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

The Ulcoats

page 355

The Ulcoats.

the Ulcoats, one of the White Star ship, was an iron barque of 671 tons, built at Liverpool in 1863. She made her maiden trip to Auckland, leaving London on September 29, 1863, with 137 passengers, and arriving at Auckland on January 22, 1864, making the passage in 115 days, a very good run for a vessel of her size. Captain Chambers, who was in command, reported that owing to very adverse weather in the Channel, where she was detained eight days, and subsequent light winds, the vessel was thirty days fetching Madeira. She experienced good north-east and south-east trade winds, and on December 10 passed the meridian of the Cape, running down her longitude in the menu parallel of 46deg south, with strong winds and fine weather with the exception that on December 22 she encountered a cyclone, in which fore and main topsails and lifeboat were lost. Cape Maria Van Dieman was sighted on January 10; thence the barque was baffled on the coast with light airs and calms, the vessel taking another 12 days to reach Auckland. Among the passengers by the Ulcoats on this voyage were Mr. Wesley Spragg and others who have made good citizens. the Ulcoats, after discharging, sailed for Port Chalmers, arriving there on March 13, 1864. She landed 54 passengers for Dunedin, and then loaded at that port for London.

the Ulcoats made another voyage to Auckland the following year. She sailed from London on March 3, and arrived at Auckland on June 26, 1865 115 days from Gravesend. She encountered a heavy gale when running down her easting, during which she suffered considerable damage. To prove she was a clipper under favourable conditions, she covered over 300 miles on three separate days when in the Southern Ocean.