The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

YACHT RACE.

A novel and exciting match between two cutter yachts
commenced yesterday on the waters of the Solent. Mr
Josiah Jones and Mr Thomas Seddon, members of the
Mersey Royal Yacht Club, determined to wind up their
year's sailing with a match between their cutters Thought
and Torpid, three days' racing, the vessel winning two days
out of three to be the winner ; each yacht to be sailed with
fore and aft sails only, to be fitted complete, with boats, &c.,
and to carry in her hold 17 tons of lead ballast ; the winner
of the match to take both yachts, with £2OO stakes. The
Thought, the property of Mr Jones, is 15 years old, timber
built and coppered, 28 tons Thames measurement, and is
celebrated for her racing qualities. The Torpid is a new
-vessel, built of iron and steel, by Messrs Summers and
Day, of Southampton, and having been but a short time in
the water, nothing of course was known of her qualities,
except that she was expressly designed and built for a
thorough clipper. The Medina steamer, from Southampton,
was hired to accompany the yachts over each day's course,
and the starting post was to be at the two cutter yachts
Banshee and Astarte (the former belonging to Mr Jones
and the latter to Mr Seddon), moored off the end of Ryde
pier, the two competing craft starting from between these
two vessels, and finishing their course at the same point.
The first day's racing was twice round the Rcyal Victoria
Yacht Club course, the second round the Isle of Wight,
and the third again twice round the Victoria course. If
one vessel won the first and second day's race, of course
her owner became the owner of both vessels and the money
staked.
The Medina steamer, with a large company on board, and
with the two umpires, arrived at Ryde pier at 10 a.m., and
at 10 20 the vessels were started, the Thought with one
reef down in her mainsail, second jib and foresail, and jib-
headed topsail. The Torpid carried her whole mainsail,
with a balloon foresail. The wind was about W.S.W., fresh,
with a breezy look overhead, and the tide flood. The yachts
on the signal being given ran up their headsails, and, cant-
ing round, commenced their course eastward, the Torpid
being first oft and taking a clear lead of two lengths,
The wind lulled somewhat in running down to the Roman
fort staging, and the Torpid, with her larger spread of can-
vass, drew on her antagonist. In hauling up the wind
after passing the Norman, the wind again freshened, and the
little craft tore along with their lee gunwales wall awash.
The wind came in puffs as the Nab lightvessel (the eastern
cud of the course) was neared, at times giving as much as
the vessels could carry, when the Thought would seem to
gain on the Torpid, the latter, however, going along hand-
somely under the pilotage of thin ell-known Jaek Nicholls.
The Thought was under the piage of Herbert. The Nab
was reached and jibbed on the port hand as follows :
Torpid, 11h smin 17see ; Thought, 11h 6min 48sec. It was
ticklish work jibbing over the immense booms with the lee
bulwarks under water, but captains and pilots were old
hands at the business, and it was gallantly done. Main- ,
sheets were now hauled well aft as the course was laid west-
ward, the Thought keeping the same sail set, but the Torpid
soon after jibbing sent down her topsail and housed her top-
mast, and was soon found to be doing better without it, and
increasing her lead. Tho Thought very soon afterwards
followed suit, for her topsail for some time had been of no
great service. In lulling, on passing the Noman, another
pull was took at main and head sheets. At this point of the
race the Torpid seemed the more powerful vessel of the two,
and to be steadily although slowly increasing her lead. At
11h 35min she went about a made a oard inshore, but
the Thought was kept on hernd reach until 11h 46min, when
she made a short board inshore toards the Hy
likeda e sand.
The Torpid was now going through ht he water spirit,
winning hand over hand, and utterly belying her name by
toroving that she possessed nothing " torpid" in her nature
the presence of a fresh breeze. When the Thought went
about ass 2h 7min in Ryde roads, just to windwa
.W.,rd of start-
s' the To was standing down N with her
lug Yep