Cutty Sark and Thomas Stephens also had a great race, the famous tea clipper making the best passage of the year to Sydney.
Both ships were off the Lizards on 22nd November, and experienced very baffling winds to the equator, which Cutty Sark crossed in 26° W. and Thomas Stephens in 29° W. a day later. Cutty Sark was 65 days from the Lizards to S.W. Cape, Tasmania, whilst Thomas Stephens was 68 days to the Otway, where she was becalmed for 14 hours.
Thermopylae, with a 64-day passage from the Lizards, her best run being 348 miles, arrived just in time to defend herself, for Captain McPetrie was declaring to all and sundry that Ben Voirlich had broken Thermopylae’s record, by making a better run from port to port.
The “Loch Garry.”
Many experts considered the Loch Garry to be the finest sailing ship in the world at the date of her launch. She certainly was an example of the well-known Glasgow type at its best.
A new feature was adopted in the placing of her masts. Her mainmast was stepped right amidships, with the fore and mizen masts at equal distances from it.
Loch Garry, her sister ship Loch Vennachar, Green’s Carlisle Castle, Nicol’s Romanoff and the American ship Manuel Laguna were rigged in a manner peculiar to themselves. They had short topgallant masts with fidded royal and skysail masts, on which they crossed royals and skysails above double topgallant yards. When in port their upper topsail and upper topgallant yards would be half mast-headed, and with the seven yards on each mast, all squared to perfection, they presented a magnificent appearance. Loch Garry’s first commander was Captain Andrew Black, a very fine seaman indeed. He commanded her from 1875 to 1882. He was succeeded by Captain John Erskine, who was followed by Captain Horne.
With regard to her merits, the veteran Captain Horne, who commanded her for close on 26 years, wrote to me:—
The Loch Garry is a front rank ship and always will be so. She is a ship that has got no vices and when properly loaded is as gentle as a lamb. It is quite a pleasure to sail such a ship, which might be described as a 1500-ton yacht. She is not a ship of excessive speed, but with a moderately fresh breeze will maintain a speed of 10 or 11 knots without much exertion.