The wind freshened at night after Weymouth Regatta, and on Sunday morning there was an ugly sea off the Bill. The yachts which made the passage to Torquay had a coarse time, some of them ran back, others did not leave the Dorset port, the consequence being that there was a poor muster in Torbay. The 'Satanita,' 'Navahoe,' 'Britannia,' and 'Calluna' were ready to answer the starting gun on Monday morning when the wind was piping loud from the westward. All had a reef in mainsails, and topmasts were housed when anchors were broken out, but 'Satanita's' was very unwisely got on end, and she subsequently set a jibheader. 'Satanita,' over-eager, sailed the line too soon, and her opponents had been racing for the off mark nearly 3 mins. before she followed them across. With the wind quarterly, she soon smoked out to the first flagboat, where 'Navahoe' was leader and 'Calluna' second. Then came a beat in a little head jump, and the full drift of the wind was felt. 'Navahoe's' performance in beating to Brixham was far and away her worst display, as she simply crabbed on her uppers and sidled away, while 'Satanita,' crippled as she was with jibheader, was—truth to tell—not shaping a whit better, and seemed to be simply wallowing in dead water. Off Brixham, 'Satanita' had another set back, through one of her extra hands slipping overboard, but a very smart job was made in picking the man up. 'Satanita' was punished with jibheader again on the second round, and 'Britannia,' 'Calluna,' and 'Navahoe' were waltzing away from her. On the third round the sail was pulled down and the spar housed, but it was too late in the day to pick up the first flight. 'Satanita,' however, began to tramp away, and in addition to reaching her rivals beat the lot going to windward. The wind fairly whistled off shore as they reached on for Goodrington, but 'Calluna' and 'Navahoe' did not lower staysails as on the second round. The 'Britannia's' jib, however, burst, and 'Navahoe' shifted hers. The latter was in the way of a regular canvas splitter as she kept away round the Goodrington mark, and falling down flat she swept the mark-boat with her mainsail, but continued the match. At the end of the third round 'Navahoe' was 8 mins. astern of 'Britannia,' and 4 mins. of 'Calluna,' while 'Satanita' had gained 4 mins. on the Yankee in 10 miles. The 'Navahoe's' mainsail was found to be damaged at the clew, and to be giving out at the reef lacing, and just as 'Satanita' was collaring her off the Imperial she drew to the wind and gave up. On the last round 'Satanita' gained 1 min. 42 secs. on 'Britannia,' the latter finishing an easy winner 4 mins. 30 secs. ahead of 'Calluna,' and 7 mins. 9 secs. of 'Satanita.'
TORBAY REGATTA RACE CHART TORQUAY.
The wind hardened during the dark hours, and was blowing a moderate gale from the south-west at sunrise. It had veered westerly and moderated a little an hour before the start, and the 'Britannia,' 'Calluna,' and 'Satanita' housed topmasts, got first reef in mainsails, and set third jibs in anticipation of a dusting. 'Navahoe' could not start, owing to her damaged mainsail; but had she joined in there is no reason to suppose that she would have shaped better than on the previous day, as the wind was about the same in strength and direction, and the course almost identical. 'Britannia' and 'Satanita' made a grand start, but with the wind abaft the beam the latter cleared out at once from under her rival's lee, and gave a really phenomenal display of speed going to the flagboat outside Hope's Nose, covering the distance in 13 mins. 50 secs. She was at the mark in the thick of a passing squall, and when the tiller was put down to bring her by the wind it broke off close into the rudder-head, Jay, who always steers from the lee side, being just saved from going overboard. The mishap was alike annoying to crew and spectators as the vessel would, without doubt, have established a record over the Torbay course. The 'Britannia' and 'Calluna' then had a match, and, curious to state, 'Calluna' in the hard wind which prevailed during the first, second, and third rounds, fairly beat 'Britannia' on each turn while sailing with a free sheet, the advantage gained by the latter being on the beat between the sea mark and Brixham. On the last round the wind took off a little and 'Britannia' made an all-round gain, eventually beating her antagonist by 4 mins. 17 secs.
'Satanita,' 162-rater (A. D. Clarke, Esq.)
In contrast to the tearing pipe-up at Torquay, variable breezes, flaws, catspaws, and calms prevailed in Start Bay when the Royal Dart matches were decided. Owing to the death of the Duke of Coburg the 'Britannia' did not start, but 'Navahoe' was under racing colours again, and she was opposed by 'Calluna' and 'Satanita,' Mr. Crocker, of New York, having arrived just in time to sail the American. All light kites were set, and 'Satanita' led the race on a reach to the Skerries buoy, at which mark 'Navahoe' was whipper-in. 'Calluna,' through luffing out to cover 'Satanita,' let 'Navahoe' through into second place, and the latter ran up close to the leader. The breeze got so soft that they could hardly gain on the tide, and getting a flaw first on one quarter and then on the other positions kept changing, till at the last mark 'Satanita' was just clear ahead of 'Calluna'; the tide, however, hooked the latter and set her on to the mark-boat, and she at once gave up. 'Satanita' and 'Navahoe' reached along in a trickling air with all light kites set, and 'Satanita' finished the first round with a lead of 1 min. 18 secs. Both got in the doldrums near the Start mark, but taking a chill 'Navahoe' got away with a long lead. 'Satanita,' however, brought enough wind to drag her by to windward, and give her a good lead at the east mark. 'Satanita' was lucky enough to get a new wind first, which kept pretty true and steady afterward, and she eventually beat 'Navahoe' in a fluky race by 7 mins. 45 secs.
The rising Start Bay Club, to its credit be it said, catered for the big ships, and in return secured the entry of the familiar quartet. After a breathless morning an opportune breeze from the south-east travelled in from sea and put a little life into the start. The 'Satanita,' however, had just before drove on to the outer flagboat and she was then kept lying with staysail to windward. 'Navahoe' crossed the line first, and in a soft breeze went clean full and by for the Torcross flagboat, 'Britannia' and 'Calluna' being sailed finer. 'Satanita,' when told by the Committee to 'go on,' crossed the line 11 mins. 20 secs. after 'Navahoe,' and getting a better breeze than the leaders she gained about 7 mins. on 'Navahoe.' The last named went stealing along in the gentle breeze and finished the first round 33 seconds before 'Britannia.' The breeze freshened and they came on a taut bowline, and after 'Navahoe' had tried her best to wind 'Britannia,' the latter squeezed through her lee and in the next board crossed ahead, while 'Satanita' closed up. After a run from the west to east mark, they had a broad reach home in a fine breeze, 'Britannia' keeping bell-wether. 'Navahoe' held second place in the beat to Torcross, but 'Satanita' went past in going down wind for the next mark. It was a curious finish, as after reaching in fairly foaming, the wind cut off within a quarter of a mile of the winning line, and 'Britannia' came upright. She then got a cyclonic cooler, which filled the lower sails one way and the topsail the other. 'Britannia's' long lead looked likely to be wiped out, as the 'Satanita,' 'Navahoe,' and 'Calluna' were meanwhile tearing in foaming. They in turn got stuck up, however, in the same vortex, and 'Britannia' was logged winner with a lead of 7 mins. 16 secs. of 'Satanita,' 9 mins. 20 secs. of 'Navahoe,' and 12 mins. 44 secs. of 'Calluna.' 'Satanita's' was a remarkably fine performance in such weather; but, after all, she had a bootless journey, the 'Navahoe' taking second prize.