The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-06-20 00:00:00

THE ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.
DARING RACE.

On Tuesday last, the vessels belonging to the Royal
Mersey Yacht Club, up to thirty-five tons register, sailed
for three prizes, for the three several classes ; and the
event excited considerable interest amongst the lovers of
aquatics. The Commodore, (T. Littledale, Esq.,) who
is warmly devoted to the manly art of yacht-sailing, ap-
propriated his beautiful craft, " The Queen of the Ocean,"
as the flag-ship, and she was decorated with the flags of
the club and her own distinguishing colours. The course
was the Egerton Course, from this vessel, (anchored
abreast of the Rock Ferry,) to the Bell Buoy and back.
Six yachts had entered ; but one of them, "The Anta-
gonist," did not arrive from London in time, owing to
stress of weather. The race was, however, splendid, the
day being breezy, and withal squally,--tlis whole fleet
being put to their utmost stretch of nautical guidance
and manoeuvre.

The wind was from the W.N.W., with a lowering aspect
of the sky, and a summer gale supervened. Opposite
to the Rock, a heavy sea set in, with squalls overland
foreboding heavy weather. All but one of the boats
started with a single reef. On passing the Rock, a heavy
and curling cross sea was to be encountered, which
threatened, and afterwards proved to be, " too much of a
good thing," for the smaller craft. Nevertheless, even
these carried on and accomplished the entire course. In
the chapter of accidents, the perils they had to encounter
were truly fearful ; but they all stood it out, to use a mo-
dern phrase, " like bricks," the misfortunes of one yacht
being sport for the others.
The first accident occurred to the Hebe. A man, who
was on the bobstay, setting right some of the gearing,
was pitched off, and went right under the vessel's bottom.
The commodore in the steamer instantly ordered a boat
to be lowered, and it made to the spot where the man was
struggling " like a strong swimmer in his agony." The
crew of the boat, by great exertions, and under great
peril of their own lives, succeeded in picking him up.
The ladies in the steamer which accompanied the yachts,
were considerably alarmed, but were finally gratified by
the gallantry displayed, and the extraordinary escapement
from the jaws of death which occurred. The second
mishap was thus:—One of the men belonging to the Gem
was out on the jibboom, when, by a sudden lurch of the
vessel, he was thrown off; but he was rescued by the cap-
tain, who, taking hold of a rope, leaped overboard, took
hold of him, and the two were dragged upon deck, having
sustained no injury except from the sanatory influence of
a cold bath. One of the crew of Mr. Alefling's yacht,
the Seagull, was also hitched overboard, but he too was
safely rescued.
The Ranger (a yacht of the third class) having taken
'the start against her competitors, dashed on with a heavy
press of canvass, and during one of the squalls drove
completely through a heavy sea, which for a time left no
part of her hull visible from the steamship,—the men
clinging to her rigging, and to all appearance smothered
up and unredeemable. She, however, weathered it all,
roaring on ploughing the surf up as if she despised its
opposition. As seen from the steamer, the whole fleet
carrying on almost to temerity, presented a beautiful
coup d' ceil.
After a spirited contest, and at all risks, the yachts
rounded the Bell-buoy in the following order :—Enigma,
25 tons, .Ih. 21m. Iss. ; Ranger, 12 tons, lb. 57m. 15s. ;
Gem, 12 tons, lh. 59.255. ; Hebe, 15 tons, 111.59 m. 455. ;
Zephyr, 29 tons, 2h. 7m. 30s. ; Seagull, 30 tons, 211.11 m.
30s. The last-named yacht accidentally lost her pump-
spear overboard, and in consequence of so much water
getting into her held, chiefly from the cockpit, she was
thrown hors'de combat: s s

On rounding the Bell-buoy, the Hebe lost her jibboom,
but still manfully carried on. The whole fleet returned
with flowing sheets before a heavy sea and a summer gale.
Their appearance, when coming up the estuary, excited
the attention and admiration of several nautical gentle-
men, and crowds of parties on the pierheads. After a
rapid run, which the steamer had much to do to keep pace
with, the yachts arrived in the annexed order :—Enigma,
:3h. 30m. Os. ; Ranger, 4h. lm. Os. ; Zephyr, 4h. 3m..2.55. ;
•Gem, 4h. 9m. 15s. ; Hebe, 4h. 9m. 455. ; Seagull, 4h.
15m 355. .

The state of the weather was congenial to the sailing
qualities of the Enigma, as she is a vessel which delights
in a heavy breeze. Though only belonging to the second
class of vessels in size, she won the first class prize,
namely, a handsome silver punchbowl and two ladles.
The second prize, a massive silver salver, was won by the
Ranger, also a stout little boat. The. Zephyr, a vessel
also adapted to the strength of the breeze, won a silver
claret jug; and we congratulate the owner, who has ex-
pended much in lengthening and improving the yacht, in
this instance of his success.
The prizes were presented by the Commodore, on board
of the steamer, in the usual form.
Several of the fine yachts belonging to the club, The
Drift,.ss tons, The Vicion, 45 tons, The Water Wyvern,
44 tons, and others, were also out, but were not engaged
in the race.

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