Evening star., 1935-12-08
Yachting IS HOBBY.
OF CIVIC LEADER.
George {. Sullivan Recounts
Seafaring Experience on
Board the Mermaid.
by JOHN II. Cassidy. Jr.


Law and Legislation Committee Of the
Federation of Citizens Associations,
Is a seagoing man with title as long
as your hand.
He is captain in-pilot-engineer-cook Of
the good ship Mermaid, his trim little
trunk cabin cruiser now riding at
anchor at the foot Of Tenth street
southwest.
For more than quarter Of CEN
tury Sullivan has been an ardent
yachting enthusiast. He worked into
it gradually in the early 1900s by
devoting great deal Of his time to
canoeing. Then he was member
Of the Montgomery Sycamore Island
Club and the Washington Canoe Club.
Yachtsman Since 1907.
But about 1907 the attraction of
larger craft proved too strong and
Sullivan became convert to yacht
ing, from which, he says, II have
never recovered and have no wish to-"
His first venture into the sport was
with 16-foot Truscott motor boat
the first Mermaid His first cruise in
it was from Washington to the mouth
of the Potomac River and then up St.
Marys River. Frequently during the
trip the horizon was lost to view in
the high waves and once it was nee
essary to beach the craft until the
storm subsided.
The cruise was completed success
fully, however, and Sullivan says he
and his companions received a con-
siderable amount of practical knowl-
edge on yachting. Later, the noted
civic leader took many cruises to the
lower Potomac aboard this small
craft and learned "by actual contact
with them" the locations of all the
sand bars and shallow places so that
he gained sufficient knowledge to
consider operating larger craft.
Mermaid From Connecticut.
So it was that in 1911 the second
Mermaid was bought. Sullivan pur-
chased the craft, which is 80 feet
long, in Stamford, Conn, and navi-
gated it himself from there to Wash
ington.
During the trip Sullivan came near
losing the yacht This occurred in
the mouth Of the st. Marys River
when one of the twin propellers and
the shaft dropped out of the back Of
the craft. This happened shortly
after dark and left an opening below
water and the craft began to fill
rapidly. Sullivan succeeded in STOP
ping the opening and saved the boat
but the propeller and shaft were
never found.
The Mermaid is equipped with every
possible comfort and convenience-in-
cluding spring beds, four of them, and
fully equipped galley. She is as sea-
worthy as they come and Sullivan re-
CARDS the cruiser as second to none.
As captain-pilot-en er-cook, Sui
Ivan has one set rule for guests! They
are not allowed to do any Of the work
except wash dishes.
Gives Favorite Recipe.
Sullivan did not mean it as a Joke
when he tacks cook" onto his title.
He recognizes Mrs. Sullivan's superior
culinary talent anywhere else but on
the boat-even when a strictly family
trip is taken.
Sullivan's many guests on the
cruiser consider his finest dish his
concrete fried potatoes"-made by
frying thinly sliced potatoes and
sliced onions together and beautifully
Drowned on both top and bottom.
He says quite frankly he doesn't
know whether the dish is really as de-
licious as his guests claim, or whether
he first starves them so that they are
in a condition to enjoy anything.
Sullivan considers yachting and its
companion sport-fshing- be the
finest kind of mental and physical re-
taxation.
Fishing Trips Made.
No season passes without the Mer-
maid seeing plenty Of duty. usually
clear up until December. His Fall
trips are in quest of large-mouth bass.
Several cruises are made each year to
Paw-Paw Cove, in Bretons Bay, be-
low Blackiston Island, which he re-
CARDS as the most picturesque anchor
age he has ever seen. The most ex-
tensive cruise he has taken since
bringing the cruiser to Washington
was one to Lake Drummond, in Dis
NAL Swamp, in 1918. He is member
and director of the Capital Yacht
Club and stands near the top Of the
clubs seniority list.
A native Washingtonian, Sullivan
has been active in civic work in the
District for IL years. He represents
the Citizens Association of Takoma,
D. c., in the federation. He was vice
president of the federation about four
years ago, served as chairman Of the
Law and Legislation Committee for
two years and then accepted the ap-