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

"The Yacht Of The Fleet."

"The Yacht Of The Fleet."

But the next voyage we saw some real sailing and learned what sort of a ship we had under us. Our fine old skipper retired from the sea, and Captain James was given command. He was told at the office that they had given him the "Yacht" of the fleet, and expected him to break all records with her. He certainly did his best, but never had the luck in "winds" to make a real record. He was as fine a sailorman as ever commanded a ship.

When we got down to the "doldrums" we picked up the Aristides, reckoned the "crack" ship of the Aberdeen White Star Fleet. We kept company with her for nearly a fortnight; generally picked her up ahead and always beat her on every point of sailing, and with every weight of wind, when the wind held good for an hour or so. Eventually we lost the run of her, but about two days later picked up the S.E. Trades strong and squally, well south of the Line one afternoon, and before dusk we sighted a sail dead ahead. At one bell in the first watch (11.45) we were abreast of her. We hove the log as usual at that time, and although marked up to 14 knots it ran out well before the sand. The "old girl," we reckoned, was doing little short of 16 "on a bowline."

We struck eight bells (midnight) as we passed her, about a quarter of a mile to windward. All hands, and passengers too, on both ships were on deck (although a lovely squall necessitating the lowering of our "kites" came down just as we passed her) cheering and burning blue lights and "company candles," and we yelled out that we would report them all well when we got to Melbourne. It was a sight not easily forgotten, and we must have been doing two or three knots faster than she was. She was just in sight astern at daybreak from the masthead. When we got up to Melbourne we found our rival in the berth ahead of us. She beat us by about four days in the whole passage; proving that it is not necessarily the fastest ship that makes thepage 32smartest passage. That passage we got in over the "Rip" with a fairly low tide. The wind being ahead, and no tug in sight, we decided to beat her up. It takes doing in a "square-rigger," and the ship that does it is no slouch. We had about an 8-knot breeze, and I can tell you it was exciting sometimes. Some of our "boards" were so short we had not time to haul taut the weather braces or coil down before she had to go round again. But our "Old Man" could handle a ship and we never missed stays once.