_Romanoff_ was Alexander Nicol’s finest iron clipper until the _Cimba_ came out. Nicol’s ships were always good lookers, painted Aberdeen green with white masts and yards and scraped jibboom and topmasts, they fully upheld the Aberdeen reputation. _Romanoff_ was a fast ship, but was overmasted with double topgallant yards and skysails, and after a few years she was severely cut down. She was a very regular Melbourne trader. She ended her days under the Norwegian flag.
The _Cairnbulg_ was another Aberdeen ship, but she was in the Sydney trade. She was of about the same speed as the _Romanoff_, a fine, fast, wholesome ship without any very special records to her credit.
She came to a most unusual end. After being sold to the Russians and renamed _Hellas_, she was sold by them to the Danes and called _Alexandra_. On the 26th November, 1907, she sailed from Newcastle, N.S.W., for Panama, coal laden. In April she was taken off the overdue list and posted as missing, being uninsurable at 90 guineas. The following June, one of her boats in charge of the mate, was picked up off the South American Coast. The mate then told the following extraordinary story:—On 8th May the ship was abandoned owing to her provisions running out and for no other reason—as in every other way, both in hull and gear, she was perfectly seaworthy. The position of the _Cairnbulg_ when abandoned was given as 500 miles off the South American Coast. A search expedition was at once sent out after her, but in vain. Some time afterwards she was found ashore on the rocks at Iguana Cove, Albemarle Island, with her back broken. Her insurances, hull, freight and cargo amounted to £30,000, and she was abandoned in calm weather through lack of provisions. This story is not to the credit of either her captain or her owners.
_Thessalus_, Carmichael’s largest three-master, was one of the finest and fastest sailing ships ever seen in Australasian waters. Though not a regular wool clipper like the _Mermerus_, she was well known both in Sydney and Melbourne. But she was also as well known in Calcutta and San Francisco, and wherever she went she always made fine passages.
AUSTRALIAN PASSAGES. 1878 Start to Melbourne 67 days. 1882 London to Sydney 79 „ 1884 Downs to Sydney 77 „ 1887 London to Sydney 79 „ 1893 Cardiff to Sydney (_via_ Capetown) 78 „ 1894 London to Sydney (_via_ Capetown) 78 „ 1896 Sydney to London 75 „