Yachting, Vol. 2Dufferin and Ava, Frederick Temple Blackwood, Marquis of
History
Yachting, Vol. 2
Dufferin and Ava, Frederick Temple Blackwood, Marquis of
Yacht racing; Yachting; Yachts
It must have been highly gratifying to the 'Valkyrie's' designer that
the vessel excelled in the very weather and sailing points
desired--namely, going to windward and dead running. Her trials with
'Britannia' showed how wonderfully evenly matched the vessels were in
moderate weather, and artistic handling was always conspicuous
whenever Lord Dunraven's cutter was under a racing flag. 'Valkyrie'
made her mark in the short season she had in home waters, her record
being 15 prizes in 24 starts, her winnings amounting to 955_l._
The 'Satanita' was a particularly unlucky boat, and on the Clyde her
ill fortune passed into a proverb. After breaking the spell with a
victory in Belfast Lough, she, however, scored several notable
victories, and it was a great feat to win two events at a Royal Yacht
Squadron regatta. Her fastest reaching display was no doubt in the
Nore to Dover race, but for a short burst the speed she attained in
going from the New Pier, Torquay, to the flagboat outside Hope's Nose
has perhaps never been equalled by anything of yacht kind. 'Satanita'
was not such a handy boat to get round marks or herring-bone through a
crowded roadstead as 'Britannia' and 'Valkyrie,' but Jay is deserving
of the highest praise for the able way he sailed his charge.
'Satanita's' winnings included a Queen's Cup and the Albert Cup, and
in 36 starts she won 13 prizes, value 760_l._
The 'Calluna' was a disappointing boat; indeed, her designer got into
a way at last of calling her 'My unlucky boat,' for which expression
there was all-sufficient reason. The best of 'Calluna' perhaps
remains to be got out of her, yet she went by fits and starts in a
wonderful way, but could rarely maintain her form to a finish. She had
very strong opposition in 'Britannia,' 'Valkyrie,' and 'Satanita,' but
likely enough she would have been an all-round better boat, and
perhaps a real flier, with 2-1/2 ft. less beam and 2-1/2 ft. more
load-water length. Her skipper, A. Hogarth, is exceptionally smart in
handling a small craft; 'Calluna' was his first charge of the
heavy-weight line, and she certainly was not the sort of craft to
serve an apprenticeship in. The Clyde cutter managed to win 10 prizes
in 36 starts, but it was only on two occasions that she sailed home in
the van.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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