The Royal Irish Regatta finished on Thursday, July 20, in changeable weather and baffling breezes. With 'Calluna' crippled, the 'Satanita' and 'Britannia' had a match for the club prize, and not at all unexpectedly 'Britannia' was winner. She scored by no means a bloodless victory, and her crew had a scare when 'Satanita' struck into a breeze about half water between the Muglins and Kish, and went streaking past like a flash of greased lightning. 'Satanita' was pluckily sailed, but had not wind enough to wake her up and, when the match was stopped at the end of the second round, 'Britannia' had a lead of 4 mins. 4 secs.
ROYAL IRISH YACHT CLUB. DUBLIN BAY.
'Navahoe,' 161-rater: N.Y.Y. Club (Royal Phelps Carroll, Esq.)
Most auspicious was the opening of the Cowes racing week in regard to wind and weather, there being every indication of the morning breeze of Monday freshening when the stream bent westward, and of lasting sunshine and a clear atmosphere. The match was under the Royal London burgee, and the club had adopted a new course of which it may be said that a better could not have been marked off inside the Isle of Wight. The big cutter entry included the 'Valkyrie,' 'Britannia,' 'Satanita,' 'Calluna,' 'Iverna,' and the Gold Cup challenger 'Navahoe,' and there was general rejoicing on the morning of the day that the American would be certain to get a trustworthy test of speed in her first racing essay. Curiosity to see how she would acquit herself under the circumstances ran high. The match commenced with a free reach to the eastward on the back of a fair tide, and the wind followed and gave a run, but it came in streaks and the fleet were all together at the Warner, the 'Valkyrie' being leader, with 'Navahoe' 75 secs. astern. A nice breeze was found to windward, and in turning in to the Noman 'Valkyrie' worked away from the Yankee and then went for 'Britannia,' which, with 'Satanita,' stood away for the north shore. 'Valkyrie' was then left with 'Navahoe,' and the latter along Ryde Sands and on to the Motherbank got more wind and a slacker tide, inside 'Valkyrie,' and forereached so much the faster that on coming off she crossed comfortably ahead of Lord Dunraven's cutter. 'Navahoe' performed this feat 'on her uppers,' while 'Valkyrie' was stiff as a tree, perhaps through having less wind than there was to leeward. The breezes continued to be served out partially in strength and direction, and 'Britannia,' 'Satanita,' and 'Calluna' were having a bad time in working the north shore down. 'Valkyrie' picked up 'Navahoe' in beating on to Calshot, and went round that mark with just a clear lead. The breeze was unsteady and puffy in reaching to Lepe, but for the most part sheets were checked, and 'Navahoe's' big sail-plan dragged her by to windward of 'Valkyrie,' and she was first round Lepe buoy, but she made a wide sweep in the gybe and 'Valkyrie' ran on to the fore. With a leading wind 'Navahoe' slipped through to leeward into first place before getting to Cowes, and thence they squared away. 'Valkyrie' was not raced with the same spirit as 'Britannia' was on the first run eastward, or the 'Navahoe' would have been luffed out into Spithead; the latter was, in fact, allowed to keep the even tenour of her way, and she rounded the Warner with 10 secs. lead of 'Valkyrie,' 'Britannia' having run up on both, while 'Satanita' had taken the American in nearly 3 mins. With a weather tide and truer and fresher breeze, they had a fair test to windward, and a couple of boards sufficed for 'Valkyrie' and 'Britannia' to weather the American. 'Valkyrie' was sailed to bother 'Britannia,' while the 'Navahoe' was fairly let run loose. Had the sister ships been simply sailing boat against boat, they could not have carried on a keener duel. 'Britannia' beat 'Valkyrie,' but instead of having a substantial lead at Calshot Lightship, she was only just to windward of 'Valkyrie,' and but 1 min. 33 secs. ahead of 'Navahoe.' In reaching to Lepe, 'Britannia' and 'Valkyrie' gained in distance on the American, but nothing in time, owing to the rushing lee-tide. There was a smart breeze to blow them home against the boiling stream, and the 'Navahoe's' big sail-plan helped her. Both 'Britannia' and 'Valkyrie,' however, kept to the fore, and 'Britannia' finished winner of a hard race, 63 secs. ahead of 'Valkyrie,' 1 min. 23 secs. of 'Navahoe,' 3 mins. 50 secs. of 'Satanita,' and 7 mins. 36 secs. of 'Calluna.' It may be said that 'Satanita' gained 4 mins. 34 secs. and 'Calluna' 6 mins. 18 secs. on the 'Navahoe' in sailing the second round; the pair picked up on 'Britannia' and 'Valkyrie' simply owing to the suicidal tactics adopted in racing the sister ships.
A breeze was wanting on the opening morning of the Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta to put animation in the scene afloat, still in the flood of sunshine it was a brilliant spectacle. There was a galaxy of private yachts, and quite a fleet of fighting ships of various nationalities riding on the Solent dressed in bunting, the German Emperor's new 'Hohenzollern' looming up a very Triton amongst the host, through which the racing fleet had presently to thread their way eastward. The starters for Her Majesty's Cup were the 'Meteor,' 'Britannia,' 'Valkyrie,' 'Viking,' née 'Wendur,' and 'Mohawk.' An alteration in the course had been made by substituting the Bullock patch buoy for the Nab, and with thoughtful consideration for the length of leg of the modern craft, the three-fathom North Bramble Channel was left out. A dreadfully slow run was made eastward, the 16½ miles from Cowes to the eastern limit of the course taking about 2½ hours to cover. The breezes came in puffs out of every cloud, but mostly from the north or north-west, and in this sort of weather it was absolutely humiliating that the aspirant for America Cup honours should be led round the lee mark by the seven-season-old 'Meteor.' With a better and fairly true breeze westerly 'Valkyrie' and 'Britannia' on a close reach in to the Noman passed the Emperor's cutter, and, from mark to mark eight miles, 'Valkyrie' beat 'Meteor' exactly 4 mins. After fetching well up to Cowes, they turned through the roads, and then got a northerly slant in the west channel; a flying weather-tide settled them bodily to windward, and at Lymington mark 'Valkyrie,' which had gone in grand form to windward, was 3 mins. ahead of 'Britannia' and 15 mins. 40 secs. of 'Meteor,' the time allowance of the last named having thus run out by 68 secs. The wind was breezing up, and they ran through a roaring ebb tide at a fair speed, the modern boats pushing out a tremendous bow wave. The 'Meteor' unquestionably had a stronger following breeze than the two leaders, and with about 3½ ft. less draught than 'Valkyrie,' she could be edged inside the tide rift on the north shore, the result being that she gained 50 secs. on 'Valkyrie,' yet with an allowance of 14 mins. 32 secs. she thus lost by 18 secs. On the question being raised that 'Valkyrie' had not followed the track marked on the official chart furnished, it was admitted that she had left the Nab on the wrong hand, and the Sailing Committee disqualified her and declared the 'Meteor' winner of Her Majesty's Cup. It may be said that the 'Wendur' after rounding Lymington mark attempted to set her spinnaker, but lost the sail, which was picked up by a pilot boat. Worse still, the boom was let drop in the water, and on it breaking two of the crew were badly hurt.
Wednesday, August 2, was chosen by the Royal Yacht Squadron for the match for the Meteor Challenge Shield presented by the German Emperor, the course being from Cowes round the Isle of Wight (outside Nab), thence round the Shambles Lightship and back through the Needles passage to Cowes, a distance of 112 miles. According to the conditions four yachts were to start or no race, but out of an entry of six only 'Britannia' and 'Satanita' went for the trophy. The start, which was fixed for seven o'clock, was delayed an hour owing to the card and sailing directions differing. At 8 o'clock, when 'Britannia' and 'Satanita' got away, the 'Valkyrie's' crew, which had made a show of getting the vessel ready, had proceeded as far as hoisting a jib in stops and lashing up the fighting colours, the vessel subsequently lying listless at anchor all day. A charmingly bright clear morning with a bonny breeze from the north-west sent the two ships scudding out in hot haste to the eastward. Spinnakers were on and jackyard topsails, and at the Nab 'Britannia' had run out a lead of 4 mins. Coming on a reach the east stream was faced, and 'Satanita,' doing a wonderful stretch of sailing, had almost drawn level with her rival, when the wind came ahead and gave a beat of about forty miles to the Shambles. In order to shun the tide the Island shore was worked, but 'Satanita' got too close and bumped hard several times on Atherfield Ledge. In working on a nasty short jump of sea was trying the vessels, and off Swanage the breeze came in such hard puffs that big topsails were got down. 'Britannia' worked away from her rival, and after a pretty considerable amount of pile-driving got round the Shambles at 4 o'clock with a lead of 10 mins. They had to face a west tide, and as the evening closed in the wind almost entirely failed. In the west channel it was mere tide-work, and at 9.30 'Britannia' drove across the line winner, 'Satanita' at the time being barely discernible astern. It was an uninteresting match, but a hard one for ships and crews, and in the heavy plunging which went on between the Needles and St. Albans 'Britannia' sprung her mast.