The first race of the season took place on Saturday the course being from the usual starting line, round a stakeboat mured off the Kajao Creek and return. Distanes 15 nautical miles. The Alone being a 3.1 rater had to allow the other boats 3 minutes 10 seconds.
Phere was a strong southerly breeze and all the boats had reefs down. The Lamb was first. across the starting line followed by the Alone, Violet and Spoondrift in the following order Tamb 30m.
Alone 31m.
Violet. 32m.
Spoor. h. 32m.
With the flood tide against them all the boats hugged the Pootung shore up to nent Boyd's Duck when they crossed over to the Waterworks where the Spoondrift was ahead of the Violet and shortly afterwards succeeded in passing the Alone to windward, The latter boat soon after this had to lower her sail half-way down to avoid being overpowered by the wind although booms were already well off. After passing the Point House the wind was brought dead aft and the strong breeze against the flood tide had raised a nice little sea. The boats were here exposed to the full force of the wind which seemed to have increased and came every now and then in fierce gusts, and this together with the tumble made steering anything but an easy operation, All the boats were going more or less wildly, the Lamb appearing to make better weather of it than the others owing probably to her having a small jib set as a naker, Vithin about a mile of the stakeboat the spoondrift, which up to here had only one reef down, was compelled to lower her sail further and shortly after this she antely accomplished the gype that was necessary before reaching the stakeboat, In the meantime the Violet had been falling further and further behind owing to her being likewise overpowered, but being unable to lower her sail as the other boats had done—a practical exemplification of the handiness of the battened sai The stakeboat was rounded as follows Lamb Sh. 46m. 63s, Spoondrift. 3h. 50m. 00s.
Alone 3h. Sim. 00s, Violet 3h. 56m, 30s, It was now almost a dead beat to the Point and with the sea that was on it rather wet work, but more like real sail it than we usually had an opportunity of experiencing in the races here, The Spoowhift here showed herself to be capable boat to windward as before long she crossed ahead of the Lamb and assumed the lend, both leaving the Alone fast. The Violet whose difficulties were over after rounding the stakeboat soon began to her wonderful windward quality by gai on the leaders, and by the time the Point was reached she had succeeded in passing the Lanb.
The Spoondrift, however, still had a good lead and gith the wind free for the rest of the journey the result was, bar accidents, a foregone conclusion.
Soon after passing the Point, the water being here smooth and the wind lighter, the Spoondrift shook out her reef and maintained her lead uneventfully to the winning line, thus securing her maiden race.
The winning boat was steered by Captain J. P. Roberts, a fact which contributed very largely to her success.
The official time of the finish is as follows Spoondrift hn. 26m. 00s. Violet 28m. 00s. Alone Sh. 45m, 405, Land "5h, 30m, Bas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.