Captain Frank Drake, of New Hamburgh, corresponded with Ray Ruge over many years.
I have made several posts featuring Frank Drake's letters to Ray Ruge.
This is an effort to collect them in one spot on the blog. As I go through my archives of photos and research, I stumble back upon more of these letters. These are all images taken from the original letters that are part of the Ray Ruge collection at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, NY.
I find them a remarkable view into life along the Hudson during the war years and post war years.
Here is my introduction from a previous post:
Capt. Frank Drake worked steamboats and ice boats on the Hudson River for over 60 years. His father was an early member of the New Hamburgh Ice Yacht Club, sailing the second class sloop "Mischief."
Drake has at the helm of "Scout" when it captured the Ice Challenge Pennant of America in 1922 - the last race for the 30 foot silk pennant during the era of stern steerers. Drake eventually returned the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant to The FDR Library and helped, along with Ruge, to get a new version made. The 'new' pennant was again raced for in 1951 on Greenwood Lake and won by Ed Rollberg of the Fox Lake Ice Yacht Club in Illinois.
Drake and Ray Ruge became friends and corresponded about iceboating news in the 1940s. Some of those letters are part of the Ruge collection at the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Drake has at the helm of "Scout" when it captured the Ice Challenge Pennant of America in 1922 - the last race for the 30 foot silk pennant during the era of stern steerers. Drake eventually returned the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant to The FDR Library and helped, along with Ruge, to get a new version made. The 'new' pennant was again raced for in 1951 on Greenwood Lake and won by Ed Rollberg of the Fox Lake Ice Yacht Club in Illinois.
Drake and Ray Ruge became friends and corresponded about iceboating news in the 1940s. Some of those letters are part of the Ruge collection at the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Hope you enjoy them.
 |
| March 5, 1942 (1) |
 |
| March 5, 1942 (2) |
 |
| April 6, 1942 (1) |
 |
| April 6, 1942 (2)
August 23, 1942 (1)
August 23, 1942 (2)
November 8, 1942 (1)
November 8, 1942 (2)
November 8, 1942 (3)
January 4, 1943 (1)
January 4, 1943 (2)
August 2, 1943 (1)
August 2, 1943 (2)
October 27, 1943
December 21, 1943 (1)
 
January 6, 1944
January 26, 1944 (1)
 |
March 20, 1944 (1)
March 20, 1944 (2)
April 6,1944 (1)
April 6,1944 (2)
April 15, 1944 (1)
April 15, 1944 (2)
April 15, 1944 (3)
April 15, 1944 (4)
November 12, 1944 (1)
November 12, 1944 (2)
November 12, 1944 (3)
November 12, 1944 (4)
November 12, 1944 (5)
Nov. 25, 1944 (1)
Nov. 25, 1944 (2)
Nov. 25, 1944 (3)
Nov. 25, 1944 (4)
March 2, 1945 (1)
March 2, 1945 (2)
March 2, 1945 (3)
April 29,1945 (1)
April 29,1945 (2)
Last letter as far as I know ( at least through the Ruge collection). I would love to have read Drake's thoughts when the war was finally over and the "boys" were home. Drake died June 4, 1954.
Here are a few images of boats Drake refers to in many of the letters:
with a steering wheel/cable steering system.
Drake's burgee for Edwa, now in possession of the Lawrence family on Orange Lake.
Ranger, Built by the Merritt Brothers at Chelsea. this is a later version -
modified with the steering wheel/cable/sprocket system to keep rudder at the stern.
No comments:
Post a Comment