Thursday morning opened with a fine singing breeze from the west-south-west, and the match for the Cowes Town Cup gave promise of stirring sport. 'Britannia's' absence, owing to her mast being sprung, was generally regretted; but 'Navahoe,' 'Valkyrie,' 'Satanita,' and 'Calluna' appeared under fighting flags. All had a single reef in mainsails, and 'Valkyrie's' topmast was struck, the rest keeping theirs on end. They were sent first to the westward, and had a clean reach to the first mark, a capitally judged start being made. 'Satanita,' nearest the Hampshire shore, was first on the line, with 'Valkyrie' overlapping the western quarter, and 'Calluna' and 'Navahoe' broad to windward. Laying down to the hard breeze, 'Satanita' was given the weight of it, and went smoking away, while 'Navahoe' in weather berth was getting comparatively very lightly sailed. A hard breeze, however, caught the Yankee, making her curl up to an ugly angle, and as she went off her helm, 'Calluna's' crew were getting scared that she would either drop down flat on them or make a wild shoot into their ship. A heavier slam than the first put the 'Navahoe' fairly out of control, and she went down on her side and wallowed helplessly in a smother of foam, until a gripe up to the wind relieved her and she came upright, when particular care was taken not to fill on her again. The weight of the wind had burst the mainsail at the clew, and, after getting the sail off the vessel ran away up Southampton Water, International rivalry thus coming to a summary end for the day. Owing to the strong wind and flood tide, the mark-boat had driven about a mile eastward, so it was soon reached down to, and 'Satanita' was first round, then 'Valkyrie' and 'Calluna.' It was a broad reach to the Warner, and cracking on a jibheaded topsail 'Satanita' was ploughing along at an astounding speed; in fact, she was doing 14½ knots when crossing the Admiralty mile. With a jibheader on, the leader was leaving 'Valkyrie,' which had lost 'Calluna's' close company through the latter, when careening to a squall, fouling the jibboom of the steam yacht 'Cleopatra,' the cutter getting mainsail split and gaff broken. 'Satanita' stayed round the Warner at 10.52, 1 min. 18 secs. before 'Valkyrie,' and the former had the benefit of a reach back as far as Cowes. Heavy squalls came off the Island, and 'Satanita' had lee decks full, 'Valkyrie' by comparison standing up manfully. Owing to the flagboat drifting, they went round Lepe buoy, and having to nip to fetch, 'Valkyrie' gained a trifle. Coming back free, 'Satanita' was driven along with jibheader, and she held a lead of 7½ mins. at the Warner. The homeward track could be laid clean full, and the wind coming off with canvas-splitting force, 'Satanita's' lee decks were washing like a porpoise's back, but she was travelling at a tremendous speed and would have gone much faster and on a more even keel had the topmast been struck. It was a wonderful display of fast sailing on her part, as she finished 8 mins. 13 secs. before 'Valkyrie,' and covered the distance, 48 miles, allowing for the drifted flagboat at Lepe, in 3 hrs. 40 mins. 50 secs., thus averaging a little over 12½ knots.
An exceedingly brilliant wind-up of an eventful regatta was made at Cowes on Friday, August 4, when the Royal Yacht Squadron prize was sailed round the Warner-Lepe course. The competitors were 'Satanita,' 'Valkyrie,' 'Calluna,' and 'Navahoe,' and they started on a short beat down the west channel in a rising breeze from the west-south-west, jibheaded topsails being set over whole mainsails. In the first board 'Navahoe' was weathered by each of her rivals, the Yankee being kept hovering in the wind, instead of being made to feel the weight of it, the previous day's experience perhaps being the cause. A heavy squall with sheets of rain passed over before the Western mark-boat was weathered, and they drove back to Cowes with spinnakers, all but the Yankee being run on the wrong gybe. From a run they came to a free reach off Osborne, and went streaking out at a great pace to the Warner, all except 'Satanita' cracking on jackyarders, but 'Valkyrie' shifted back to jibheader off the Sandhead buoy. The latter kept pride of place going east, but in coming back clean full the wind came off the Island in savage puffs and 'Satanita' was racing up. A regular flame of wind struck off above the Peel, and 'Satanita' went by the windward into first place, leaving 'Valkyrie' fairly stuck up. 'Navahoe' and 'Calluna' hung on to big topsails too long, the Yankee continuing whipper-in and falling down flat on her side in the hardest of the gushes. 'Satanita,' too, crabbed up badly, but did not heel to such an angle as 'Navahoe,' and was always lively and manageable in the puffs; she also got up a higher head of speed the fresher the wind piped. On the second round it was harder driving between 'Satanita' and 'Valkyrie' than with 'Calluna' and 'Navahoe,' and after the free reach to the Warner the first named was 2 mins. 2 secs. ahead or 3 secs. short of her allowance. It was just a clean reach from the Noman to Cowes, and some of the puffs came off the Island with the rush of a white squall. 'Satanita' was knocked down flatter than 'Valkyrie,' but she did not steady her speed, and finished a splendidly fought and most exciting race with 2 mins. 9 secs. lead of 'Valkyrie,' 'Satanita' winning with 4 secs. to spare. 'Calluna' was 5 mins. 22 secs. astern of the winner, and 'Navahoe' 7 mins. 36 secs.
ROYAL SOUTHAMPTON YACHT CLUB.
1892. "Warner and Lymington Course".
Ill fortune has of late haunted each annual Saturday fixture of the Royal Southampton Club, and that of August 5, instead of attracting the fleet of heavy weights, was reduced to a match between the 'Navahoe' and 'Calluna.' The 'Britannia' had her new mast in, but was not ready, 'Satanita' was getting a strengthening band shrunk on her masthead, and 'Valkyrie,' which had come across from Cowes to Southampton Water, did not start, fearing there would be too much wind for her sprung main-boom. A north-wester came shooting down Southampton Water fresh enough for 'Navahoe's' small reef to be pulled down, 'Calluna,' however, had whole mainsail and both jibheaders. The Scotch clipper was unluckily sailed through the line too soon, and the 'Navahoe' got two minutes start; but 'Calluna' bringing quite a rattle of wind, nearly nailed her rival at Calshot Spit. The breeze got light in the west channel and came bare, while the tide had to be stemmed. 'Navahoe' kept sailing into the first of the wind, and, getting a fine lift near the Lymington Mark, led by 3 mins. 'Calluna' was sailed without heart or judgment in the run up the west channel, and so on to the Warner. She might well have carried her jackyard topsail going west, and certainly wanted it, coming back with sheets off. 'Calluna' was gybed in Cowes Roads for some reason; and while her opponent was running clean with boom the other side, the Scotch boat was 'by the lee.' 'Navahoe' at length was first to shift her big topsail, and had 6 mins. lead at the time, but when 'Calluna' did go to work sail shifting, it took her crew eighteen minutes to get down the jibheaded topsail and replace it with jackyarder. In the beat from the Warner up past Browndown there were some flukes lying under the north shore which might have been picked up for the seeking, and 'Calluna's' poor attempt at match sailing ended by 'Navahoe' weathering the line off Netley with a lead of 11 mins. 25 secs.
The racing fleet mustered in force on the Royal Albert Station, and cruisers swarmed thick as bees to do honour to the last of the Solent racing fixtures. A light gauzy haze in the early morning of Monday, August 14, did not bode well for sport, but an air came just before the starting hour for the Albert Cup, and stretched out the fighting flags of 'Britannia,' 'Navahoe,' 'Calluna,' and 'Satanita.' A south-east breeze of about weight enough for small jib-topsails to be carried with profit to windward was drawing in against the last of the east-going stream, when an eventful race commenced with 'Satanita's' bowsprit end showing first across the line; the others were close at hand, and a pretty start was made.
ROYAL ALBERT YACHT CLUB. SOUTHSEA.
1892.