Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-12-13

OF canvaSback RATED. 100000
Of them that took TO the air at
sight Of our boat. At intervals
we could see smaller fiocks Of
cans" swinging across the
overcast sky.
With Frank Mitkowski fol-
lowing with the decoys IN an
cupboard runabout. we headed
slowly into a cove near Church
Point. named for the church
once built on a little island
there to protect IL from the
Indians.
Another blind was there. so
We kept well away. AS soon as
the boat was anchored fore and
aft. Lunsford and Mitkowski. a
retired Army sergeant put out
our decoys.
That job done. We waited for
ducks. A small fight Of can
vasbacks went over and We
heard a shot from the other
blind. They were too high for
us. Three small rudy ducks
swan within range but we
were out for canvasbacks and
didn't shoot.
Blizzard Arrives
BY this time, the rain was
falling harder. mixed with
snow. and a brisk wind began
to churn up the little cove. A
short time later and the rain
changed to snow - a singing
blizzard swept along by near
hurricane gusts. Our blind
dragged one anchor and it be
came impossible TO see even
the shoreline OF the cove.
An hour or so and We had
had enough. The visibility was
so poor that shooting was i'm
possible. Mitkowski. who had
returned up river after setting
out the decoys. came back
through the heavy seas and we
hauled anchor and headed
home.
II was ticklish work. Luns-
ford Rugged the shore line.
barely visible TO port. for fear
a false turn would lose us in
the storm. But though the blind
draws only 2i2 feet. sand bars
and other shoals near shore
made the task hazardous.
The cupboard motor buckled
down 10 its heavy task and at
fun throttle we made good
Roadway against the wind and
high seas. In due course We
were back at the yacht club.
unsuccessful duck hunters but
able TO report there are plenty
OF canvasback in that area. as
well as smaller species OF div
ing ducks.
Stan Sergeant During War
Lmsford. a staff sergeant
with the 8lst Division in the
Pacific during the war. came
TO Colonial Beach in l947. He
had been working for the Fed
eral Housing Administration in
Washington and owned a home
IN Arlington.
A landing Graf; he bought
had been turned into a pleas
ure cruiser for trips with his
wife. Scotty. and daughter.
Nancy. Lunsford sold the Ar
lington home that fall and
bought an abandoned oyster
shucking house which he used
as the shell of his present
yacht club.
The landing craft was re-
converted into a work boat and
Lunsford began working in the
pilings for the first OF his piers
by hand. BY late fall 300 feet
OF dock had been completed
and the oyster house renovated
Later he built his own pile
driver and formed Martins
Construction Co. which has
helped TO establish other ma
rinaS in the area. LunSford now
has a comfortable restaurant
and clubhouse. boat repair ia
cilities and marine supply house
and 1000 feet o. dock space
with aluminium covered boat
house that can accommodate
ITS boats up to SIS feet long.
Lunsford also helped to es-
tablish a unit OF the Coast
Guard Auxiliary at Colopial
Beach and is something Of a
hero as well. He was the third
recipient Of the Coast Guards
bronze plaque for auxiliary
members for rescuinR man
adrift in the Potomac in a
snowstorm.