The Boy, Me and the Cat
The Cruise of the Mascot
October, 1912-June, 1913
All Hands and the Cook
Henry M. Plummer
Henry M. Plummer, Jr.
and
Scotty
New Bedford, Massachusetts, September 15, 1912.
The Mascot is an old-fashioned Cape Cod catboat 30 years old. Her dimensions are, length overall 24 ft. 6 in., waterline 23 ft., beam 10 ft., draught 3 ft. 6 in. With self-bailing cockpit she is as safe and able a little ship as a man could want to go to sea in. Cabin accommodations are comfortably ample for two men and include a small shipmate stove near gangway on port side, a well-filled bookcase forward on starboard side, two roomy transoms and plenty of storage room.
Today we hauled out on marine railway to paint and also had a 3-horsepower engine installed in our 15 ft. dory skiff. Mighty busy days settling up business matters and attending personally to every detail of outfitting for Henry is new to the game and can be of very little help at this time.
Was giving a man some help on a capstan when a post pulled out of the ground and a big block and chain snapped in, catching me on the leg and putting me out of commission and into bed for four, pretty uncomfortable days. Visions of weeks on my back with splintered leg bone were finally ended when, with a little sharp click, a misplaced tendon snapped back and I was soon hobbling about. Made a mental note never to try and help anyone again.
October 10th-11th. Made sail in afternoon and worked round to Padanaram where the next day we received visitors, drank luck and happy days to the boat, said good-bye, hoisted pennant of New Bedford Yacht Club, and in late afternoon slipped down river in very light airs.
October 12th. At 3 o’clock this morning with aid of little launch we towed across the bar and dropped anchor off my Potomska farm in the Pascamanset River which flows into Buzzards Bay between Meshaum Pt. and Barneys Joy just northerly from Cuttyhunk, the most westerly of the Elizabeth Islands.
October 14th. Mighty busy cup o’ tea this morning. Tumbled all the “last things” on board. Crawled under the shed, caught the cat, rubbed her full of flea powder, and dropped her into a gunny sack to moult. Will have troubles enough without fleas.