From Beaton's to Beach Haven

The present book focuses on a twenty-eight foot woodenCatboot called Ghost. She belongs to a class of boatsunique to Bornegat Boy in New Jersey. The classoriginated in 1922 and by 1924 was recognized asa racing class under the name A Cat. The class wasseriously affected by the Great Depression, but it survivedand began a renaissance in 1980, when David Beotonand Sons built Wasp, a new A Cat, following plansdating to i923. Ghost was Beaton's second A Cat andwas an immediate success. Not only did she win sevenconsecutive Bay championships, 1994-2000 but alsoexhibited extraordinary craftsmanship. We might saythat Ghost was and remains a paradigm of excellencein the construction oi wooden boats. Happily thebuilding process was photographed in detail and is nowrecorded in book form. Photos paired with explanationtake the reader from making patterns and preparing thewoodshop to a celebratory launch at Beaton's riggingdock. That is followed by an account of Ghost's initialdisaster on the race course, a remarkable recovery andthen twenty-two years of continuous competition. Whatmade Ghost fast on the race course and what did notwork are recorded for the reader's consideration. Theconclusion focuses on Ghost's new home at the NewJersey Maritime Museum.