The voyage of Detroit

In 1912 Thomas Fleming Day, editor of The Rudder, decided to demonstrate the reliability of the internal combustion engine by taking a 35-foot double-ended powerboat from New York to St. Petersburg, Russia. The trip was an adventure: the vessel's freeboard was only 21/2 feet so she was usually awash and always rolling; the engine noise was deafening; and the boat caught fire and nearly blew up. After completing the rugged North Sea leg, Day writes, "...The last thing I did was to visit the engine room and kiss the motor good-bye..."