SUMMER MOTORBOATING IN WINTER

Some of the Lucky Ones Who Cruise in Southern Waters

GEORGE W. SUTTON, JR.

A COUPLE of months ago, with Winter coming on to close our Northern waters to everything but ice cakes and tug boats, a weighty problem began to bother those of our citizens to whom the eight hour basic working day is a vague, nebulous thing. The problem was this: "Where shall we spend the Winter?" They answered it in two ways, and in two directions—California and Florida. Hence, for many, many days a huge migration has been under way. Of those who sought the kindlier spots of our many-climated country, the luckiest and the ones who have obtained the rarest pleasures, are those who went to Florida by motorboat.

It has been a great season for the Florida motorboat enthusiast. Never before, in languid Florida history, or in the past days of gasoline-propelled craft, have the rivers, bayous and harbors of the Seminole's land seen so many boats from Northern cities. Never before were the boats so varied in type, from the tiny family cruiser to the sumptuous houseboat with fifteen motors. The Miami midWinter regatta, just ended, brought together more fast express cruisers than the South ever expected to see, proving again the growing popularity of this common-sense type of boat.

AMONG the yachts which have sought the Florida waters is Sabalo, the newest and probably the most glorious of all motor yachts, designed for William Earle Dodge, of New York, by Tams, Lemoine and Crane. Specifications make dull reading sometimes, but it is difficult to resist giving some of the details of this wonderful craft.

She was built by Lawley. She is 140 feet overall with 6 feet 6 inches draft, and has a cruising radius of 2,500 miles. She is built of galvanized steel with seven watertight bulk-heads; carries three power tenders; has fifteen motors in the engine room for propelling the ship, hoisting launches, hoisting anchors, running the plumbing, heating, lighting, icemachine, cold storage plants, refrigerators, etc. There are three main engines, six cylinder Speedways developing 300 horsepower each making her the most heavily powered yacht of her type yet built. She has a speed of about 17 miles; carries 9,000 gallons of gasoline, which gives her a larger cruising radius than any other motorboat afloat. Every room in the owner's quarters connects with a bath, and they are all double rooms. She has indirect lighting, has sufficiently large cold storage and refrigerating space to be self-supporting for about three months, which means, practically, that she could sail around the world without stopping.

She went down to Miami early in December and made the trip from New York in 70 hours. Some of the famous express cruisers which attracted attention in the Miami races were the new Betty M II, owned by Commodore Charles W. Kotcher, of Detroit; Boomerang, the property of Huston Wyeth, of Philadelphia, winner of last year's Miami-Key West race; Tamarit, a new and fast express, belonging to James Deering, of Chicago; and the new mystery cruiser, built for Carl G. Fisher, of Indianapolis. Other Northern boats now in Southern waters are Nirohda, the houseboat of John H. Hanan; Natoma, owned by Richard Howe; Frederick Walther's Selma, Charles Armstrong's Sonsey, H. Gustaven's Osceola II, all of New York, and Reola, owned by Clarence Stem, of Atlantic City. The total number is way up in the hundreds. One of the most interesting of the lot is Henry Ringling's new shallow draft express cruiser Salome. The enthusiasm of Mr. Ringling (one of the original seven Ringling Brothers of circus fame) for fishing in Florida waters, is responsible for the construction of this semi-tunnel express cruiser which has just been delivered to him by the Great Lakes Boat Building Corporation. While the appearance of the boat is along the lines of the military type express cruisers developed by the builders, the draft has been reduced to twenty-three inches by semi-tunnel construction, which is most remarkable, considering that the boat has sleeping accommodations for a party of six and a turn of speed of twentytwo miles per hour with an eight-cylinder Van Blerck motor.

CARL G. FISHER, of Indianapolis, is the god-father of Florida motorboat racing, and it is due to him that a remarkable change has taken place in this year's racing programme. Ocean cruiser racing off the Florida coast has been one of Mr. Fisher's dreams, and this year it is coming true in abounding measure. While the three-day regatta, started January 18 on Biscayne Bay, consisted of short cruiser and open boat races for the benefit of the crowds, the events still to come are by far the most interesting from the standpoint of sportsmanship and motorboat progress. They are all long distance races in the open sea for the sturdy express cruisers. The first of these takes place on January 27 and will be held over a course of 161 miles, from Miami to Key West. The other long distance races are as follows: February 3, Miami to Palm Beach pier head, 65 miles; February 10, Palm Beach pier head to Bay Biscayne Yacht Club, Miami, distance of 65 miles; February 17, Miami to Gun Key Light and return, 110 miles; February 24, Key West to Miami, 161 miles. In addition there will be a race from Miami to Nassau, the date of which has not been announced at this writing.

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THESE Miami races have started the motorboat followers in their annual search for speed records. In regard to ocean racing, Mr. Fisher has some new and progressive ideas. Just before he went South he expressed his dissatisfaction with the present situation in these words which must carry weight with those who have followed the motorboat game at all.

"We are trying hard at Miami to promote the sport which we consider one of the greatest sports in the world—and that is ocean racing for fast cruisers. There isn't a great deal of danger in this sport and in twentyfive and thirty-mile boats, under most conditions, there is a thrill every minute. There are thousands of people in this country who can afford this sport and who would enjoy it if they knew more about it. We get very little support, however, from the manufacturers themselves. If the automobile manufacturers were as careless and slipshod in promoting shows and automobile sport as the boat manufacturers, there would really be no more automobile than there is boat business. Every boat manufacturer in the country who can afford to do so should have an express cruiser for express cruiser racing, even if he has to race in the professional class until enough amateurs become interested in the sport themselves. The average brat manufacturer hasn't even a decent rowboat to take you riding in; and the only way the average prospective purchaser can understand anything about a cruiser and the enjoyment of the sport is to place an order for one. and then wait about six months, and possibly a good deal longer, for delivery, which is usually in the winter time, after all, when he can't use it."

INTERESTING developments in motorboat building have been taking place also in the North. Harold C. Vanderbilt's comparatively new No. 8, a flagship of the Patrol Squadron, is probably the ablest and most complete of this sturdy military fleet designed by A. Loring Swasey, of Boston, and powered with two six-cylinder Sterling motors. The Government, after conducting a series of maneuvers for this and other fleets for possible war purposes, has just had built two patrol boats which are to act as ideais for future builders of motorboats with the country's protection in mind. One of these, a 65footer. was built by the Luders Marine Construction Company with two twelve-cylinder Van Blerck motors, while the other, of 45 feet, came from the boards of-Swasey, Raymond and Page and is powered with two sixcylinder Van Biercks.

PROBABLY the most interesting boat of the year is Parakeet. She is of a hitherto unknown type—a "hydroplane houseboat." She is 50 feet long, but so shallow of draft that she could almost float on a heavy fog. Withal, she has 6 feet 3 inches headroom from slempost to stern and is equipped with all the luxuries of home.

Countess, pictured here and new last Spring, has ended the season as undisputed racing champion of the express cruiser class made famous by William H. Hand, designer of both. Countess and the old champion she vanquished, Flyaway III.

A SUMMING up of the winter activity in the motor boat world seems to indicate that hydroplane racing is a thing of the past, and that motor boat sportsmen arc bending all their energies toward the development of the express cruiser. Founded on common sense, the express cruiser can supply thrills, comfort and peaceful recreation.