Title: From Beaton’s to Beach Haven: A Cat Ghost, BH G
Author: William Fortenbaugh
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 978-1-948346-26-9
Pages: 139
Genre: Sailing, Historical
Reviewed by: Jason Lulos

Read Book Review

One might say that a book on the history of a boat is aptly defined as a documentary or historical text, and these are logical descriptions. From Beaton’s to Beach Haven: A Cat Ghost, BH G, is presented more like a biography, because it is a story of the life of the boat and all people involved in her building, sailing, and eventual semi-retirement. With a detailed technical history of Ghost and similar sailing vessels, the reader also gets a more intimate story of the endearing, niche sailing community in which Ghost spends her life.

Ghost is a 28-foot catboat single sail of the A Cat class, a vessel particular to the Barnegat Bay area of New Jersey. She was built for Bill Fortenbaugh noted as this book’s author. However, the preface states that credit for authorship should rightly be shared by others involved: photographers, builders The “Beaton’s” and a rotating team of crew members. Thus, the preface already sets the tone that this is as much about a sailing community as it is about the specs and stellar racing history of a boat. Ghost was built as part of a catboat renaissance in the 1980s. The book is dedicated to David Beaton and Sons for their role in building Ghost but also for their role in saving the A Cat class from extinction.

This book details the history of the A Cat, dating back to 1922 with the Mary Ann as prototype. Following this brief prehistory, we come to the story of the A Cat Ghost. Readers are provided with design sketches and great photography of the boat’s construction and eventual christening and first launch in 1994. An unfortunate tip-over and tow immediately followed Ghost’s birth but she, the builders, and crew were not deterred. They went on to win their first as well as countless subsequent races over two decades, including seven bay championships.

Readers interested in boating will certainly love this book. However, for someone who knows nearly nothing about sailing, I still found this book extremely readable. The photography is picturesque. The writing is superb. It is no surprise that Fortenbaugh is an academic – given his attention to technical detail and concise prose. The style is conversational and often humorous. At a glance this is a history book about a highly successful racing boat – interesting in and of itself. But it was this intimate look at the subculture of a sailing community that really drew me in: the friendships, the friendly yet competitive nature of the racers, the passion and artistry of the builders, and most notably the songs, traditions, and rituals involved in the races themselves.

I highly recommend this bio/history for readers who love all things sailing. For sailing novices, it’s a really interesting look at the communal aspect of this particular hobby – a hobby which seems to me to be both an art and a sport.