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The Cruise of the Widgeon; 700 Miles in a Ten-Ton Yawl, From Swanage to Hamburg
The Cruise of the Widgeon 700 Miles in a TenTon Yawl From Swanage to Hamburg Author:Charles E. Robinson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1876 Original Publisher: Hunt Subjects: Europe History / Europe / General History / World Travel / Europe / General Travel / Europe / Western Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text.... more » When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. SWANAGE TO COWES AND ST. HELEN'S. The cruise begun -- An old curiosity -- Yachts in the Medina -- Chasse- inaree ashore -- Bembridge and Sea View -- Trials of the Water- baby -- Pleasures of a " quiet" anchorage. -- Yachting. THE morning of Monday, the 22nd of June, with a clear sky and light south-westerly wind, broke most auspiciously for the intended cruise. Warm sunshine gleamed on the rugged grey stone houses of Swanage, the tops of the tall elms that grow close to the waterside, and the broad expanse of the semicircular bay, hedged round with huge cliffs. From an early hour the mainsail of the Dora had been quivering aloft, and shortly after ten o'clock, while we were yet unready to start, she swung round on her heel, and laid her course by compass for the Isle of Wight, still entirely hidden in the morning haze. Presently the Widgeon's mainsail and gaff-topsail too, rose by her crew's united efforts, and the large jib, deftly stopped along itself with half-cut yarns, was hoisted ready to burst into flowing folds at a moment's notice- ATHE START. 21 little crowd was collected at the pier head to bid us good speed, and they had a hearty laugh at the expense of our seamanship, when the Waterbaby by some misadventure went silently adrift, and had to be ignominiously towed back by a fisherman, who paddled after her in his dinghy. At last about eleven o'clock I went to the helm, and, slipping from her moorings, the Widgeon flew off in pursuit of ...« less