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As the New England summer wanes, I don’t look forward to shorter days, cooler weather and less time on the water in Cappy, but I do like the prospect of what comes next: the chance to geek out on plans to travel the boat show circuit. At Soundings, we dig into the fun work of plotting a course through the major shows that take place along the East Coast. We’ll start in Newport this month, then work our way down to Annapolis and eventually Ft. Lauderdale in October. These exhibitions are big and busy, and they give us the opportunity to preview the newest, coolest boats and technology in the world. The experience is always exciting. And yet, those national events are just some of my favorite shows. There are…
DIVERSE CROWD Regarding the story “Setting a Course for Success” (August), here are some more facts about Detroit Yacht Club. In the 1970s, we had our first woman on our board of directors, as well as our first African-American member. In 2001, Dorothy O’Brien was elected as our first woman commodore. A year later, Lucius Tripp was elected our first African-American commodore. In 2015, Joe W. Brooks, an African-American, was elected commodore. In 2017, Patricia Thull O’Brien was elected our second woman commodore. In 2019, Allen Pugh, an African-American, was elected commodore. Our current rear commodore and former treasurer, Hope Shoven, will be commodore in 2025. Through the years, women and African-American members have served on our board, on our Preservation Committee and as flag officers. Our current commodore, Leonard…
In 1822, French scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel developed a new kind of lens. He made it with specially arranged glass pieces that could beam light miles farther than had ever been possible. Fresnel lenses were then mounted within tall lighthouses, revolutionizing maritime navigation all around the world. More recently, three of these lenses were housed for display inside Hooper Strait Lighthouse, which dates to 1879, and which has stood on the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Navy Point since being moved there in 1966. These three Fresnel lenses were all different sizes, and the museum wanted to move the largest one—essentially, the equivalent of moving a chandelier built of 300 or so glass pieces arranged in panels that weigh 75 to 100 pounds each. The goal was to take this Fresnel lens…
Last year, Nate Drouin visited a West Marine store in Daytona Beach, Florida. The owner of a marina and water-scooter rental company on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, and additional scooter-rental shops in both states, needed advice about the best material for repairing fiberglass damage on the scooters. “An older gentleman walked down the aisle and said, ‘Can I help you?’” Drouin recalls. “I said, ‘What do you know about polyester versus epoxy and different types of resins?’ The gentleman kind of lit up and said, ‘Well, I built 4,000 polyester boats in my life.’” After that chance encounter with Harry Farmer, founder of Seaway Boats, which made its name as a Down East builder in the 1970s, Drouin invited Farmer to visit his Daytona shop to give advice on the…
Few innovations have changed boating in recent years quite like IPS propulsion. The efficiency and maneuverability of pods, especially when paired with a joystick, have made docking feel like playing a video game. As a result, the technology ushered in a new, younger wave of boaters and allowed others to grow into larger vessels than their skills previously allowed. It’s important to remember that IPS was not universally accepted out of the gate. The Inboard Propulsion System was met with widespread skepticism. Consumers wondered if the pods would be hard to work on or service. Could forward-facing props even work? And, what kind of damage could occur if you ran aground and sheared one off? In short, the industry held its breath thinking that Volvo Penta was, well, crazy. The…
There are plenty of reasons to set a course for Cape May, New Jersey. This historic seaside town at the southernmost tip of the state has been famous as a summer resort destination for more than 200 years. Steeped in fishing lore, it’s home to numerous offshore tournaments and top-rated marinas, where transient slips lure boaters from around the world. It’s a great place to visit in the summer high season, and there’s more than enough to see and do after Labor Day, as the crowds depart and the destination becomes easier to explore. COLONIAL ROOTS Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system. Sir Henry Hudson was the first to chart the coast in 1609, although he never set foot on land here. That honor was claimed…
