In October of 1927, Paul Garrett (the wine tycoon) was backing his boat out of the boat house at his summer home on the end of Bluff Point. It was a beautiful 33-foot Gar Wood boat named “Virginia Dare” that cost $12,500. Earlier that year it had won the Governor’s Cup awarded by the Keuka Yacht Club in its speedboat race. As he and his daughter, Evelyn, were backing the boat, there was a backfire and the fuel line caught fire. Garrett was unable to get to his fire extinguisher and the boat was quickly engulfed. It was pushed out into the lake to avoid the boathouse catching fire. It burned to the water line and sank. The next year, Garrett had another 33-foot Gar Wood “Baby Gar” boat built and named it “Virginia Dare II.” Powered by a 550 hp Liberty V-12 aircraft engine, this Baby Gar was the Cigarette Boat of its day with a top speed of 55 mph. The Virginia Dare II spent many years on Keuka Lake in Upstate New York on the Finger Lakes. The Baby Gar was purchased in poor condition in 1970 and received a long 40 year restoration.That boat has been beautifully restored and is currently on display at the Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport. Photos By: Rob Chan