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

The Mermaid

page 180

The Mermaid.

Race with Red Jacket.

Like many of the ships built across the Atlantic, the Mermaid, a clipper of 1326 tons, was a beautiful craft. She hailed Nova Scotia as her birth-place, and early in the fifties was chartered by the White Star Line to run to Australian ports. It was while in this trade that she had a great race with the famous Red Jacket, in 1854. She sailed from London 24 hours before the Red Jacket, but on May 10 the two ships were in company off Oporto, and kept close together as far as Teneriffe. From the Line, writes Mr. Basil Lubbock, in his book, "Colonial Clippers," the Red Jacket steered a more westerly course, and experienced light and variable winds, whilst the Mermaid was better treated, and reached the latitude of the Cape five days ahead. From there she still held better winds, being actually 1397 miles ahead of the Red Jacket on June 15.

At the end of the month Captain Reid, of the Red Jacket, determined, in spite of the fact that it was the depth of winter, to stand far to the southward, hoping to find more wind. He got all he wanted, and did some remarkable sailing. On the 8th and 9th of July the ship covered 707 miles in 48 hours, and on the 6th of the same month no less than 400 miles in 24 hours. the Red Jacket won the race. She arrived in Melbourne in 69 days 11 hours. the Mermaid, which ran her easting down much further to the northward, did the passage in 74½ days.

In 1859 the Mermaid was put into the New Zealand trade, but she was never lucky enough to make any sensational runs on the outward passages. In 1862 she ran from Lyttelton to the Channel in 75 days, and was berthed at the dock on the 78th day out. When the Mermaid arrived in Lyttelton in December, 1862, she had made the round voyage in eight months, of which two months were spent in London discharging and reloading. On that voyage and subsequently the Mermaid was flying the house flag of Shaw, Savill and Co., by whom she was chartered.

When the Mermaid arrived at Lyttelton in 1864 all the ships in harbour gave Captain Rose a hearty welcome. The "Lyttelton Times," reporting the event, stated: "The ships in harbour looked very gay with all their bunting, as if dressed for some holiday occasion, when the Mermaid dropped anchor. The ships Derwentwater, Canterbury, and Annie Wilson saluted with their 16-poundera and dipped their ensigns. Captain Rose responded to the compliment, the crew and passengers joining with a right good hearty cheer." On this occasion the Mermaid brought 380 passengers. She had a remarkably fine weather passage out, and one of the passengers said "there was scarcely one evening but we could dance on deck."

On the arrival of the Mermaid in 1868 Captain Rose landed for the Acclimatisation Society several pairs of English songsters, including blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, goldfinches, larks, etc., with one exception all in excellent health. Another consignment of English songsters arrived by the same ship in 1866 and 1867. When in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin, Captain Rose and his officers had an anxious time avoiding thirty huge icebergs.

the Mermaid suffered considerable damage in the Southern ocean on the passage out in 1868. During one severe storm she shipped heavy seas, which flooded the between decks and saloon, several sails were split, and the main yard carried away. Very unsettled weather continued until passing the Snares.

The record of her New Zealand passages is as under:—

To Auckland.
Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days.
July 11 Oct. 19, '59 White 100
* Nov. 22, '60 Kerr
Sep. 3 Dec. 16, '61 H. Rose 101
To Lyttelton.
Dec. 27, '62 Rose 81
Nov. 15, '63 Feb. 16, '64 Rose 93
Oct. 26, '64 Jan. 21, '65 Rose 86
Oct. 1, '65 Jan. 1, '66 Rose 92
Sep. 16 Jan. 5, '67 Rose 81
Oct. 5, '67 Jan. 2, '68 Rose 89
Oct. 6, '68 Jan. 8, '69 Rose 94
*

* On this occasion the Mermaid sailed from London for Melbourne, making the passage in 81 days, and then she came on to Auckland partly in ballast.