters to depths unfathomable. On shore
over the woods, the smoke of great fire rose
straight into the sky ga pillar of cloud.''
The yachts lost ali steerage way; each one
lay as ''idly as painted ship upon painted
ocean" turning to every point of the compas,a
the caprice of the sluggish tide. The yachts
lazily rolled, sails tapped, boats were lowered
from davits and pulled away over the tranquil
sea. At last towards evening faint easterly
air blurred the smooth expanse of the ocean
the sails partly filled aud the fset crept on,
the Willie leading bravely.
At six o'clock the Princess fired gun and
bore away for Cape Newsgen. Ia this snug
little harbor she was soon anchored with the
rest of the squadron, except the Viva, Minnie
and Idler. These kept on west and at night fall
were seen rolling at sea near Ssgnin. The
yachts men at Cape Newagen soon caught cum
ners enough for supper. One expert angler on
board the Willie pulled up and secured three
cunners at single haul. All night the surges
of the rising tide moaned against the narrow
bar of slelets and reefs that walled out the sea
from this little cove. At dawn O. heavy sea
was running, No wind, only faint easterly
air. At five o'clock in the morning that old,
cd story was told again, of the fleet stealing
out0 0f hoph md
the SEA. But the wind freshened enough to
sparkle the water under the sun, and we rolled
on, the Casco leading. At Bald Head the Idler
joined US, and at noon we rippled into Potts
harbor, Harpswell. Here was the Viva and
Minnie. The Viva had made harbor for the
night at Mackerel Cove, and the Minnie on the
deep sea. Soon the Undine, Mary, Maria and
Clarence Joined the fleet, which now numbered
thirteen yachts, the largest number your
correspondent ever remembers to have seen on
any cruise of Portland yachts. At quarter
before three the feet got underway. As these
thirteen crack yachts filed away to good
southerly breeze, and stood ont towards
Broad Sound all together, their white sails
shining in the sun, it made as pretty a sight as
ever was seen in CascO Bay
The fleet stood across the sound, through
Chebeagae narrows, and on to- Fort Gorges,
the Princess leading to the end. Here the
Princess lay to until all the yachts of the fleet
had got up, when the squadron filled away
and sailed up the harbor In line The yachts
sought their accustomed mooriDgs, and the
yachting season OF 1873 may now be considered
fairly opened with this annual cruise of the
Club, which despite the drawback of calms and
light winds every one prononnces one of the
most successful cruises of the Portland
Yacht Club. MARsTRAND