Evening star., 1959-11-27
FORE AND AFT
Three Ride
To Florida
In Outbourd

IHOuCDOOTO
Three Washington area men
have just completed a 1891
mile cruise to Florida in a 20
foot outboard.
The three are Francis E.
Burgess. an electric supply and
boat dealer of 6966 Allentown
road Sc, John B. West, jr.. a
private in the Metropolitan Po-
lice, and Samuel c. Linton, jr.,
of Grayton, Md, a Charles
County delegate to the General
Assembly.
The boat was a 20-foot Swift
with plywood hull and fiberglas
bottom powered by two 1860
B0-horSepower SCOTS. Although
designed as a convertible and
not cruiser. the little boat has
three hunks and a head. Shelter
was provided by a canvas top.
side curtains and canvas door.
The three left Riverside, Md,
at Z am, Sunday. November 8,
and headed for the bay. The
first night was spent at Mat
thew'S. Va, halfway between
Point Lookout and Norfolk, and
from there they went to Bel
haven, N. c., and Morehead
City.
At Morehead City they had
their only real misadventure.
Not realizing that there was a
,6l2-foot tide, they tied up
rather carelessly to a dock to
spend the night.
While they were asleep the
tide rose and a gunwale be-
came wedged under a board
fastened part way up a piling.
Luckily. they awoke Just as
water began to pour over the
transom.
- The next day they ran 288
miles to Beaufort, S. c., and
the following day some 290
miles to st. Augustine, Fla.
From st. Augustine they went
to Stuart, Fla, where they
turned up the st. Lucie River
To- the st. Lucie Canal that
leads into Lake Okeechobee.
y Reaching the lake, they
crossed to Clewiston, then
cruised through the Everglades
to Fort Myer on the Gulf Coast.
From Fort Myer they visited
Captiva Island, then Venice,
Sarasota and Tampa, finally
reaching Bradenton, where the
boat was left. Burgess owns
property at Bradenton and
plans to return this winter.
y
The entire trip took only
seven days and the running
time was 81 hours for an aver
age of % miles per hour. With
his two 60-horse motors, Bur-
CESS said he could do 40 but
often had to throttle down for
high seas and in narrow pas
sageS.
The 20-foot boat carried four
gasoline tanks that held SIS GAL
Ions. enough for five hours run
ming time. Total gas consump-
ton was 487 gallons.
For those planning such a
trip, Burgess has two recon-
sil1endations. First, carry every
chart that covers the route.
There are many shoals and diff
fcult areas. Secondly, have
enough fuel capacity to cruise
100 miles. Gasoline stations
sometimes are few and far be-
tween, although along inland
waterway they are no more
than so miles apart.
&g
Boating continues to grow.
Guy w. Hughes, executive di-
reetor of the Outboard Boating
Club of America, says retail
sales of new outboard motors,
boats and trailers will hit an
aA-time high of $465 million
this year. Last year the total
was $419.8 million.
The total sales of motors are
expected to reach $4,000 as
against 900 in 1858. Dollar
volume of these motors should
sbe about $225 million against
$234 million last year. he said.
Boat sales are estimated at
$4,000 as against 1885 316,-
600. Their value is $172 million,
compared to $153 million for
last year.
r \ =
The 10th annual meeting of
the American Canoe Associa-
ton will take place here to-
morrow. The Hamilton Hotel is
headquarters and meetings will
be followed by the annual din
ner-dance at 7::30 pm. National
championship awards will be
presented in canoe sailing,
Canadian canoe and kayak rae
ing and canoe cruising. The
commodore, Mally Madison OF
Seminole Canoe Club, Jackson
Vile, Fla, viii lead the first
dance at 9 pm. COVELL.