The Washington herald., 1917-06-24
south JERSEY
RESORTS MECCA
FOR YACHTSMEN

The true motor boat bug Is more OF
\ crank In his way than the automo-
bile fiend ever was accused Of. And
there are more Of such bugs on that
part Of the American continent set
down In geography as extending from
the lowermost point Of Capt. May, N.
J., to Barnegat, n. J., than are as
sembled anywhere else in the coun-
try. Conditions for the perfect en-
joyment of the sport are ideal in this
locality. The chain Of islands begin
ming with Cape May and ending with
Absecon Island (Atlantic City, are so
situated as to make natural handbook
ed bays with easily accessible inlets
to the ocean which form placid water
and a secure haven from storms.
Under such conditions 1t is but natu-
raj that these summer resorts should
be the mecca for motor boat enthu-
siasts and from now until well after
Labor Day hundreds of the little
pleasure craft may be seen moored
along the bay side.
The craft are Of all kinds from the
rowooat with little dinky engine
attached at the back which, while not
appealing strongly to the artistic
sense, is capable OF chug-chugging out
the inlet and out to the buoy to where
there Is a good spot for hsh-clean up
to the thtrty-five-foot cabin cruiser
capable OF being stocked and proVi-
stoned for a trip to the Bermuda Is
lands or even farther.
The average boat is from twenty to
thirty-toot beam, fitted up with cabin
and gallery for accommodations Of
from four to six people.
some OF these are auXiliary-carry-
ing both sail and engine. This is the
type that finds most preference with
those who take their families down
and virtually live at the shore through
the summer, and treat the boat as
part of their everyday life to be
used rather than looked at or shown
on. The owner of such craft thinks
there is no greater sport in the whole
world than to get out in the early
morning with a spanking breeze, whip
ping the ocean into white caps, take
half reef in the sail and clear out
through the inlet with the boat at an
angle of about forty-five degrees, the
salt sea air whipping in his face and
chip in a rain barrel Then il the
wind dies down and the sea gets on
that thick, oily sluSgishness that be-
tokens unbrOken calm II takes but
the turn OF the fly wheel and you get
an appetite several times bigger than
yourself and you are speeding back
for the shore and dinner at a pace
that sets every blood corpuscle racing
through your system.
Another type Of bug to be found
in great profusion along this section
Of the coast, is the speed fiend. Rae
ing craft are OF all kinds from the
hydroplane to the old duck boat with
q motor in it. Some of the finest
motor boat races in the country are
held at Cape May, wildwood and
TlCaan fnkfu -
boats Is the type that is built along
. the lines Of a street. At full speed
the boat very often lifts half out
! Of the water, just the rear end lightly
touching the surface and seems to
skim through 1t like a gulPs breast
The water Just sprays, out in sheets
that drop from ten to thirty feet
on either side. Frequently craft are
run against automobiles on land and
In many cases these high-power water
{ sraft have outstripped the auto on
The situation OF these big bays and
ihlets affords ideal protection and
safety for all kinds Of water craft,
FOR canoe and cruiser and barring the
sxtreme e Of the last-named type of
boat, virtually every kind of water
craft can be seen. Rats, canoes,
roWboats, duck boats, catboats. sail
sooats motor boats, open boats. and
closed boats, cruisers looking starchly
trim In their cleaning white and pol
5shed brass and old dories covered
with barnacles and without the faint
est resemblance Of their original coat
Of paint. Such is the security offered
oy these landlOcked bays that fire.
quently a group Of children can be
Feen maneuvering a boat by them
kelves having a world Of fun IN ab-
bolute safety.
Year by year statistics show that mo-
Lor boating Is increasing in popular
have experienced the joys Of beinS
captain OF his own craft.