15,000 MILES OCEAN RACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13453, 1 June 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

15,000 MILES OCEAN RACE.

-d ix A rkmabkable ocean race of 15,000 miles! fe terminated at Falmouth in the middle' t- of April by the arrival of the Glasgow barque Vimeira. The contest' was between the Vimeira. and the barque 1 ! Port Jackson, both of which vessels have a in reputation for speed. They both happened to be in .Sydney Harbour last January, pre,cl paring for a journey home to England, and ■h one of the captains challenged the other to yi< a race to Cornwall. The vessels were both fully laden with wheat, and an added in1€ terc-st was given to the race by the fact j € that the Port Jackson carries thirty cadets it in training for the British mercantile mad rine, while the Vimeira has among its crew of thirty, six boys from a Sydney training-j id ship. , ' | ts The rival barques were towed out of Syd,n ney Harbour on January 10, and weighed If anchor together. The Vimeira soon went j x ahead, and by nightfall lost sight of the Port j j. Jackson. The Vimeira easily maintained its /0 lead, and arrived at Falmouth a winner. It had accomplished the voyage in ninetyseven days. The skipper, Captain Stewart, a Scotchman, in an interview, said there ■e was little incident on the voyage. Gales is were experienced from Snares to the Horn, it and his record day's passage was 270 miles. >- Although Captain Stewart won the race, a )f chastening surprise was in store for him, n for the barque Australia, which did not l- take part in the race, had dropped anchor in Falmouth Harbour the day before, having es1. tablished a record by voyaging from Sydney ir to the Cornish port in eighty-eight "days, ie thus beating the Vimeira's time by nine a days. ;s Captain Hughes, of the Australia, knew n of the arrangements; for the race, but was ie unable to challenge, as his vessel did not leave Sydney till eight days after the start. p- Nevertheless, he arrived at Falmouth a day .-, before the Vimeira. Captain Hughes said g he got within 150 miles of Falmouth on the eighty-fourth day. Then he encountered ic contrary winds and bad weather, and but d for this would have completed the passage din eighty-five days, On three successive c- days lie hod runs of 300 miles per day. 'A -