The line was crossed on 29th April. On 24th May in 46° N., 20° 55′ W., Loch Broom ran 301 miles in the 24 hours before a fresh southerly wind and moderate sea; and on the following day 282 miles. “Fresh S.S.E. wind. Barque in company at 6 a.m. on starboard bow, out of sight astern at noon.” On 31st May at 7 p.m. Loch Broom anchored off Gravesend, 98 days out.
The Loch Carron and Loch Broom were both sold to the foreigners in 1912 for about £5000 a piece, and now, I believe, belong to Christianssand, Norway, being disguised under the names of Seileren and Sogndal.
| PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1885. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Departure | Passed Equator | Crossed Cape Meridian | Passed Otway | Destination | Date Arrived | Days Out | ||||||
| Salamus | Start | Mar. | 20 | April | 6 | May | 9 | June | 2 | Melbourne | June | 3 | 75 |
| Patriarch | Start | Mar. | 9 | Mar. | 25 | May | 21 | Sydney | May | 23 | 75 | ||
| Cutty Sark | Start | April | 3 | April | 23 | May | 19 | June | 15 | „ | June | 19 | 77 |
| (SW Cape) | |||||||||||||
| Siren | Start | Mar. | 23 | April | 12 | May | 11 | June | 6 | „ | June | 8 | 77 |
| Samuel Plimsoll | Start | April | 4 | April | 28 | May | 21 | June | 18 | „ | June | 21 | 78 |
| Argonaut | Start | June | 14 | July | 10 | Aug. | 1 | Aug. | 27 | „ | Aug. | 31 | 78 |
| Bay of Cadiz | Start | Mar. | 6 | Mar. | 28 | April | 20 | May | 19 | „ | May | 23 | 78 |
| Thermopylae | Start | Jan. | 20 | Feb. | 17 | Mar. | 9 | April | 7 | Melbourne | April | 8 | 78 |
| Harbinger | Lizard | June | 4 | June | 30 | July | 27 | Aug. | 21 | „ | Aug. | 21 | 78 |
| Sir Walter Raleigh | Start | April | 4 | April | 28 | May | 22 | June | 20 | Sydney | June | 22 | 79 |
| Milton Park | Tuskar | June | 21 | July | 18 | Aug. | 12 | Sept. | 5 | „ | Sept. | 8 | 79 |
Notes on Passages to Australia in 1885.
The race of the year was that between Cutty Sark, Samuel Plimsoll, Sir Walter Raleigh and still a fourth ship, the City of York, which was off the Start on 2nd April—crossed the line 23rd April—crossed Cape meridian 26th May—passed the Otway on 18th June—and arrived Sydney on 21st June, 80 days out.
It was Captain Woodget’s first voyage in Cutty Sark. He went as high as 48° S. in search of good winds, but had a lot of thick misty weather with light northerly winds, and no steady westerlies. He only had two chances. In 70 hours from 21st to 23rd May, the Cutty ran 931 miles, braced sharp up against a strong N.E. to E.N.E. wind; and on 4th June, with the wind fresh from N.E. to N.N.E. she ran 330 miles in 47° S., 99° E. None of the other ships made any specially big runs.
Miltiades this year was taken over by Captain Harry Ayling, and arrived in Hobson’s Bay on 29th October, 85 days out from Torbay.
“MOUNT STEWART.”