The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-08-30 00:00:00

ROYAL DORSET YACHT CLUB REGATTA.

The grand prize of £175 for cutters, tchoonere, and
yawls, offered by the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, for ,
craft not lees than 90 tone, drew a fair number of
entries from the larger class yachts, for there were on
the card—Eochantrest, schooner, 329 tons, Colonel
Owen Williams ; Lawns. yawl, 100. A. B. Rowley,
Florirda, yawl, 140, NV. Jessop, Fsq. the
somewhat celebrated Samrena, cutter, 90, John
Jameson, Esq. ; Sleuth Hound, cutter, 40, Marquis of
Ailsa, and Annasona, cutter, 40, J. D. Hedderwick,
Esq. On the day before the regatta, it blew strongly
with a deal of rain, and though this was rather the
correet thing for the larger yachts, anticipations of
public amusement fell rather I 'w; especially as the
I Club Regatta was to be on Saturday, a most ineon-
. .
velment time for the many, but an exceedingly irritable
day to introduce Weymouth to those it the yachting
community who did not chance to know us before.
But on the morning of the club day, the sun rose in
almost a clear sky, and the weather continued favour-
able throughout, with a breeze from the west and
south, which, gentle as it was inside the bay
near the land, was quite enough outside to
make the yachts heel over, and to drive them
iin at ewe,' that promised good sport and an
early finish. The town was AN much en Me air it can
afford to be on bury Saturday, the shipping were
decked with flags, the Pier end (not long thrown open
to the public after repairs) was trimmed with bunting
rainbow fashion, and flags, red, white, and blue,
fluttered all along the railings of the Pier itself. The
harbour had numerous yachts bearing the bargees of
different clubs, and in the Bay were perhaps a score
more, either showing their clubs, flags at their mast-
heads, or the square Iligs which proclaimed they wore
going to race, and reveeled—to those initiated in the
mystery of the cards—their names and owners.
Meamers of the local company were well crowded
with passengers, there were a goodly few at the Pier
end, and the interest shown in yacht racing wee fur-
ther evinced by interested knots of the wise gathered
on the Esplanade had peering with binoculars sea-
ward. Owing to the exceptionally fine weather the
Esplanade and Sands were more than usually
populous, and the scene was gay there, ani on the
slopes of the Nothe, and at the end of the Outer Pier
Extension. A little crowd Fathered near the Ring's
Steps, and a hawker's fair was established between
the drinking fountain and the end of Devonshire
buildings.
About half-past nine Mr. Robert Oakley, the secre.
tary, with Mr. Fitzherbert, Rev. G. Hideout, and
Colonel Swaffield, the committe., were In readiness at
the New Quay End, to go off to 11. M. cutter Skylark,
which Commander Richards had decked with flags, as
the committee boat, the little Georgie, smallest of the
yachts that were to race that day, put out of the
harbour, and the weldappointed steam-latinh of the
Wraith, flying the club bargee, steamed up to the
stens. lbs committee put off to their cutter, and at
10.25 the 'prep iratery gun was tired, which Betel' on the
look-out. The racing yachts were under weigh, and
when at la 30, the starting gun was fired, three of them
swept across the imaginary line fro n the committee
boat to the club-house. They were the Saracens,
Sleuth Hound, and Latona, and in the above order
they set their spinnakers and bore down under press
of canvass for the North Shore, where they bed to go
inside a markboat off Radcliffe Head, round No. 2 if
White Nothe to No. 3 off Lulworth, then round the
Shambles lightship, returning outside the Breakwater
End, by a mark boat moored in Portland Roads, to the
committee boat, and this course wart to be sailed twice
r. und, making the distance 44 mitre. The lightness of
the breeze when near the land appeared to give the
advantage to the smaller yachts, for they seemed to salt
away easily from the great yawl, which, however,
waited her time till she should feel the stronger breeze,
and show her heels to the emager craft. Long before
they clewed the headland which appears to end the
line of cliffs which bound Weymouth Bay to the east-
ward, Semen* and Slew b Hound, each trying to get
the better of the other, found that LaVoie had over-
hauled them both, and when they reached out from
Lulworth towards the Shambles, the procession was
led by the yawl, &macros second, and the little cutter
' last. Latona passed the Shambles at 12 43.35,
Samiena 12.49.20, Sleuth Hound 12.54.30. Hence they
returned outbid° the Breakwater End towards the
committee boat, and here it was that the steamer
returning from I.ulworth gave her passengers an
• excellent opportunity of seeing them, as she had to
• slacken speed in order not to get in the way nf Latona,
which warn bearing down like a bird. with all her sails
swollen out, and not a stitch shaking, until, passing
• the committee boat, she again set her spinnaker. The
first round was completed as follows :—Latona 1.24 23,
' Samena ' 1.31.19 Sleuth Hound 1.39.?). By this time
;
the railing of the smaller yachts had somewhat diverted
attention from the larger trio, which sailed the second
r round without further incident. Latons came
in at 45.38, Saracens, 4.15.55; Sleuth Hound.
4.50.37. L stone had to allow Sammie nearly eight
, minutes, and Semen& to allow Sleuth Hound over 17
, minutes; bit it will be seen they won in the order in
which they came in t—Latona, 47100 Sittlatraa. £5O.
, The committee Ira 1 given notice the third prize would
. nit be given unless five yachts started. Of the other •
• yachts entered, Florinda did not arrive in time, owing
' to having sprung her mainmast. Annasone also did'
not arrive in time, and Enchantress did not put in an
I appearance at all.
SECOND jRACI. —For Cutt.,ri and Yawls of not less
; than IST 'iv. and nit excAdieg 30 Tone. Flying start.:
. Prise Twenty S )vereigna Course—To cross an imaginary
, line fr.= the C mtuitm Boat to the Flagstaff on the Club-
house to the Mark Boat No. 1 off Redcliff Heed, thence
round No. 2 off White Nothe. to No. 4 Mark Boat, not
rounding either No. 3 or the Shambles Lightship, return-
ing outside the Breakwater End, to No. 6 Mark Boat
, moored in Portland Roads, to the Committee Boat. Twice
round, distanee 30 miles.
Rig. Tons. Owner.
Annabel, Cutter 20 H. LMI Oa, IC VI.
Euterpe Cutter 20 A. 0. Itsyb , EN
Frt.d. Cutter F. Taylor, E
7 italic, Cotter 19 T. W. Erten, Pori.
Gorse Catter l T. W. n I wnto , Esq.
Tiiit Au.owa.vce.—Amathea. Freda, and Eutherpe
allow— min. sea
0 id
4 44 •