THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT — DECEMBER 06, 1899
HE HAS A MERMAID ♢ The Yacht Crescent and Her aptain.
The sloop yacht Crescent, Captain Hendrick, is in port for short time, and lovers of sea serpent yarns and those who have “never seen a mermaid” have now their chance, as Captain Hendrick, in addition to having the crack yacht of her class on the coast, is a charming narrator of the fabulous marine and has seen more and told more about it than any sailor on the coast. The Crescent bears the pennant of the Passale Yacht Cub, of which her captain is a member, and she lies in the Roanoke dock. She is little wonder, but 21 feet long, 9 feet beam and 2.5 feet draught.
She carries mainsail, jib and spinmaker. Her main boom is 26 feet long, gaff 15 feet and hoist 19 feet and her spinmaker is nearly as large as her mainsail. She also carries 2,000 pounds ballast which, considering her load of canvas. appears very necessary. The craft in of white cedar, copper rivited and sound as a trivet.
The captain humorously stated yesterday that he made the trip from Old Point to Norfolk in one hour, five minutes and fifteen seconds and could have beaten this considerably but he had to stop to light his pipe and anchored several times to throw the lead and see hew fast he was going.
The Mermaid which he is eager to show Norfolk land lubbers he claims he caught off Cobb’s Island during the big blizzard of last winter, when Rev. Thomas Dixon’s yacht was ice-bound. His imagination did not freeze. The Crescent will go to North Carolina soon on a gunning trip.
Virginian-Pilot. (Norfolk, Va.), 06 Dec. 1899. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
