Boat Shoes vs. Camp Mocs

“Boat shoes” have been trendy this year.  On the fashion runways this season, all kinds of styles of shoes have been lumped together and called “boat shoes” - such as by British Vogue – including Camp Mocs, Driving Mocs, Blucher Mocs with their 4 eyelet tie, and the Timberland 3-eye with a lug sole moccasin type shoe that my father wore in the 80s.

But if you are shopping for shoes, “Boat Shoes” should refer to a specific type of shoe.  And if you just ask for a Boat Shoe and actually get it, one might be missing out on something better suited.

One example.  Two newer readers have recently asked me about how Boat Shoes compare to Camp Mocs,  so I thought I would compare the two across some common use cases.  

First, they do have many similarities, of course.  They both have moccasin construction.  They are made of leather uppers and rubber soles. They are both casual shoes.  They are both equally good for women and men.

But there are difference, highlighted by different uses.

Boat Shoes, 3 Eyelet.  All photos by/of Muffy Aldrich.

Camp Mocs with White Sole, 1 Eyelet

Boat Shoes

Photos by Salt Water New England

Reader Question: Wooden or Fiberglass Boat? A Friend's Response

Photos by Salt Water New England

My family is just starting to look at a new boat. Do you have an opinion about wood vs. fiberglass? Just curious. Thanks!

(Here is a friend's response from a licensed captain (United Stated Coast Guard 50 Ton Master license)):

A preference between wooden and fiberglass yachts is a nuanced affair. A boat is not only a work of art, but also a machine of science based on technology developed over millennia. I urge one to consider the art and the science of any boat independently.

A successful yacht design combines form and function - art and science - into a package that is a beautiful creation both emotionally and empirically. There are endless variations of shape and style as well as many variations on structure: rig, hull and keel. And, form and function impact each other every minute. As one example, you have seen classic boats with long overhangs - the bow and stern project themselves graciously over the water - as well as more modern boats with a "plumb" bow and stern where there is much less overhang. 

Garden Tools

Photos by Salt Water New England

When asked about essential garden tools and the best places to get them, readers have suggested the following:

I may be frugal in a lot of ways, but I have learned that you have to invest in a good pair of loppers and shears. (Bob NOLA)

Felco pruning shears (they even have a left-handed version!). I bought mine at Amazon but that's because I live in rural NC and nobody around had them. I get my heirloom seeds a good hardware or garden store (there are 2 in the town where I work). I still have some garden tools from my husband's grandfather (including a lovely hoe, which I admit I use more to poke a bonfire than I use in my raised bed vegetable gardens). Ergonomic trowel (from a box store) probably one of my favorites but sadly it doesn't last very long. If I could find the new design in high quality construction, I'd be thrilled! (Hoya)

A good pair of gloves with a nice gauntlet is helpful. Saves arm and hand scratches. good pruning shears are a must. (mary anne)

My favorite tools are my Felco 2 pruners, a Smith Hawken telescoping ratchet lopper, and a circle hoe.  (Joyce North)

I ran a small field-grown, perennial nursery from our home. My customers were always asking for recommendations of tools and such. My list is surprisingly small and affordable.

• Felco Bypass Pruners
• Felco Bypass Loppers
• Small “nippers” for delicate trimming.
• Kitchen string
• Auger attachment for cordless drill which is perfect for mass planting of bulbs.
• Deluxe soil knife w/serrated edge, replaces my late father’s hunting knives. Can be found at: GardenersEdge.com
• Atlas Gloves, the best overall gloves out there. They are machine washable and inexpensive.
• Heavy duty, leather work gloves for all seasons and available in women’s sizes. Can be found at: WomansWork.com
• Muck shoes, high & low
• Hoe, edger, and pointed shovel, inherited.
• Hula Hoe, perfect to maintain inside edging.
• Spear & Jackson Spade from England. This was my splurge, and well worth it.
• Good, sturdy wheelbarrow    (Laurie Ann)  

Car Stickers/Decals

As cars age, the number of stickers increases.  Photos, Examples and Counter-Examples, by Salt Water New England

Stickers add personalization and even a bit of functionality to a car.

On a primary car, the norm is often to show one or two low-key stickers, ideally in one of the back windows (without obscuring vision), plus any necessary parking/beach pass stickers.  Typically these stickers include prep schools and colleges (which also prevent you getting towed while you are visiting), towns, clubs/yacht club burgees, flags, and favorite conservation groups.  

For some people, stickers provide their perfect overlap of bragging and utility.   They need their OSV (Oversand Permit) or Town of Nantucket Beach Permit, after all, and they just haven't gotten around to scraping off the last few years of them.   

Some stickers are often preferable to none.  They are surprisingly useful for striking up conversations, and also identifying your car.  They make parking lots more interesting.  I enjoy recognizing some stickers on other cars as I walk by.  

When traveling, one soon realizes that the density of certain stickers, such as from one's alma mater, conveys how close or far one is from the institution, both geographically and culturally.  A single sighting a thousand miles away is always fun, while a dozen or more on I-95 during homecoming or graduation weekends is to be expected. Of course when visiting the campus the pings come as quickly as a Geiger counter at Maine Yankee (kidding).  

Five can be the upper limit no matter how many tuitions and dues you are paying. 

Clothing brands, monograms (except for code flags), and dog and cat breeds might best be avoided.  And of course bumper stickers are very tricky to do well.     

And tangentially, when getting a new car, a good habit is to get the dealer to remove any of their advertising.  This request is received much more graciously than the same request made at Ralph Lauren.    

Dear Muffy: How should I change my wardrobe as I hit midlife?

Dear Muffy:

How do I think about changes to a classic wardrobe as I hit midlife?  I've basically been wearing the same things for most of my life but now I am finding them less satisfying. 

And as I look around I'm not seeing a whole lot of role models.   Even in town, too many look like they've just given up and are doing their errands in slippers and in some cases what they probably slept in.  In your opinion, what is the path if I am not thrilled anymore with my current lot?

Answer:

Many people in their 20s and 30s have found that they prefer wearing low-key but well-made and respectable clothes.  For men and women, this balances and grounds their energy levels and lack of experience, and may even be a reaction to their earlier sartorial experiments.

At some point, there is a middle-age inflection point, when the same wardrobe now washes them out, and is,  perhaps, a bit dour.  A plaid flannel shirt that can seem active on a twenty something may have the opposite effect two decades later. 

This is when one might consider a shift to a brighter, albeit still classic, palette.  These may even be in a style that the same people eschewed when they were younger.  

These lighter colors are not only for the flattering reflective qualities on aging skin but also for a sense of fun.   (There is a reason so many statesmen have a little sparkle of joy on their faces when they speak of their GTH pants, while the less mature have more of a smirk.)   You no longer have to advertise that you are a person of substance through your wardrobe.  It comes through in your bearing.

A Bit of History of Sachems Head, Connecticut

By Edna Seward Stevens, born 1878, Wellesley Class of 1900.
Presented June 1931 at The Whitfield Society, Guilford, Connecticut
Original Photographs, Presented Here Anachronistically, from Stevens Family Archives;  Used with Permission.

An Old and Dear Friend, and Granddaughter of Author Edna Seward Stevens, Sally Stevens at Connecticut's Sachems Head Yacht Club (founded by her great-grandfather).

Favorite Clothing Shops and Great Places to Eat Afterwards

J. Press, 380 Madison Avenue, New York City - All Photos by Salt Water New England.

An email from Chuck Ramsay:

I enjoyed your post on your favorite restaurants.  It made me ruminate on my favorite clothing shops and how they are in close proximity to some of my favorite eating establishments.  I thought I would run them by you.

1) J. Press (Cambridge, MA) is nothing short of Mecca.  I can stay for hours soaking up the history.  Then go one street over to John Harvard’s Brewhouse for great beer selection and good food.

Cambridge's J. Press

2) I grew up close by Eljos (Charlottesville, VA), and spent much time as a kid gawking at the window displays.  It has moved from the UVA Corner, but not too far.  Go to The Corner, then to The Virginian (it’s been there so long I’m sure Jefferson raised a grog or two there).

3) Alvin-Dennis (Lexington, VA) is next door to the beautiful Washington & Lee campus, another childhood haunt.  Then go two blocks to The Palms, a Lexington institution.

4) At  J. Press (New York City), I bought my first blue ocbd w/flap pocket.  Then take a cab to P.J. Clarke’s Bar on 55th with great food and even greater ambiance. [Link to entry]

5) Murray’s (Nantucket) is a pilgrimage of sorts for me.  Then walk over to Brotherhood of Thieves on Broad St., one of my all time favorites, with great sandwiches.

The Author's Photo

6) I love The Admiral’s Buttons (Camden, ME).  Then go around the corner to The Waterfront Restaurant on the deck for lobster, or up the street to Cappys for amazing chowder and a cold Geary’s.

Cappy's Chowder House

7) The Holmes Store (Northeast Harbor, ME) is a nice shop in one of my favorite coastal Maine villages.  Then walk down Main St. to Colonel’s Restaurant for fresh Maine seafood.

8) George Dean’s (Athens, GA) is the quintessential college shop, one block from U of GA campus.  Then walk across the street to The Grill, an Athens institution.

9) Landry’s (Oxford, MS) is cool shop near Ole Miss.  Then go one door down to Square Books and browse, and finally a couple of more down to City Grocery, a legendary Oxford watering hole with outstanding food

10) Grady Ervin & Co (Charleston, SC) is in one of my favorite cities.  Then walk over to Hank’s Seafood or take a short ride to Sullivan’s Island and eat at Poe’s Tavern, with great burgers followed by a walk on the beach.

11) Laurance Clothing (Annapolis, MD) and McGarvey's Saloon & Oyster Bar.  Awesome. I can't wait to go back and spend more time walking around Annapolis and the harbor and sample a few more pubs.

12)  F.L.Woods (Marblehead, MA) is a great shop and The Barnacle has the best chowder I have had outside of Maine. Beautiful town and harbor.

The Barnacle in Marblehead, MA

Oh well, at the moment, I can only dream of being in one of these venerable establishments browsing and then over for a great meal.

Cheers, Chuck Ramsay, Murfreesboro, TN

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Old School Prep left this comment, and I thought I would add some of my own pictures and copy it here.

I was very impressed by Chuck Ramsay's interesting list of top notch Prep/Trad clothing stores and nearby noteworthy eateries. I would like to offer two more of each to make the list an even dozen.

13) J. Press (New Haven, CT) is the genesis of it all. It is conveniently located near the beautiful Yale campus and a short walk to Louis Lunch for a wonderful luncheon fare.

J. Press, York Street, New Haven. RIP

14) J. Press (Washington, DC), although it lacks the traditional ambiance of the Cambridge and New Haven stores, it is an oasis of Preppy clothing in our nation's capital and a short jaunt from the Old Ebbitt Grill for a hearty lunch of oysters and fine Kentucky Bourbon or other great food choices.

Washington, D.C.

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To these, add:

15) Royal Male (Newport, RI) has one of the best and most unique collections of wonderful clothes, mostly from the UK and Europe,  hand curated by the one-and-only Etienne.  Then, get some chowder at The Black Pearl.

Royal Male

16) Andover Shop (Cambridge, MA) and Charlies Kitchen.

Andover Shop