Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-08
LAND LUBBERS SAIL.
A PARTY OF sTAUNTONrANs TAKE
A SCHOONER TRIP.
ROUGHING 1T Al SEA.
Their PIen-A Case of Hamlet
with Hamlet Left Out-Missed
Objective Points, and Likewise
the Fish.
stanton, Va. August 5, ls9'


Association. commodore OF the Shenan-
doah Cruising Club. and frequent con-
tributor 10 Forest and Stream. your cor
respondent gets an interesting story OF
a cruise on the seas Of a number Of
Stanton gentlemen:
It was a merry crowd Of Stauntonians
that sailed out Of Hampton recently on
the schooner Estelle. with ten days or
two weeks frolicking, IN the way Of
fishing and cruising ahead Of them.
Most Of the party had never before been
at sea. A few had never even seen the
ocean: and even the experienced ones
OF the party possessed an acquaintance
with schooners. OF this description at
least. that was necessarily somewhat
| limited. 1t was. therefore, with no small
degree OF interest and expectation that
the party Of land lubbers assembled on
| the decks Of the Estelle this bright June
morning. watched the colored crew as
they holsted the sails. cast or the haw-
/ sers that made the schooner fast to the
| wharf. warped her head out into the
stream, and got her under way.
The party consisted Of Messrs. Thomas
| Humphreys. I'd. W. Stewart Ernest
| Harman. Edward Collins, Edward Baker,
/ y. A. Blackford. u. r. Webb. Edward
/ Sublett. Fitzhugh Elder. Colonel c. Il.
| Cooke. r. =. Bell, and Mr.. r. p. Bell. Jr.
! At old Point next day Captain James
Bumgardncr. who had been delayed by
/ an important law case. came on board.
| Colonel Cooke. having on one or two
previous and similar occasions sailed the
/ ocean blue. was purveyor, manager, ana
general wet nurse to the expedition; IN
/ fact. it might have been described az n
| sort Of Cookies personally-conducted tour
I on a reduced scale.
In the original construction Of the
/ schooner. her ultimate utilization as n
/ passenger clipper had not been taken into
I account; hence her passenger accommo-
datons were quite limited. She was a
| tvo-masted. centreboard vessel OF some
| sixty or eighty tons capacity. She had
/ n small cabin aft, about ten feet square,
| ON each side Of which were two hunks
mere holes I'm the wall out under the
passage ways on each side OF the cabin
root. The cabin was separated by n
bulkhead from n shallow hold, In which
it was impossible to stand upright; ana
the floor OF which was covered with a
choice collection Of rlver-jacks OF as
I lfhAseA'Nf
two halves by the heavy centreboard
trunk. At the foremost another bulk
head separated the hold from the cooks
cabOOse. a perpendicular cOmpanionway
led down from the deck into the latter
while large fore and aft matches gave
free access to the hold from the decks.
The hold was also accessible through the
cabin and caboose bulkheads by means
Of doors. The roof Of the cabin stood up
above the deck about thirty inches. form
Inc n sort of low. fiat-roOfed house aft
on which, in pleasant weather, the meals
were taken; while in bad weather the
viands were spread on a rough deal table
built up alongside the centreboard trunk
IN the hold She carried a short, broad
yawl. swung up on dayits astern; and
two smaller, fiat bottomed boats, which
were slowed on deck amidships on each
side.
The schooner was manned by three
very able and efficient colOred seamen-
Abe. Nose, and Baily; Eli, the cook,
and Edgar. the waiter. the entire ag-
eregatlon commanded by Captain Dick
Conner. than whom better seaman and
all-round navigator probably does not
sail out Of Hampton. Captain Conner
is prominent in Eastern Shore politics,
and was a delegate to the Stanton con-
vention.
In fair weather the party spread their
blankets and slept on deck, with nothing
between them and the wide. wide world,
while I'm foul weather they sought the
seclusion which the cabin grants, sup
plemented by the accommodations af-
forded by the river Jacks I'm the hold.
Several OF the men-notably, Messrs.
Cooke, webb, Bell, Bumgardner, and
Elder-were old, experienced campers,
col Inf
mattresses. blankets, and rubber sheets,
made themselves tolerably comfortable
and very much at home. Tho others,
urodtting by the advice and example OF
the more experienced ones, did the best
FOR themselves that circumstances would
permit. and on the whole, nobody kick
ed at the accommodations. At night,
when all we're laid out on deck, the
schooner presented the appearance OF a
tolerably thcllly settled district; and It
was exceedingly difficult and tolerably
impossible 10 move around without get
ting aboard Of some gentleman. In
fact. the first night on the boat colonel
Cooke managed TO plant his foot squarely
amidships of Mr. Humphreys, who had
retired for the night. 60 the unbounded
huarity OF the entire crowd. with the
exception Of Mr. Humphreys, who. being
possessed Of a deficient sense OF humor
failed TO enjoy the joke.
The vessel sailed from Hampton al j 40
Thursday, and dropped down TO Old Point
a few miles below. where the anchor was
cast TO await the arrival Of Captain
Bumrardner. The Captain came on
board at noon Friday. but the anchor
was not weighed until Saturday morning,
as a heavy gale was blowing outside
The time was pleasantly passed. how
ever in visits TO Fortress Monroe. tho
Hveeia the Chamberln, Buckroe Beach
and other places Of interest, not the least
Of which proved TO be the wharf In the
evening when the numerous steamers
from Norfolk. Newport News. Richmond.
etc. would arrive and depart for Wash
ineton. Baltimore, New York, and else
where.
PLAN OUTLINED.
The plan outlined for the expedition en-
braced a stop at Cobbs Island for tho
fishing. and a cruise up the coast TO
Atlantic City and return. With the ex-
cention OF the fact that the schooner
ala not nut in at Cobbs Island, and did
not make a landing at Atlantic City,
and the excursionists did not get any
fishing beyond the exciting strikes af-
forded by the gamy crab while at anchor
off Old Point, this plan was faithfully
carried out. however, lhe party hau a
MAGNIFICENT cruise and a general good
time. as the sequel will show.
Bright and early on Saturday morning
the anchor was raised and the cruise
begun. with Cobbs Island as the objec-
tive. Before starting, however, Mr. Sub
let who had left a sick child at home,
left the party, much to the satisfaction
az Captain Dick. who had a seamans
dislike Of the number 1S. Breakfast was