It would have been difficult to pick a better day, as far as weather is concerned, than Saturday was for the opening race of the season of the Shanghai Yacht Club. The start oe apm, some usual imaginary li the course it Fiver, luting round s stake-best, moored about two miles up the Seven-mile reach, and back to the starting line, It was the top of flood tide, and there was a strong south-casterly breeze blowing, while there were just enough clouds in the sky to prevent the sun shining with inconvenient strength on the crews of the yachts, of which four came out to fight for the promised $20. By the terms of the handicap, the Clutha and Undine were allowing the Thistle 16, and the Ariadne 16 minutes. The Clutha has had a 3-ton lead keel added to her since
of it by giving her old antagonist, the she last raced, and she shewed the benefit Tndine, a handsome beating. "The Thistle started first, getting away exactly as the gun fired, but owing to some misapprehen+ sion, she was just above the line at the time, and did not' understand the signals made to her to come This mistake disqualifed her, which is the more to be regretted, as she would have won by her time allowance, if she had been in the race, The official times of crossing the lino were as under The Undine and Ariadne had each one reef in, the other two yachts carrying whole sail. The Clutha crossed officially at 2h. 5m. Os., but by actual time it was fully 3} minutes after this, so that she had to make up eight minutes on the Undine to catch her at the stake boat, Actually the Undine was about ten seconds behind the Thistle, It was a regular nose-ender up to the junks, and just before they were reached, the and the Undine passed her, taking the Thistle was put about by a native boat,
lead. After Tunkadoo Dock was passed, the yachts were able to lay their course to the top of the Arsenal reach, at the bottom of which the'Clutha picked up and passed e Ariadne, In the Pagoda Reach the Thistle, which was sailing better than ever before, succeeded on the starboard tack in making the Undine under her stern, but the position of the two boats was re-where the Thistle was making very. heavy versed again in the short reach above, weather of it, and taking in water freely. The Clutha, which was in splendidly under whol coming up fast, and burying herself so that she decided to passed ber, and got well on the heels of the luff up and take in a reef, the Clutha
dine, which was also having the way knocked off her by the heavy seas, The Ariadne, which will not beat under reefed canvass, waa a long way astern, At the bottom of the Seven-mile reach, all the three leading yachts were dipping their bowsprits into the seas, and here the Clutha weathered the Undine, but in one dip the end of her spinnaker boom, which was lying along her bowsprit, caught the water the boom broke off short against the rigging. While the Clutha was luffed up to recover the wreck, the Undine passed her again, Just below the stake-boat the having it of way. The Undine went two yachts met on opposite tacks, the Clutha about to the shore, and the Clutha towards the stakeboat, thus getting the
follows and the mark was rounded as Clutha.. Undine Thistle. Ariadne It was a fair wind home and slack water, the ebb making inshore. The Undine and
were squared away to port, and spinnaker Thistle shook out their reefs. "Main haoma booms to starboard, the Ciuiha, whose spine naker boom was disabled, making up for its absence with balloon jib and gaff topsail. Inthe reach above the Pagoda she succeeded in setting her spinnaker-boom, considerably reduced in length, and the four yachts came flying down over the ebb, maintain. ing the order in which they had rounded
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.