THE QUICK TRIP OF VALKYRIE III FROM SCOTLAND

Category: VALKYRIE III

03369V August 19, 1895 : The Run Required 21 Days 9 Hours and 80 Minutes, Average 129 Miles Per Day.

A reporter for The New-York Times boarded Valkyrie before she came in anchor, and the story of her trip across was gathered from talks with Capts. Cranfield and Sycamore, and from the log kept by the Navigating Officer, James Harrison.

Her passage from Malin Head, where she dropped her tug, on the other side, to Sandy Hook, 2.770 nautical miles, took her 21 days, 9 hours, and 30 minutes, an average of 129 miles a day.
The Vigilant last April made 2,934 miles, from The Lizard to Sandy Hook, in 18 days, 1 hour, and 40 minutes, a daily average of 168 miles, but the Vigilant had more favorable weather than the Valkyrie III. has experienced.


July 27- The Valkyrie left the other side on the afternoon of Saturday, July 27. She finished adjusting at 1:30 P.M., and at 2:40 she left Gourock in tow of the tug Vanguard. The wind at first was easterly, becoming variable later. At 3 A. M. she put Rathlin Island abeam, and at 9 let go her towboat and set her course northwest by west half west. At noon there was a fresh breeze blowing and the weather was cloudy with a heavy northwest swell. The wind had change to N-NW and was blowing strongly.
July 28- The same wind prevailed the following day, July 28, and her course was laid west half south. It was cloudy during the day and a fresh breeze and northwest swell kept her pitching as on the day before.
Later in the day it became squally. The vessel rolled from side to side, with her sails flapping heavily. On July 29 the prevailing winds were northwest by west by north-northwest. The vessel continued to roll in a high northwest swell, with her sails flapping to windward. That day she made 127 miles, her run the day before having been 148 miles.
July 30- On the morning of July 30 the Valkyrie hailed along with light, variable breezes and squally weather. The wind shifted to northwest by west to west, and then to west by south. The breeze was light during the day accompanied by a northwest swell, and the Valkyrie added only eighty-three miles the distance she had traveled.
July 31- On the morning of July 31 the winds were still light and variable. The weather was squally with rain.
During the forenoon a moderate breeze sprang up, and blew west by south. The general direction of the Valkyrie’s course during the day was NW.
At 3 P. M. the wind began to freshen, blowing then north by west. This was the beginning of a series of strong winds and rough weather that kept the two Captains and their British sailors busy for several days. During the afternoon the Valkyrie reefed her sails, but nevertheless she covered 151 miles, her best day’s run up to that time.
Aug. 1- At noon on Aug. 1 a moderate gale was blowing from the northwest, the sky was overcast, and the sea was already roughening up. By 4 o'clock a heavy sea was running, and the Valkyrie was scudding along under shortened sail. Her run that day was 204 miles, which, with one exception, was her best record for any day.
Aug. 2- The next day the gales continued, with a heavy sea, running, and for several hours the vessel lay hove to, laboring heavily. At 3:30 A. M. she got under way again and tacked toward the west.
Heavy squalls and a very high confused sea prevailed, and the Valkyrie continually shipped large quantities of water. By noon of Aug. 2 the wind had begun to moderate.
The gale, which was still considerable, came from the northwest and north-northwest. A very high sea kept the yacht rolling and pitching heavily and shipping much water over all. The run for Aug. 2 was only 81 miles.
Aug. 3- The weather continued very rough during the night, and at 3 A. M. on Aug 3 the wheel ropes and the pin of the running tackleblock were carried away. The Valkyrie continued to ship water by the barrelful.
The winds came from the northwest and north, and the Valkyrie’s course was laid for most of the day west by south. At 6 o'clock P. M. the gale was moderating, and the sea had gone clown somewhat. That night the Valkyrie made pretty good weather, and her run for the day was 160 miles.
Aug. 4- At 2 A. M., on Aug. 4, the Valkyrie passed an unknown steamer bound west, to which she showed her night signals. At daybreak the sky was overcast and rain fell.
During the forenoon a strong and increasing breeze came from the north, and the Valkyrie headed up to the northwest. At 11 A. M. she was compelled to heave to, and for several hours a fresh gale, with very high seas, kept the vessel laboring heavily.
This continued until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when the gale moderated and the Captain kept his ship away, pitching and rolling heavily and shipping much water in the still high sea. Run for the day : 93 miles.


Aug. 5- At 9 A. M. Capt. Cranfield shook out his reefs, and at noon he tacked to the west, and at the end of the day had added ninety-one miles to the distance from Gourock.
Aug. 6- At 6 A. M., the Valkyrie spoke the German steamer Rotterdam, bound west, in latitude 50.20 degrees north, longitude 30.05 degrees west. Light, variable airs prevailed during the day, the sky was overcast and hazy, and the vessel rolled and pitched with sails flapping heavily in a high, confused swell.
During the evening it rained continuously. The Valkyrie’s run for the day was 123 miles.
Aug. 7- All of the next day strong northwesterly winds prevailed. Her course was laid west by north, one-half north, and in the twenty-four hours the number of miles made was only eighty-one.
Aug. 8- On the morning of Aug. 8, the sea went down somewhat, and the mainsail was lowered for repairs, but within an hour and a half it was in proper trim again to catch the moderate northerly breezes with which the day began. The winds were variable and rather light, but on the whole were very favorable ones, and on this day the Valkyrie made her best day's run of 219 miles.
Aug. 9- The wind increased after midnight, and at 4 o'clock A. M. the yacht lost her jib topsail sheet. which was carried away. (The next day) the Valkyrie ran 129 miles in a strong northwesterly breeze, and as evening came on she encountered a heavy rain. The wind suddenly fell to a light breeze, with a thick fog prevailing.
Aug. 10- On the following day the breeze freshened somewhat, coming from the southwest, and later from the southeast, but the haze continued thick. The Valkyrie covered 189 miles that day, making a total of 537 miles for the three consecutive days.
Aug. 11- The fog had cleared in the forenoon, and the Valkyrie bowled along in a gentle northeasterly breeze. At 2:30 P. M. she was again shut in by a thick fog. At 4:30 she left the Cape Race Lighthouse abeam, half a mile distant. She signaled Cape Race an hour later when the fog had begun to lift. Owing principally to the fog, her day's run was only eighty-three miles. A fresh breeze sprang up at midnight, bringing with it a heavy rain.
Aug. 12- At 8:25 A. M., on Aug. 12, the Valkyrie left Cape Pine abeam seven miles distant. Moderate southeasterly breezes prevailed and in a smooth sea the Valkyrie cleared 140 miles, holding her course west by north.
Aug. 13- A strong but shifting breeze prevailed, and in a rough sea the Valkyrie added 173 miles more to her score.
Aug. 14- The next morning a high confused swell set the vessel to rolling heavily, with her sails flapping in a northwesterly wind which carried her 154 miles further along on her westward voyage.
Aug. 15- The conditions were about the same next day, and the Valkyrie chipped off 145 miles more of the distance separating her from her goal.
Aug. 16- In the moderate breeze and thick fog, with the weather conditions, the Valkyrie's run for the day was 140 miles.
Aug. 17- At 4 A. M., the Valkyrie was becalmed, and for four hours her skippers could not whistle up sufficient‘ breeze to give her headway. Between 1 o'clock and noon a gentle breeze sprang up and continued during the day, which was fine and clear overhead. During the time that she was in motion the Valkyrie got over eighty miles more of her way.
Aug. 18- At 8 o’clock, the Valkyrie got a light wind from the west, which shifted during the day to north-northwest and finally to almost due north. The sky was overcast, and the Valkyrie found rainy weather as she passed along off the Long Island shore. At 3 P. M. she signaled to the observing station at Fire Island, but failed to get any response.

TRIP OF VALKYRIE III
  LAT. LONG. DIST
July 27 14:40 Gourock
July 28 Tory Island 148
July 29 54.35 12.12 127
July 30 53.55 14.15 83
July 31 54.32 18.31 155
Aug. 1 55.40 24.06 204
Aug. 2 54.42 25.45 81
Aug. 3 52.53 29.04 160
Aug. 4 52.08 31.20 93
Aug. 5 51.31 33.33 91
Aug. 6 53.22 35.12 123
Aug. 7 49.46 38.04 81
Aug. 8 48.23 43.14 219
Aug. 9 47.41 46.16 129
Aug. 10 47.16 50.51 189
Aug. 11 46.52 52.47 83
Aug. 12 45.58 55.57 140
Aug. 13 44.41 59.30 173
Aug. 14 43.31 62.35 154
Aug. 15 41.38 64.38 145
Aug. 16 40.42 67.28 140
Aug. 17 40.43 69.14 80
Aug. 18 40.37 72.44 159
To Sandy Hook   59
  Total: 3016

02437S

Her Captains were rather indignant that this was the case, for they had purposely run in close to the shore in order that the yachtsmen on this side of the water might have early information of her approach to New-York. The two Captains said that as far as they could make out, there was no one alive at the Fire Island Station, and they were much surprised to learn that they had actually been seen by the observed and reported at about the same time they were flying their signals.

After passing Fire Island the Valkyrie laid her course west by north, and as she approached the lower harbor changed it to west, one-half south. She was on that course when she was picked up and taked in tow by the waiting tug.