Evening star., 1896-08-01
A Delightful Way to Take a Summer
Outing.
CHEAP, BUT PICTURESQUE TRIP
Some Valuable Suggestions for
Such a Cruise.
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS

A week down the Potomac In a small
sailboat Il one of the most enjoy able forms
of summer outing for Washingtonian If
he has tried it, he will not need to be urged
to try 1t again. II not, he will have a de-
lightful experience before him.
To person who enjoys outdoor life, and
Is on good terms with the water, an out
ing on a small sailing craft opens up a
vista of experiences and pleasures not to
be obtained in any other way, and there is
charm in sailing itself, to which any one
who has tried it can bear witness. WASH
ingtonians are especially favored by ma
ture in having such large extent of COM
paratively smooth water as that offered by
the lower Potomac and Chesapeake bay.
not to speak of Delaware bay which can
be reached from the Chesapeake by the
canal. Over all this water one can safely
cruise in an open boat, and for picturesque
ness, variety, historical interest and abun-
dance of fish and game it could hardly be
rivaled anywhere in the country. And all
this Is at the very gates of Washington.
10 those who have done some sailing, but
have never attempted a cruise of any
length on the Potomac, sail TO Point
Lookout and back, or a shorter distance Is
quite far enough, and gives one chance
Tor large amount of enjoyment. A week
Is long enough for such a trip. the party
consisting. say, of four Among the voy-
ayers at least one should be a good sailor,
and al should be willing and able to rough
1t little. or else the cruise will have
slight attractions for them. Moreover
everybody ought to know how to SWIM
not because there Is any danger Of getting
drowned. but because the exigencies of life
on the water make swimming little short
Of a necessity.
First of All, the Boat.
The first thing to consider of course, is
the boat. Although this is by far the most
important question to be decided by the
prospective voyagers, it is the hardest upon
which to give any practical suggestions
So much depends on circumstances. Per-
maps one OF the party may own or have
particular facilities for getting hold of a
poat, which would simplify the matter
II not. suitable craft may be rented here
at Washington for between s. and so
week. by going to some Of the landings
down the river a little way, boat can be
hred for somewhat less. The most i'm
portant points to make sure of are that
me boat be a good saier. thoroughly sea-
worthy and large enough for the party.
such trip would be little short Of torture
In a poor boat. Doubtless a canoe best
1ul1lis the necessary conditions. but it Is
frequently hard to get hold of one. and a
well-built fatty or .'gilling skifr'' is all
right. A twentyfour-foot boat is a good
size. but a smaller craft does very well.
or course. the boat should be provided
with an anchor and sculiing oar and 1t
is advisable to have a pair Of oars along
for rowing If the boat be a small one. A
suitable boat may be purchased for any,
where from s75 to $500. One that has seen
better days can frequently be picked I'D
for less
Next, the Route.
Now for the cruise itsef-where to 20
and how to do it. In the first place, It NAV
be said that there are two distinct ways of
taking such trip down to the bay and
back. One way is for the party to spend
the nights at different summer resorts
aicns the way. If this plan is adopted lit
tie need be carried along in the boat as
you can buy such provisions as you want
LOT lunches at the various stopping points
from day to day. But there is another way
of taking the cruise, which is less ex
pensive and gives one a real taste of out
door life. 1t is to spend the nights in camp
ashore; This .attei' methcd. besides has
the additional advantage of doing away
with the bother and Inconvenience of going
dressed up which of all things is :ne
one most to be dreaded in a sailing trip.
A medium sized tent or merely f1y ought
to be taken along to put I'D at night for
protection against the heavy dews and pos
sible showers. Poles for the tent NAV. of
course be cut anew for each camp, but
frequently they can be carried without in
convenience in the boat.
one may, to be sure, do without a tent
and spend his nights by the sad sea waves
WIN the SAND for mattress and the Milky
way for a coverlet. However, this Is not
an advisable proceeding, unless one knows
by experience that he can put up with II
For If the weather happens to be rainy the
chances are that you will find the weeks
trip about seven days too long for you
Sometimes the sail of ones boat NAV be
utilized as a shelter during the night, but
this is at best a doubtful makeshift.
As to Sleeping.
Nothing has been said In regard to sleep
ing aboard the boat. OF course, If the boat
has cabin room this would be the thing,
but probably few would make the trip in a
beat of this sort or size. A canvas adjust
able cabin, which can be folded up and
slowed away by day, Is another way Of
solving the problem and in case there is
room for the entire party to sleep in the
boat, ii is firSt-class arrangement.
Probably most will either have to, or pre-
fer to, spend the nights ashore. however.
If such be the case, in addition to the tent,
each one of the party should carry blank
ct. and, if possible. rubber coat or slick
er." No extra clothing need be taken on so
short cruise. So far as provisions and
cooking utensils go. the fewer taken the
better. The entire outfit must be Of the
very slenderest sort Provisions in general
can and should be purchased the way.
A few things. nevertheless, would better be
carried if there Is room, such as bacon,
hard tack, coffee. cornmeal, cottolene, con-
densed milk, salt and pepper, and few
canned meats and fruits.
The kit should also include a tin plate,
knife, fork, spoon and cup apiece, an extra
plate or so, large SndTp RnlIo, d Trying
pan, coffee pot, stew pan. wooden pail,
covered tin pail, AK, nails, wire. can opener,
paddock, crab net, matches, cord and rope.
reading matter, scissors. soap, pins. needles
and thread, rubber blanket. towels, Sta
tionery, court plaster, vaseline, bathing
suits fishing tackle, lantern, and perhaps
an alcohol lamp
Good Things to Carry.
Besides these things. the party will want
to provide themselves with compass and
some good maps Of the river. Light house
charts and other useful Information may
be procured through the custom, house. A
gun may also be carried, although there is
nothing much to shoot during the summer
months and it stands a good chance Of
getting wet. II there is rot room enough
in the places provided in the boat for all
the cargo, Z tight chest should be taken.
Nothing should be left knocking about in
the bottom of the boat, 1t Is sure to get
wet and is a f1rst-class thing to stub ones
toes against. A stone jar is the coolest
thing in which to carry water. if there is
room for 1t. Other things will suggest
themselves. but it Is a safe general rule to
make up your mind to carry nothing that
you can possibly do without
In selecting camping site for the night
1t will be found convenient to pick out a
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