Evening star., 1934-08-05


at Che Naval Academy are among the
finest sailing shippers in the country
and their weekly races are sights to
inspire most any one to own boat of
his own. The Navy men are trained,
and frequently sail, in every type OF
craft that carries canvas. The academy
has a large number of fine little sloops
and cutters which are in constant use.
But whale boats 40 feet long and big,
hulking motor-sailers designed to carry
landing parties of 90 men each, also
are to be found racing there. The
Severn and the bay form mecca for
many Navy men who years ago learned
to sail as midshipmen and many are
the sons of officers who are given the
rudiments of seamanship by their
fathers on its waters.
The famous old Chesapeake 'fbugeye."
whose name is mystery to the shore
folk, still survives in commerce. But
another generation probably viii see the
last of them, for they win never be built
again. These graceful, romantic looking
vessels were originally known, in late
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name In the course of years became
corrupted to "bugeye." These craft,
which are probably the most beautiful
of all the native American coastwise
boats, have found home ports through
out the many generations of their his
tory from Georgia to Maine. But a
real bugeye was never built outside the
Chesapeake country. They were de-
signed for heavy duty, low upkeep and
shallow-water service and were pecu-
liarly adapted to the low shores and
coves of the Chesapeake
Their construction was unique in ship
building history. Many boats which
today are called bugeyes are merely
constructed along the external lines of
the originals, although many of the
latter still are in service. The genuine
bugeye has no frame. 1t is made of
huge logs fitted together on exactly the
same principle of double-arch construc-
ton that the builders of the great
Gothic cathedrals used in fitting the
stones to form the groined arches of
their great naves. The outer surfaces
were then cut and planed of to give
the efficient line that has been their
most outstanding characteristic.
These ships, fitted with schooner or
sloop rig, are remarkably seaworthy and
were ideally fitted to carry on the
commerce that built the Chesapeake
country and the cities of Annapolis and
Baltimore in the early days of the re-
public. A few of them are still to be
found in commercial service and many
have been converted into pleasure craft
and house boats.
CALLING for pleasure is a compare
lively modern development, not only
on the Chesapeake, but in all American
waters. Prior to the Mexican War sail
ing for sport was entirely unknown in
the United States Whatever boat rae
ing there was, it was carried on as a
grim matter of business competition.
Pilots, trying to outdo each other to
get the business of incoming ships, and
fishing captains seeking to be the first
TO land their cargoes and get the highest
prices, were the fathers of this modern
sport. 1t was they who developed sailing
races which were at first carried on in
q spirit of experimentation, the purpose
being to determine the most efficient
rigs or the best hull designs.
In this manner the most famous rae
ing vessel in the world was started on
its career of so years of victory. The
schooner yacht America, whose triumph
over the entire royal yacht squadron
of the Isle of CoRes brought to the