In 1889 the 'Sunbeam' was lent to Lord Tennyson, for a short cruise in the Channel. The owner deeply regrets that he was prevented by Parliamentary duties from taking charge of his vessel with a passenger so illustrious on board.
The distances covered in the course of the various cruises enumerated may be approximately given:—
Distances sailed: compiled from Log Books
| Year | Knots | Year | Knots | Year | Knots | Year | Knots |
| 1854 | 150 | 1864 | 1,000 | 1874 | 12,747 | 1884 | 3,087 |
| 1855 | 250 | 1865 | 2,626 | 1875 | 4,370 | 1885 | 6,344 |
| 1856 | 2,000 | 1866 | 4,400 | 1876 | 37,000 | 1886 | 36,466 |
| 1857 | 1,500 | 1867 | 3,000 | 1877 | 1887 | ||
| 1858 | 2,500 | 1868 | 1,000 | 1878 | 9,038 | 1888 | 1,175 |
| 1859 | 2,300 | 1869 | 1,900 | 1879 | 5,627 | 1889 | 8,785 |
| 1860 | 1,000 | 1870 | 1,400 | 1880 | 5,415 | 1890 | 8,287 |
| 1861 | 800 | 1871 | 5,234 | 1881 | 5,435 | 1891 | 1,133 |
| 1862 | 3,200 | 1872 | 9,152 | 1882 | 3,345 | 1892 | 11,992 |
| 1863 | 900 | 1873 | 2,079 | 1883 | 13,545 | 1893 | 8,500 |
Total, 1854-1893, 228,682 knots.
I turn from the voyages to the yachts in which they were performed, observing that no later possession filled its owner with more pride than was felt in the smart little 8-tonner which heads the list.
| Date | Name of yacht | Rig | Tonnage | — |
| 1854-58 | Spray of the Ocean | Cutter | 8 | — |
| 1853 | Cymba (winner of Queen's Cup in the Mersey, 1857) | " | 50 | Fife of Fairlie's favourite |
| 1859-60 | Albatross | 118 | — | |
| 1863-71 | Meteor | Auxiliary schooner | 164 | — |
| 1871-72 | Muriel | Cutter | 60 | Dan Hatcher's favourite |
| 1872 | Eothen | S.S. | 340 | — |
| 1874-93 | Sunbeam | Auxiliary schooner | 532 | — |
| 1882-83 | Norman | Cutter | 40 | Dan Hatcher |
| 1891 | Lorna | " | 90 | Camper and Nicholson (1881) |
| 1892-93 | Zarita | Yawl | 115 | Fife of Fairlie (1875) |
| Yachts hired | ||||
| 1885 | Lillah | Cutter | 20 | — |
| 1863 | Eulalie | " | 18 | — |
| 1873 | Livonia | Schooner | 240 | Ratsey (1871) |
The variety of craft in the foregoing list naturally affords opportunity for comparison. I shall be glad if such practical lessons as I have learned can be of service to my brother yachtsmen. And, first, as to the class of vessel suitable for ocean cruising. As might be expected, our home-keeping craft are generally too small for long voyages. Rajah Brooke did some memorable work in the 'Royalist' schooner, 45 tons; but a vessel of 400 tons is not too large to keep the sea and to make a fair passage in all weathers, while giving space enough for privacy and comfort to the owner, his friends, and the crew. Such vessels as the truly noble 'St. George,' 871 tons, the 'Valhalla,' 1,400 tons, and Mr. Vanderbilt's 'Valiant,' of 2,350 tons (Mr. St. Clare Byrne's latest production), cannot be discussed as examples of a type which can be repeated in ordinary practice. Yachtsmen have been deterred from going to sufficient tonnage by considerations of expense. When providing a floating home of possibly many years, first cost is a less serious question than the annual outlay in maintaining and working.
A cruise on the eastern seaboard of North America, where the business of coasting has been brought to the highest perfection, would materially alter the prevailing view as to the complements necessary for handling a schooner of the tonnage recommended. The coasting trade of the United States is carried on in large schooners, rigged with three to five masts. All the sails are fore and aft. In tacking, a couple of hands attend the headsheets, and these, with a man at the wheel, are sufficient to do the work of a watch, even in narrow channels, working short boards. The anchor is weighed and the large sails are hoisted by steam-power. The crews of the American fore-and-aft schooners scarcely exceed the proportion of one man to every hundred tons of cargo carried. For a three-masted schooner of 400 tons, a crew of twelve working hands would be ample, even where the requirements of a yacht have to be provided for. In point of safety, comfort, speed in blowing weather, and general ability to keep the sea and make passages, the 400-ton schooner would offer most desirable advantages over schooner yachts of half the tonnage, although manned with the same number of hands.
It is not within the scope of my present remarks to treat of naval architecture. The volumes will contain contributions from such able men as Messrs. G. L. Watson, who designed the 'Britannia' and 'Valkyrie,' and Lewis Herreshoff, whose 'Navahoe' and 'Vigilant' have recently attracted so much attention. I may, however, say that my personal experience leads me to admire the American models, in which broad beam and good sheer are always found. In 1886, I had the opportunity of seeing the International Race for the America Cup, when the English cutter 'Galatea' (Lieut. Henn, R.N.), with a sail-area of 7,146 feet, and 81 tons of ballast, sailed against the American sloop 'Puritan,' with 9,000 square feet of sail-area and 48 tons of ballast. On this occasion, the advantages of great beam, combined with a shallow middle body and a deep keel, were conspicuously illustrated. The Americans, while satisfied with their type, do not consider their sloops as seaworthy as our cutters. The development which seems desirable in our English building was indicated in a letter addressed to the 'Times' from Chicago in September 1886:—