How does the other half lives on The Enticer a Trumpy Yacht. The following is a guest post by Mark Allen of South Jersey Marina.
Given the fact that Cape May city is famous for its plethora of classic and unique Bed and Breakfasts (B&B’s), the Enticer, tied up tight to South Jersey Marina’s “Face” dock seemed to be a perfect fit for this oldest of all seaside resorts. Dockmaster Tom told me that the Captain was having breakfast at the Saltwater Cafe, so I ducked in and introduced myself. It turns out that the Captain, Greg Newport, (yes, like Cape May’s Yankee twin) is a big fan of Schellengers Landing and South Jersey Marina here on the Other Side. He graciously invited me to come aboard and tour Enticer a little later in the day. Aaron, South Jersey’s new Tournament Director, said he would tag along with his camera.
With all mahogany uppers, Enticer is as distinctive a yacht as you’ll ever see and she turns heads wherever she travels. Once aboard, you would not be wrong if you described her as a seagoing luxury B&B. Designed by the legendary John Trumpy, and built in 1935 by the Mathis Yacht Building Company at their Camden, New Jersey yard, Enticer is a remarkably fit and beautiful 80 year-old. With a flat double planked wood hull, she is a lean 85’ long with a 16’ beam and a draft of only 4’, a combination which enables her to access most port-o-calls. A brace of reliable and sturdy John Deere Turbo Diesels move her along at a steady 10-12 knots, rarely faster and rarely slower, according to Captain Newport.
Electrical power is delivered by a pair of generators, a Northern Lights 20kw generator paired with a Kohler 32kw unit. Her flared stern and flat bottom conspire to suggest roll issues but Enticer’s state-of-the-art Seakeeper M21000 Gyro stabilizer keeps her “even keel,” steady and solid in most sea states and her customers comfortable and happy. Reliable, steady and beautiful are the key describers of Enticer.
Even with the Seakeeper, Captain Newport picks his navigation routes carefully. “She’s still a lakes, bay and sound boat,” he explains. “We stick with the Intercoastal and avoid going offshore whenever possible. In fact, we only ran in here to get out of the weather and re-provision. Wednesday’s weather looks good, so that’s when we’ll make the offshore run to New York. Besides,” he adds, “I like coming here.”
Pointing over toward Yacht Avenue’s boathouse row, he continued, “Just look at this. It’s beautiful here; Cape May is a quaint town and everything we need or want is nearby. The marina has the fuel, plenty of side-to dockage, deep water and a great ships store.” Pointing across the street towards Lucky Bones, then sweeping his hand back towards the Lobster House, he added, “There are bars for the crew, nice restaurants for the owners, stores and shops, John the Barber nearby and even an urgent care just across the bridge. And everything is a short walk away. Cape May is a perfect port-o-call.”
More of Mark’s article will appear in Wednesday’s Star and Wave:
Thanks John, I’ll send you additional tidbits about the Other Side.
The Enticer is indeed beautiful. I was the live aboard first mate on her in the early’80’s and I am trying to locate my captain, Capt. John Reader(?). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.