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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

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A vessel that several correspondents have written to me about was the ship Portland, and one of them claimed for her the record passage to New Zealand. That she was an exception to the usual style of slow ships voyaging to Auckland in the early sixties is shown by the fact that in 1863 she did the passage from Gravesend in 83 days in command of Captain Thomas. Up to that time this passage certainly stood as a record, but it has been beaten frequently since. The next best passages up to 1863 were the 86 days of the ship Spray of the Ocean, Captain Slaughter, Deal to Auckland, the last-mentioned port being reached on September 1, 1859; and the 88 days which the Ida Zeigler, Captain Reynolds, took between Plymouth and Auckland, November, 1862.

It was on the Portland's first visit to Auckland that she did the voyage in 83 days. She left Gravesend on the last day of April, 1863, took her departure from the Lizard on May 2, and 20 days later had crossed the Equator. The meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was passed on June 15. Her experience on this trip is a good instance of the effect of great circle sailing—which is always more or less of a mystery to the landsman, as it seems the longest way round instead of what it really is—the shortest. the Portland, although bound for the top end of New Zealand passed to the south of New Zealand, and the first land she sighted was Castle Point, between Wellington and Napier. On July 22 she reached Auckland 83 days out, and her passage was such a good one that she arrived before the advices reached the consignees. On this trip the Portland brought 181 passengers and the usual general cargo.