1890's Classic: Sail versus Steam
Chautauqua Lake
Private Race
7/29/2017
2 leg race - Point Chautauqua, NY to Mayville, NY & Back - First leg you must make hot tea to stop your time
S.L. Nyitra - Team Steam - 6HP 1902 Toledo Steam Engine
Circe - Team Sail - 22ft Catalina Main&Jib Sail, only using main sail.
Point Chautauqua to Mayville -
Technicality with volume of tea brewed, team sail via gentleman's agreement - conceeded to team Steam
Nyitra was flying the US Yacht Ensign & the Steam Boating Association of Great Britian(Largest steamboating association in the world accepting international members).
Nyitra is powered by a steam plant consisting of a 1902 Toledo Steam Carriage(115 years old at this time) 6HP Steam Engine and a 2016 LundMachineWorks ASME Code and Stamped wood/coal fired boiler.
Had another successful second Trip to Wingfoot with Nyitra.
My nephew was our third crew member and passenger, which was very welcome!
We
had the Wingfoot Lake Ohio DNR Watercraft Officer come and pay us a
visit. He was very reasonable, "I've been working here for 20 years and
this is a new one to me! "
I just explained that we had all the safety equipment and that it was a steamboat with an old engine and a new boiler.
Wingfoot
lake is in Summit County, which is adjacent to Medina County. So we
heard the story of the Medina explosion several times today from
spectators. Basically when I just explained a few of the many things
that went wrong on the day of the Case traction engine explosion and the
differences with Nyitra's rig they seemed fine - got smiles and lots of
sort of blank stares and several "What is that?".
One man asked me if I was a boilermaker because he was of the understanding that you need to be a boilermaker to run a boiler.
Very positive crowd from our perspective - and we had people bring out lawn chairs around the lake and watch us.
I think mainly most of the public has no clue, and it helps to be able to (hopefully) give them a more positive view of steam.
