07/17/2025
Dinner with FDM Strachan, August 1920
Rudder Magazine was the most important yachting and boating magazine available from 1891-1950. The races of the New York Yacht Club with other northeastern clubs and yachtsmen such as FDM Strachan were regularly featured in the 1920s. Below is an article from August 1920 describing a dinner aboard Strachan’s Lady Mary. Welcome aboard!
“Eastern Yacht Club Cruise “ by W. U. Swan (Rudder, August 1920, p. 41)
“By the time that the fleet had reached New Haven the joint debate on the after deck of Pampero between Owner Raymond and First Mate Strachan had reached such a stage that the latter demanded a chance to sail a race from start to finish, rather than at odd times, so the Scotian was ordered back to Bristol to bring up the Strachan forty in time for the race the next day to Smithtown….The three-masted ketch Lady Mary, owned by First Mate Strachan, had joined the fleet at New London and in the absence of Scotian at Bristol, Commodore Raymond transferred his white pennant to that yacht. He also took along three guests whom he had invited the night before to dine on Scotian that night. Captain Strachan said he would find enough salt horse and hard tack to supply the Scotian owner and his guests. The preliminaries were about to be concluded when Captain Mallory and his afterdeck guard of four Princeton men came up the gangway and claimed to be in a famished condition, besides being extremely thirsty. Additional mess kits were hauled out of the Lady Mary’s dainty lockers and all hands were being piped to Chow, when Captain Duell and four amateur but very hungry tars came over the side from Rowdy. Captain Strachan made a formal announcement that stores had been provided only for a specific period, and that the Lady Mary was not a free lunch or free dinner resort especially in view of the 18th amendment. After several sunset observations had been taken by all hands and worked out according to Bowditch, or Dewar, or Haig, Captain Strachan issued a second ukase to the effect that if those who had reached the rescue ship would accept what was on board they might remain. The result was that although four had been expected and fourteen sat down to the following dinner was served at 8 bells on the dog watch: Pea soup with croutons, sirloin of beef, roast potatoes, butter beans, macaroni, tomato salad with cream cheese, Strachan pudding, the receipt for which is locked up in Lady Mary’s port locker, coffee, etc., etc., etc. The etc.’s were wholly of medicinal nature and taken upon advice of the physician whose services had been enlisted for the season by the Association of the New York Yacht Club Forty-Footers, H.S. Duell President. Only members of the Association are permitted to obtain medical advice and resultant prescriptions. It is understood that the Association has large waiting list. “
