Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1853-06-15
CLIPPERS, VERSUS, aFULL MoDELs.'

Inc only really satisfactory PROOF, alleT ALI Ol
the superior sailing qualities ofclipper-built ves
sells over those intended rather for carrying than
speed, is in fair trial at sea- side by side, where
each vessel is equally favored, and has fair
chance to do her best. The clipper Sovereign
of the Seas" lately arrived at New York, while
beating up to Sandy Hook, fell in with a large
fleet of inward bound craft of all classes, num-
bering some one hundred sail, all of which were
working dead to windward" in a fine WHOLESALE
breeze The captain of one Of these vessels,
(who would feel highly offended were the name
"Clump" to be applied to his CRAFTY thus relates
upon this OCCASION:
81 was beating up" he says, sin company
with large fleet of vessels the breeze fresh,
and as near ahead as we'll could be. saw in
the offing cloud of canvass, supposed to belong
to some hull but which was so low as not, at
that time, to be visible from my deck. took
it to- be one Of these "long legged clippers
Sandy Hook was distant from u.s. as | judged
about four miles, directly to the wndward. My
vessel worked quite as well as any, and perhaps
trihe better than some of the vessels was in
company with; but this ship astern appeared to
be hauling upon us all very fast so much so
that hardly believed my eyes. She soon came
up, and towering high above us all, stood proud
ly on, the leader of the fleet; each tack across
the bay she made large gains upon all who fol-
lowed her, till at length she passed the Hook
just ahead of my vessel, having gained upon me,
rs | thought seven or eight miles in h dead
beat to windward, of some twelve miles i new
er before realized that such difference could be
in the sailing qualities of two vessels under
equally favorable circumstances.
IT'S true, my vessel was deeply laden, and the
ship in fine sailing trim, but there must have
been some vessels in so numerous fleet that
were equally well trimmed with the clipper;
but she far outdistanced us all, and left us as
though at anchor. A friend of mine-Capt. b.
in command of fine little barque which was in
the fleet, has Stree told me that he tackled ship
with the Sovereign of the Seas outside, and
stood upon two hour tack over towards the
Long Island shore after her, and he states that
the ship passed to the windward of him some
seven miles upon this one tack have been
skeptcal about the speed of these sharp ships
heretofore, though they were not proportionate-
ly fast, &C., but / shall never more boast about
fast sailing by the wind till get aboard of a
regular clipper
1t is generally conceded by nautical men, that
some of our modern built freghting ships, prop
erly trimmed, can perform nearly or quite as
well as the clipper running off the wind" in a
strong breeze. 1t must also be allowed, think,
from our late experience and observation, that
nothing short of clipper can attain the great
est speed "by the wind" The passages made
by some of the latter class show very conclu-
sively their superiority as regards speed, since
of the scores of vessels trading between our
country and England, and the Pacific and East
Indies, composed of every class, no uery rapid
passages have been made by any except first
class clippers.