The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-12 00:00:00

AQUATICS.

ROYAL VICTORIA YACHT CLUB.
Wednesday's proceedings consisted of the sailing of the
yachts belonging to the club, in divisions under flag officers,
and the annual dinner at the Club•house in the evening.
The dinner was a ',lost successful affair, upwards of 90
members and their fr ends having sat down. The toasts,
after "the Queen," by the Commodore, and "the Prince
the Princess of Wales and the Royal Family," by the Vice-
Commodore, included "prosperity to the Royal Victoria
Yacht Club," coupling with it the name of Commodore
Thellusson, given by the Vice-C.mmedore, Lord Burghley.
Commodore Thellusson, in responding, gave "prosperity to
all other yacht clubs," coupling with it the names of Earl
Vane and Mr A. Arcedeckne, the Commodore of the Royal
Thames Yacht Club. "The health of the secretary of the
R, V. Y C., Capt. Mackinnon," war proposed in highly
complimentary terms by Earl Vane.
Yesterday's programme consisted of the race for
The Ladies Plate, value £5O, given by the Ladies of Ryde
Open to all yachts belonging to R V.Y.C. Time race,
half Ackera's scale. Thames measurement,

The following vessels were entered :—Mat ins, cutter, 63
tots, Mr J. C. Morice—Emily, schooner, 60 tons, Mr E. B
Liebert—Albertine, schooner, 153 tons, Lord Londesborough
—Madcap, schooner, 74 tons, Mr J. S. A. Dunbar—Vo-
lante, cutter. 60 tone, Mr Maudeley—Osprey, cutter, 50
tons, Mr F. S. Stanley Vestal, schooner, 74 tons, Sir B
Chichester—Galatea, schooner, 131 tone, Mr T.Broadwood
—and North Star, cutter, 21 tons, Mr. A, H. Dandy.
The allowance of time wes—Marina to allow Albertine 2
min 42 see ; ditto Volante 1 min 15 sec ; Volante to allow
Albertine 1 win 25 sec. Course—from Hyde pier to the Nab
lightvessel, thence to the West buoy of the middle, thence
in to Ryde pier ; twice round.

Of the nine vessels entered only three started—the Ma.
rina, Albertine, and Vetante. The start was effected at 10
a.m., with the wind light from the N N.E., with the tide
flood and the commencement of the course to the eastward.
The Marina took a good lead, followed by the schooner,
with Volante last. The Noman Fort staging
was passed by
the Marina at 10h 24m 20s, the Albertine at 10h 25m 40e,
and the Volante at 10h 27,11 15s. In running past the
Warner the Albertine and Volento luffed off,
apparently
playing with each other, a circumstance the Marina took
advantage of by keeping a straight course for the Nab and
increasing her lead. The breeze now freshened a trifle from
the N E., and the Albertine and VulAnte made close after
the Marina for the Nab. The bretz3 again fell, and when
the three vessels were about half way between the Noreen
and the Nab they lay nearly becalmed for some time. At
20 minutes past 11 the Volante brought up a light breez..
from N. W, with her, and passed the Galatea, taking second
place. By the aid of these light airs the Nab was at length
reached, and the Volante was round first, although the
Marina had been down there some minutes before her, but
was jammed by the tide for want of wind. Jibing their
booms
e.7er on their post quarters they rounded the light
vessel as follows :—Volante, 11h 57m 40s; Galatea, 12h
2m 58 ; Marina, 12h 3m 18s.

At 2 15 p.m. the three vessels had only reaohed to the
westward as far as the middle of Stoke's •bay (about one halt
the first round), the Volante being first, Galatea second,
and
Matins last—about three-quarters of a mile separating the
first vessel from the last, The wind was then very light.
from
atspa aboutsNs W.N.W. Soon afterwardsth the wind came it
c ,
from nearly every point of e compass, the Al ariu.
standing towards Osborne under the influence from one
out (loads, s whileho
re. A
the
ar
Volante and Albertine
stood
near Eaglehnrst showed the true breeze, and this the two
of
for Cowesthe
opposite
last named vessels caught at 3 15, smartish from W.N. W.,
and at ono.: tacked and stood for the buoy of the middle,
in a line parallel wd the hland, • fi-,
"e Marina having nov
been placed unfortunately, by her tack in for Osborne, a
long way astern. The Volante and Albertine kept the
breeze, which grew fresh under the land
„ and rounded the
buoy thus :—Volante, 4
3h _3ln ; Atieert ine, 3h Sim ; Marius,
4h 5m 455. Coming up from the buoy for Ryde Roads, the
yachts brought up with them quite a fresh wind from
W.S.W., which ran them over the weatgoing tide in
oapital style, and Rj de pier head was pasoed, and the
first round completed by the Volante at 4h 31m 37s
Albertine, 4h 33in 40a ; Marina, 4h sfine 22a. Two
minutes before passing the Albertine had the misfortune
to carry away her jib-boom close to the hewaprit iron, de-
priving her of the services of her balloon-jib, to make up
as far as possible for which she set her fnreataysail and a
flying maintopmast and staysail. Tao wind was veering
about between W.S.W. and W.N W., but
it kept up its
strength as the yachts ran down for the Nab, the Volante
passing the Notnan 2w. 10s ahead of Albertine, and the
Marina at the same time just completing her
first round.
The Nab was luffed round for the second and last time by
the Volante, at sh. 22m. 20s. ; Albertine, sh, 20m. 70.;
Marina, sh. 48w. 355.
The wind rather moderated as the yachts approached Spit-
head from the Nab, and as the rules of the Royal Victoria
Yacht Club specify that any race not completed by sun-
down must be considered null and void, and sailed over
again another day, there was a probability that the race
would not be brought to a conclusion yesterday if the wind
should head the yachts or far, off in strength down the west
channel. At 615 p.m. the Albertine, with a temporary
jibboom rigged out and jib set, was standing down through
the western end of Stokes Bay, with the Volante a short
distance to windward. The race was now very close be-
tween the two, and it was impossible to say
(makingallow-
ance for the time to be given by the Volante to the Alber-
'ine) which had the best of it, the cutter or the schooner.
The Marina was astern far enough to be considered quite
out of the race. _ _

The Allyrtine won the Ladies Priz3 by lm. 10s.

The Ladies' Plate is an elaborately chased silver ink-
stand in the Etruscan style, containing three beauti‘u'
Greek vases, beaded and wreathed with antique scroll.
The pen-trays surrounding it are richly ornamented with
floral designs of groat beauty. The selection of this ele-
gant and usetul prize does credit to the good taste of the
committee. The whole weighs upwards of 90,)z., and was
supplied by Mr Barnard, silversmith, Ryde, It bears the
inscriprion :—" The Ladies' Plate, presented to
the Regatta at the R. V. Yacht Club, 1864.',

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.—The Prince of
Waks h6s declined tha invitation of the Corpora-
tion of Bath t') visit their city during the meeting of the
British Association. His Royal Highness gives as the
reason the engagements ha had pravionely for the month of
September,