The Sun.
London, England, 1838-08-15 00:00:00

AQUATICS.

THAMES ROYAL YACHT CLUB.—GRAND SAILING MATCH.—The third,
and. as we understood, the last match for the present smells afford Fsd by
this popular club to such of its members as, being owners of yachts, are
naturally anxious for opportunities of displaying their relative qualities
as sailors, as well as of being successful candidates for the very handsome
prizes in the shape of silver cups and covers which the liberality of the
club is in the habit of offering for competition, took place yesterday, and
perhaps a finer day for aquatic sports never dawned upon tar and canvas.
The consequence was, that the whole tribe of that amphibious race of
beings, whose lives are spent between London and Gravesend when dis.
posed to try the water, and within a circle of ten miles from the Monu-
ment when their disposition tends landwards, were yesterday all afloat at
an early hour. In spite, however, of the fineness of the day and the ge-
neral disposition to spend it in that cheerful mood evinced by young
ducks and cabmen on the approach of wet weather, the chief business of
the day, viz., the sailing match itself, was a lamentable failure in every
respect. It was utterly devoid of interest, and no amusement was afforded
by it, unless that could be called amusement which consisted in the inef.
fectual struggles made by two inferior yachts, which never had a chance
of winning, to catch a crack one, which, except for the first two minutes,
as they say on the turf, " took the lead and kept it" throughout the race.
The match was for a superb silver cup and cover, value 50 guineas, and
we should have thought that so elegant an ornament for a citizen's side.
board would have tempted at least half a dozen more of the members of
the club to have entered their vessels, in the hope of having their healths
drunk in claret from so tempting a goblet. Such, however, was not the
case, and the fact is probably attributable to the knowledge of a circum.
stance we will presently allude to. The start was from a flag-buoy of
Greenwich Hospital, whence the yachts sailed to Gravesend, and then,
after rounning the flag-boat stationed there, returned to Greenwich—
the first arriving there winning the match. At ten o'clock the Venus
steamer, which was engaged by the club for the accommodation of them-
selves and visitors to accompany the yachts to Gravesend and back, left
London Bridge for the station at Greenwich ; and at twenty-six minutes
past eleven the signal gun was fired, and the following vessels immediately
hoisted sail and started :

Yachts. Tons. Port. Owners. Distinguishingcolours
Lady Louisa... 13 London... T. Smith, Esq Blue. •
Petrel
Ada Jane lB Ditto T.T. Hewes, Esq... Blue with red cross.
The Petrel first got away, but was almost immediately passed by the
Ada Jane, and very s ton afterwards the Lady Louisa also gave her the
go-by to windward, and she at once showed that all her chance of winning
the cup had gone for ever. Two circumstances, however, which occur-
red, removed from her the apparent impossibility of being successful
under which her heavy sailing had placed her in the opinion of the all-
wise on these matters. The first of these circumstances we will here
allude to in its proper place. It was that the Ada Jane sailed under a
protest, her owner having made some alteration In her which rendered
her above the proper tonnage, and consequently disqualified her from
becoming the possessor of the prize—at least for the present. The yachts
proceeded to Gravesend and rounded the 11.1 g-boat in the order in which
we have before m mtioned. On their return, however,.be Lady Louisa
was fast gaining upon the Ada Jane, and, in short, was on the point of
passing her in Gravesend Reach, when her mast unfortunately snapped
in two, owing to the too great weight of canvass with which it was evi-
dently loaded. In this discouraging predicament she, of course, dropped
astern, and was taken in tow by the steamer. This was the second cir-
cumstance which, by
leaving the Petrel, the only remaining antagonist
of the saucy Ada Jane, gave bet- a chance, though we confess but a lame
one, of obtaining the prize, for at twelve minutes to six the saucy Jane

in question passed the buoy at Greenwich, snd, several minutes after-
wards, the Petrel followed. Theowner of the former immediately claimed
the prize, which, however, the Commodore (W. H. Harrison, Esq.) re-
fused to give up to him, in consequence of the protest which had been
entered against his yacht at starting. Mr. Hewes, notwithstanding the
fact of this protest being well founded, still contended that he was en-
titled to the cup, inasmuch as his vessel had been allowed to start. The
members of the club present appeared to be divided in opinion upon the
point, and it was ultimately left for the decision of their next monthly
meeting, at which it will he determined whether the cup shalt be sailed
for again, Mr. Hewes reducing his yacht within the proper tonnage, or
whether the prize shall be awarded to the Petrel. To the decision of the
club we leave the affair; at the same time we may be allowed to express
a hope that another contest may take place for the prize, in order that
the principle of delur optima may be acted upon, as well as that we may
have another opportunity of spending a delightful day among these merry
aquatics, and also of again recording our sense of the politeness and hos-
pitality which we have ever experienced at the hands of the Commodore
and various members of this spirited club.