Page 58: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2005)

26-foot square- rigged "Ingersoll's

Improved

Metallic

Lifeboat," named the Red, White &

Blue, from New Jersey to England in 35 days. In 1874, another American, Paul

Boyton set out to demonstrate the effec- tiveness of a novel lifesaving outfit called the Merriman Inflatable

Immersion Suit, by jumping over the side of a steamship Queen 30 miles off the Irish coast in a fierce storm. During the night, 56 ships were lost around the

British Isles. Not, however, Boyton, who remained safe and sound inside his buoyant suit. He paddled ashore, then continued paddling another ten miles to

Cork, where the Irish-born Boyton was hailed as a hero. He liked the role of hero, because he later paddled in his

Merriman suit across the English

Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar and

Messina, down the Hudson, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. John MacGregor is said to have practically invented the sport of canoeing or kayaking (two very different sports). He conducted some epic voyages in his small craft for a greater purpose: that of saving souls by handing out religious tracts from his canoe. He called it "Muscular

Christianity," and he wrote about it in his 1866 book, "A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe." He built 21-foot yawl-rigged catboat and sailed it alone across the English Channel and up the

Seine to Paris, and later kayaked around the Holy Land and conducted other such voyages for the acclaim and adventure, and the chance to convert non-believers.

Few commercial fishing boats are smaller than a dory. For Danish-born

Alfred Johnson, a Grand banks dory man out of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, his small flat-bottomed dory was a per- fectly good boat to sail across the

Atlantic. Doing so, he thought, would bring his some favorable attention at the upcoming 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. He decked over a dory, built a small hatch to sit in, fitted the boat with a tiller, modified it to carry stores, and named his craft the

Centennial. He took a compass, some charts and supplies for the trip. Despite being battered by a gale, losing part of the hatch combing, taking on a great deal of water, actually rolling over at one point, and losing his stove and spoil- ing much of his stores, he still made it.

He had one sail left, and dead-reckoned himself toward the Irish coast. Several ships came along side, offering him some food and water, and gave him his bearings. On Aug. 12, he arrived at

Abercastle in Wales, and then continued on to Liverpool. If he was seeking fame, he had missed out on the Centennial

Exposition. But he had earned fame as being the first solo Atlantic crossing in a small boat. Thomas Crapo would find fame. But to achieve it, he would need to sail the Atlantic in a smaller boat (establishing a pattern that continues to this day). For Crapo that meant doing what Johnson did, but with a boat half the size. His motivation was money.

His dory, New Bedford, was just 19- feet, seven inches long. Crapo's wife,

Joanna, insisted on going along, but to make his feat meaningful he forbade his wife from helping in any way. If he thought her presence might diminish his own accomplishment, having his young bride on the voyage contributed to the publicity value. The couple sailed on

May 28, 1877. The 1,100 mile voyage was difficult. It took a toll on both of them, particularly Joanna. Although not 58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News "ONNIE,ANE %LK'ROVE6ILLAGE), &ORMOREINFORMATIONCALL   OR&AX   WWWAMERICCOM

WACO Products, Inc.

WACO Products, Inc.

G31G33G33G30G20G4BG6EG65G63G68G74G20G41G76G65G6EG75G65G20G2DG20G42G61G6CG74G69G6DG6FG72G65G2C G4DG44 G32G31G32G32G39

Phone: 410-242-1000 - Fax: 410-247-4890

G45G6DG61G69G6CG3AG20G73G61G6CG65G73G40G77G61G63G6FG70G72G6FG64G75G63G74G73G2EG63G6FG6DG20G2DG20G77G77G77G2EG77G61G63G6FG70G72G6FG64G75G63G74G73G2EG63G6FG6DG20

Your Complete Marine Product Supplier For:

Gangways, Accommodation Ladders, Inclined,

Vertical and Side Ladders, Treads, Grating,

Battens, Replacement Parts and More.

When so much relies on your steering, don’t compromise.

Choose Jastram!

ENGINEERING LTD.

Setting the standard in marine steering excellence

Complete marine steering systems for all types of boats and ships 467 Mountain Highway

North Vancouver, B.C.

Canada V7J 2L3

Tel: (604) 986-0714

Fax: (604) 986-0334 e-mail: [email protected] www.jastram.com • Eliminates the need for Mirror

Surface Grinding • Reduces Chock installation time by more than 50% • Close tolerance EXACT FIT • Proven Track Record of over 20 years on US Navy

LCAC, MHC-51 Mine Hunter and other Naval

Shipping www.dynamold.com • Fax 817-877-5203

Contact Michael Peck at 817-335-0862 or email at [email protected]

Moldable Epoxy

Chocking Material

For Engine and

Component Installation

From Freezer To

Finish In Minutes

Available in two-part system or pre-catalyzed frozen sheets or cut shapes

Circle 207 on Reader Service Card

Circle 257 on Reader Service Card

Circle 240 on Reader Service Card

Circle 326 on Reader Service Card 2005

YEARBOOK

MR JUNE 2005 #8 (57-64).qxd 6/2/2005 4:07 PM Page 58