SAILING ON LAKE MEAD

A GROUND on a cactus in Arizona! Sounds incredible but it is true. As a matter of fact, I had to pinch myself to make sure that the whole trip had been a real one.

Out of the blue only a few days before had come the invitation to attend the launching of the first sail boat on Lake Mead, the magnificent lake formed by Boulder Dam. I was aware that steady and powerful winds blew across this new lake's blue expanse, but I didn't know that Eastern sportsmen already had an eye on its sailing possibilities.

The first to decide to do his winter sailing on Lake Mead instead of Bermuda was James L. (Jim) Breese, who achieved fame in the early days of aviation when he was engineer and reserve pilot on the NC 4, the first of the NC's to make a successful full non-stop Atlantic flight. Mr. Breese shipped his racing sloop, a motor boat, and a hydroplane from Baltimore to Boulder City and invited us to join him in the fun of unloading and launching the big boat. With him were his wife, Sarah, and Jasper Morgan, one of the designers of the yacht.

On its arrival in Boulder City, the racing sloop, the Loki, vied with the dam in popularity. Most of the hundreds who viewed the ship as it rested in its cradle on the railroad gondola speculated whether or not it could be unloaded in desert country safely, for there were no facilities, such as may be had at a big harbor, available to handle the big sloop.

A great deal of advice, most of it bad, was freely given as to the best means of unloading the yacht, for the mere shifting of a 10-ton boat of this type required skillful handling. A flatbottomed boat, such as the motor launch, Fourteen thousand feet below is the mighty inland body of water known as Lake Mead, impounded by Boulder dam. In the center foreground is Virgin Canyon, and on the extreme left the entrance to Iceberg Canyon. Far in the background, under two small clouds is Pierce Ferry Yachting on Lake Mead is becoming increasingly popular, as more and more boat owners discover the advantage of cruising on the 110-mile inland sea. Pictured above is the "Loki," eight meter racing sloop that has covered many miles of the lake in the past year. Praising the attractions of the lake for sportsmen and yachting enthusiasts, its owner calls Lake Mead the most ideal body of water in existence for private sail and power boats.

could be moved easily, but the racingship, which had a great 4-ton lead keel plus rudder, was another matter.

Finally a huge crane was secured from the Six Companies, the contractors who built Boulder Dam, and with this electriccrane, the Loki was lifted from its cradle on the gondala and placed with absolute precision, as far as balance was concerned, on a trailer.

The sloop rested on its keel while a new cradle was built around it on the trailer for protection on the two mile journey to the shores of Lake Mead. A big truck carefully hauled the trailer over the paved road. At the water's edge, where the lake submerges the paved Broad, the truck was attached to the shore end of the trailer, and with the aid of a long cable, the trailer and its load was allowed to roll down the submarine highway into the lake. Very gradually the bronze-colored lead keel of the Loki began disappearing under the water. Finally, like a great, lazy swan, it floated off, leaving the cradle and the trailer invisible. Then, by means of a jib pole at the end of the deck, the hollow 65-foot spruce mast was "stepped". It was a fine term for slipping the spruce log neatly through the deck of the sloop and fitting it exactly in place in the hull. Mr. Breese secured the services of a chap in Boulder who had shipped on many a sailing vessel, among them Van-derbilt's Enterprise and some commercial ships, to help put up the rigging. This was a hazardous and tricky job but, aided by Jasper Morgan, Carpenter had the job done in a few hours. We were all so anxious to take a sail in the sleek yacht that it was decided to get some food at once and take a trip on the vast and uncharted lake.

The Loki sails to the Dam.

derbilt's Enterprise and some commercial ships, to help put up the rigging. This was a hazardous and tricky job but, aided by Jasper Morgan, Carpenter had the job done in a few hours. We were all so anxious to take a sail in the sleek yacht that it was decided to get some food at once and take a trip on the vast and uncharted lake.

Great quantities of groceries were stowed on board . . . almost a quarter of beef, (Turn to Page 29)