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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

A Dead Heat

A Dead Heat.

Another correspondent. writing to the "Star" over the signature "An Auckland Shipping Agent," claimed that the Circular Saw liner, the barque Alice Cameron held the Sydney-Auckland record, her time being five days four hours. This also is not in accordance with the facts. The Alice Cameron, left Sydney at 11 p.m. on the 16th August, 1862, and passed the Three Kings after a fine run of five days from Sydney. Like the Trieste she met with variable winds after rounding the North Cape, and arrived outside Rangitoto reef about 11 a.m. on the 23rd. She was becalmed there for some hours, and anchored off the Queen Street wharf at 7 p.m. Taking the time of the two vessels inside of Rangitoto Channel, the run occupied about six days twelve hours, so we may call it a "dead heat."

But neither of these runs can be compared with a passage made by the Alice Cameron in 1862. On this occasion, under Captain Barron, she left Sydney on July 27th, at 1 p.m., and carried strong westerly and north-west winds across to the Three Kings, which were abreast at 5 a.m. on August 1st, the barque being then only four days eight hours from Sydney. Her run from North Cape to Cape Brett was done in seven hours. The vessel then had to beat up with a strong south-west wind, during which, shortly before reaching port, she carried away her foretopsail yard. According to the report in the "Daily Southern Cross," she anchored in harbour, completing the passage in five days 22 hours.

The barque Kate holds the palm for the record passage from Sydney to Auckland of any sailing vessel from 1850 to date. the Kate, in command of Captain Sherlock, left Sydney on August 27, 1863, having embarked 80 volunteers under the command of Ensign Coulter and Dr. Drake. She sailed from Sydney at 2.30 p.m. on the date mentioned, and carried a westerly with clear weather right across, the wind ranging from N.W. to S.W. The Three Kings were sighted at 9 a.m. on the 31st after an excellent run of four days six hours.

The barque experienced light winds from the S.W. and fine weather down the coast, and anchored in the Waitemata early on the morning of September 3, five days 20 hours from Sydney. Mr. Alder Fisher, who was an A.B. on the Kate under Captain Sherlock in 1862, is still living in Grafton Road, Auckland.