Category: Beaton’s

Mr. Lincoln’s dreamboat

soaking in the straps at Beaton’s today. She’s an old tabloid cruising boat designed by William Crosby back in the forties. She was built by Mr. Lincoln and his son years ago. They also have a Rozinante to their credit. I spoke with Tom Beaton today who said Mr. Lincoln is 92 now and wants to go for one more sail in this boat that means so much to him. I’ll follow the progress of this last sail and advise further.

His boat is similar to Caprice, the 24’ sloop that was my first cruising boat. She also was designed by Crosby with a v-bottom, chines and a fractional rig. When I get around to scanning some of our old photos I’ll post some pics.

Mr. Lincoln’s boat and a couple of other pics follow:

Lincoln
Mr. Lincoln’s dreamboat.

Garvey
The Beaton’s garvey. A damp day, wind out of the South at 15kts and spitting rain.

Oktusk
Another one of the gems at Beaton’s. She’s an Oktusk design by Al Mason.

Went for a sail with Phil Heffernan

this morning. It was his first time on Sjogin and I introduced him to the joys of heaving too. We got out before the heat built up, underway by 9:00. Even though the 5 to 8kt breeze was out of the west it was relatively cool (as long you were in the shade provided by the main).

Also went out yesterday morning. It started out promising with a SE breeze accompanied by a light fog. I thought it would hold, keeping the traffic down but it cleared soon after I got underway. Nice breeze nonetheless.

Pics follow:

Phil
Phil driving.

Fog
Promising start to the morning. It didn’t last.

Vim
The 106 year old Vim yesterday.

Bill
Bill, one of the Beaton regulars, and his Sea Sprite.

Practice Nest
Although it’s hard to see, the young Osprey are practicing nest building on the end of the crane boom. There are enough around now there’s competition for good nesting sites.

Another visit

from a WBF friend. Here are of couple of pics of Phil Heffernan’s visit this morning. As it turns out his Mother-in-Law’s home is just three blocks from mine. Very small (and flat) world. Gave him a garden tour and of course a visit to Sjogin and Beaton’s. Phil enjoyed seeing the Flatfish construction and seeing a boat halfway between plan and perfection.

No sail today as we’re having a hot, gusty southwester.

Phil
Phil and the new Flatfish

Atkin
Phil down below on Sjogin reading from Atkin’s The Book of Boats. I thought there was an article about or drawing of Dove, one of Phil and Joe’s wonderful boats, but I couldn’t find it. She’s a 17′ Atkin Cat Ketch based on a dory type hull but with a long shallow keel. It will be interesting to see how she sails.

Dory
This is the sail plan of Dove from the Atkin site.

Dove
Here’s a pic of Dove along with the Bauer and Foster families.

Russ

Busman’s holiday

is what my truck driver father used to say when he was driving the family around on weekend outings. I thought of that seeing Brian painting the bottom of his boat just before launching. Brian works at Beaton’s and works on customers boats all spring and is only now getting his in.

Went out early again this morning before the crazies took over the bay. Nice little southerly that shifted to the southeast without the usual calm intermission.

Pics follow:

Brian
Busman’s holiday

Reading room
Set up the folding chair on the foredeck, reading and watching the marsh drift by. Reading a book by the Captain of Brilliant, the famous 1932 Olin Stephens schooner, about her Atlantic crossings in the late 90’s.

Claire
My son David was out in his C&C24 Claire. He came in Third in the Spinnaker Class in the Metedeconk Spring Series

tarred marline
Renewing the seizing on the tiller line.

Ingrid Ann
Ingrid Ann, a local shallow draft tug used in dock building.

Went sailing in the fog

today with Steven Bauer and his cousin Chris. They drove up from their family reunion in Ocean City. Very unusual weather. Just as we were getting ready to make sail a thunderhead moved in and it started to look threatening. Normal enough but the rising sea breeze brought fog. It stared to come in with low wisps, just a few feet off the water. As the rain showers started the fog grew thicker with the wind backing into the east. When the rain stopped the fog remained and the wind went calm.

After a while the breeze came back and we set off into the fog with visibility about 50 yards. Sailed around for an hour or so, finding the Mantoloking Bridge and the yacht club eventually. Headed back to Beaton’s, pausing to hove to off Swan Point for a while. Ran back into the basin briskly and headed up to reach Sjogin’s slip. The wind had a little more East in it than usual so I couldn’t luff for as long as I normally do. As a result I missed the piling I always tie up to and drifted into the dock a few boats to leeward. Managed to get the sails down and then warp her into her slip. A little excitement, no harm done and of course there was an audience on the dock. Pics follow.

Steven driving
Steven driving in the fog

Chris
Cousin Chris

Steven and Raven
Steven with Raven

Mary Ann
Mary Ann being towed out to her mooring by the yard garvey.

Surprise visit

last weekend from Steven Bauer and Family. He’s a fellow participant in the WoodenBoat Forum from Portland, Maine. They were on their way to Ocean City, NJ for a family reunion and stopped overnight at a friends house near by. Steven was able to find Beaton’s and showed up just as I was ready to make sail. Went for a quick sail and then had a tour of Beaton’s. We’re going to try to go sailing together later this week if the weather gods allow.

Here are some pics including one from our garden:


Steven and Mary Bauer


Gavin and the girls.


Wet sanding Ghost’s bottom in preparation for the first race of the season. The Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association (BBYRA) represents the 10 yacht clubs on the bay and organizes the weekly regattas. The first race was held last Saturday but abandoned due to severe weather. The A Cats don’t race if the winds are over 18kts. Check the Link on the right under “Boats” for race results.


Our shade garden and porch. The damn ferns are starting to flop.

Russ

Two sails this weekend

along with some hedge trimming. Took off Friday and got underway before 8:00am. Light and variable Westerly but enough for a pleasant four hour sail. Went down to Hankin’s Island Friday and hove to for a bit. Nice to have plenty of room to relax and let Sjogin take care of herself. Long beat back in a rising Northwest wind. Gusty and shifting but not too much velocity. Short sail today in light Southerlies. Managed to cause two speedboats to wait for me to sail across the channel up by the club.

Pics follow:

Hankins
Hankin’s Island, about 2 miles or so south of Beaton’s. Named for the surf boat building family of Lavallette.

Red Sails
Red sails in the sunrise. Just after starting out Friday morning.

Marsh edge
Tacking along the marsh edge. The bottoms just a foot or so under Sjogin’s keel

Mary Ann
One of the original A Cats, Mary Ann. She was completely rebuilt in the late 80’s by Benjamin River Marine in Brooklin, Maine

Ed Lowe
The figure you can just make out on the Sea Sprite is Ed Lowe. He just turned 89 and sails stretched out on the leeward cockpit seat, propped up with cushions.

Osprey
Osprey and young; Great White Egret working the shoreline

”Garden"
The yellow flowers are a plant we thought was Evening Primrose but is probably just an attractive weed.

Julia
Julia, roses, clematis and a glass of Sancerre. A perfect early Summer combination.

A Cat bottoms

Being faired for the coming season. The fleet weigh-in was this past Friday afternoon. All of the boats must meet a minimum weight. The boats that are lighter than the minimum must add lead blocks at designated spots.

A Cat and other pics follow:

Raven aft
Raven, one of the Beaton A Cats. Final fairing is taking place here. The fleet has restrictions on how often the boat can be hauled and scrubbed.

NAME
From the stern. Both the rudder blade and centerboard are ply and carbon fiber. No oak slabs drifted together here.

Ghost
Ghost, waiting for her 605 square foot mainsail.

Raven sailing
Raven leaving on her shake down sail. Son David aboard.

Windago
Windago as seen through the side door of Beaton’s wood shop.

Herb Beds
Here are our herb, salad and tomato beds. The grey plants are lamb’s ears; very happy to self sow to the point of nuisance.

Muriel
Our literally fat cat Muriel finding my fleece vest a comfortable spot for a nap.

The Bay was empty this morning,

absent a few fishermen. Threat of rain and fog kept most sensibly at the dock. I went out anyway, going no further than the yacht club, but mostly to leeward of Swan Point. The northerly current and a S to SSW breeze of 6 to 10 kept Sjogin comfortably hove to on either tack.

Cool and damp enough for a brew up. Had a fire and tea late this past Wednesday afternoon as well. Went out in the fog and sailed the same course, same tacks. It’s like going for a stroll around your block.

Pics, garden and such as well, follow:

Brew up
Cool and damp enough for tea.

Hove to
Beaton’s Osprey Platform out of focus but with apparently with child! Much fussing with the nest today.

tiller line
New tiller lines and blocks. Easier to hold and the blocks help as well. The tiller responds more quickly now when the line’s eased. I’ll add a pad eye inside the toe rail and lash the blocks to them.

Iron Line
Sjogin’s lead (iron actually) line. It’s only 9 feet long; a knot at three and six feet. Sjogin draws three feet or so; if it’s more that that, it’s all I need to know.

Most of my end of Barnegat Bay is about 5′ to 8′ deep, favoring the western shore. Where there are salt marshes you ususally have 4′ of so right up to most of the marsh. When the wind’s out of the SW or W you can sail up to it, jump off and anchor.

Fog
Hove to in the fog this past Wednesday.

Raven and Lightning
Raven and Lightning rigged and ready to go. If there are any tune up races next week, I’ll try to get some pics.

Ghost
Ghost, the Beaton A-Cat I had the privilege to work on in the early 90’s. The Ogee at the end of the coaming, tiller and seats are my work.

Poppy
Stranger Poppy. Six spots instead of the usual four. Hmmmmn, an omen?