New Britain herald., 1921-10-13
FISHERMEN'S RACES
 EVENT OF THE YEAR
Great Rivalry Between Boston
 Gloucester BOatmen .

Boston, Oct. 13.-Rivalry between the fishing fleets of Boston and Glou- cester for the honor of defending the international trophy in the fisherman's race of Halifax, N. s., will be put to a test today in the elimination race to select the American defender.
 Both cities have furnished some of the ablest and fastest vessels that have ever flown the American flag. Tines swiftest sailing ship that ever spread canvas to the winds of heaven was launched at Boston.
 This was tho extreme clipper, Lightning, launched at the beginning of the year 1854, from the Boston shipyard of Donsld Mckay, a native of Nova Scotia, and the premier de- signer of American clippers in the classic age of the sailing ship.
 When the rush to che gold fields of Australia was at it's height, James Baines, of Liverpool, Eng. managing owner of the Australian Black Ball line, ordered four ships from Mckay, and all were delivelc-c in 1854. The first and most famous of these ships to take the water was the Lightning, of 2.0S4 tons; quickly followed by the Champion of the Seas, 2.44s tons; the James Baines, 2,515 tons, and the Don aid Mckay 2,598 next to the Great Republic, the largest clipper ever built
 When the Lightning was ready for sea, Baines sent the ablest captain in the Australian Black Ball line James N. Forbes, to take command of her. Forbes had made his reputation as
 commander of the Marco Polo, the fastest clipper built in St. John, New
 Brunswick. He set the pace over the great ocean race course between Liv- erpool and Melbourne, Australia. One of the first shipmasters to fol- low the great circle course into high southern latitudese when running his
 Fasting down." Sailing eastward) Forbes had clipped weeks off the best
 previous passages from England to Australia. Bully" Forbes, as he was | known among sailormen, waa a hard driver of ships and men when at sea though there is no positive evidence | that he was brutal in his methods but ashore he was a mild hammered l man, who regarded himself as an au- | thority on theological matters. In Boston, he met Captain Lauch- l Ian Mckay, who had made some re-
 markable passages in the Sovereign of
 tho Seas and other clippers, and who at the time was out of a command | because the huge clipper, Great Re- public of 4,555 tons, which Donald Mckay, his brother had built to smash the records in the Australian trade, had recently been badly burnt in New York. Forbes got into an argument on theology with Mckay. and as they
 were still disputing when the Light ming Was ready to sail. he invited l Mckay to accompany him on the voy- | age. He wanted to continue the ar
 gument and incidentally have assist ance in handling the latest creation l of the Boston shipyards.
 The Lightning left Boston in mid February, bound for Liverpool. Out side Boston Light the two captains forgot all about their argument and devoted their attention to tuning up the big clipper for the dash across the Atlantic. In the hands of these two noted shipmasters the Lightning put her best foot forward, and delevoped la speed never gotten out of her on subsequent voyages, an unusual thing for a clipper on her maiden voyage. Although she encountered an un- usual percentage of easterly gales for the season of the year she made the run round the north of Ireland to Eagles Island in 10 days, and to the Calf of Man, within 80 miles of Liverpool. in 12 days. and anchored in the Mersey in 13 days 19 hours from Boston.
 At noon on February 28, while bearing up for the North channel with a strong southerly gale sweeping through her tall spars. the Lightning L. made under canvas. During the fol- lowing 24 hours. she carried away her big foresail, main jib and other sails and, with the ship plunging wildly in a heavy sea, it took some time to bend new sails. In spite of this handi- cap, the thoroughbred clipper made a run of 436 nautical miles in 24 hours and won the distinction of leaving be- hind her in a single day more miles of salt water than any other sailing ship that ever ploughed the Seas
 Although Forbes allowed the James Baines to establish the record from Liverpool to Melbourne, 63 days, the Lightning made the record for the return voyage, also 63 days. On this record passage the Lightning was ballasted with $5,000,o00 worth of gold dust and nuggets. She ran B. 722 nautical miles in 10 consecutive days. making 412 miles in one day. Many of the Boston-built clippers made noon to noon runs which marked them as the speediest craft afloat in heavy weather.
 The Sovereign of the Seas ran 424 nautical miles in 24 hours; the Don ald Mckay 421 and the James Baines, | when commanded by a British cap- | tain APO miles.
 The best days run recorded for an
 America Cup racer was that of the Vigilant on a voyage to Scotland, 1 255 nautical miles. After the Amer
 ican clippers abandoned their bid for
 the commercial primacy of the seas.
 the British built clippers made re-
 markable voyages The Thermopylae. l C0NC NCTlD ATTnN CnT1DC C