“Torridon” and “Yallaroi.”
The last of Nicol’s clippers were the Torridon and Yallaroi. They were skysail-yarders, and lying in dock alongside the modern four-poster, looked the real thing, a pair of dainty little thoroughbreds.
“TORRIDON.”
Photo by Captain Schutze, Sydney.
[Larger image] (147 kB)
![[Larger image]](#6242537029064317809_i_p328a_large.jpg.id-5794546656979203680.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}
Compared to most ships of their size, they had narrow sail plans, and with greater carrying power, they were not as fast as Cimba or Romanoff. For some reason Nicol gave up the green and gold colours of Aberdeen and gave them the conventional painted ports. No doubt the days were passed when crowds of landsmen thronged Circular Quay of a Sunday and gaped in awe, reverence and admiration at the tall green clippers.
Captain Shepherd left Romanoff to take the Torridon, but he could only manage to get her out to Sydney in 90 days from Deal on her maiden trip, and Yallaroi took 99 from Grangemouth. However, both ships held on in the Sydney trade until 1906, when they were sold to the Italians, Torridon for £4250 and Yallaroi for £4400.
Torridon was sunk by a German submarine on 27th August, 1916, but Yallaroi disguised as Santa Catarina is still sailing the seas.