Amateur helmsmen were in request for the big ships on Clyde Corinthian Club day, when the 'Britannia,' 'Valkyrie,' 'Satanita,' and 'Iverna' responded to the starting gun. The weather was very uncertain, the breezes being so light that only one round of the course could be sailed. 'Valkyrie' was the lucky ship as she rounded the Kilcreggan flagboat, two and a half miles from the Commodore, last boat. Standing off in the Firth, along the edge of a flaw, whilst her opponents were lying becalmed, she tacked into a breezy lane, and, passing 'Iverna,' 'Satanita,' and 'Britannia' in turn, carried her way up to the line, getting the winning gun 30 secs. before 'Britannia' struggled through, and 2 mins. 15 secs. in advance of 'Satanita.' The 'Valkyrie' was steered by her owner, the 'Britannia' by Mr. W. G. Jameson, and the 'Satanita' by Mr. R. Ure.
A more unfavourable racing day than that which opened the Royal Club Regatta has never been experienced even on the unutterably fluky Firth. Sudden spurts of wind, calms, a very long spell of what was quite a deluge of rain, deafening thunder, blinding lightning and depressing gloom, made up the sample of weather vouchsafed to the competitors during the time that the 'sport' was progressing. The big cutters mustered in full force, and had a light easterly breeze, which gave a reach down the Clyde. Just before the start, 'Britannia' on the port tack, with the wind pretty broad abeam, made 'Calluna,' which had run down from the eastward with boom over the port side, come round; and this was deemed cause for 'Calluna' to pursue a protest, on the ground that a breach of the rules of the road had been committed. 'Valkyrie,' too, made a mark of 'Britannia,' the latter getting the stem, and sustaining damage to the port bulwarks aft and the taffrail. After an unsatisfactory start, 'Britannia' and 'Satanita' went round the Ascog mark together, but just as the latter was stepping out in style, and apparently in first place, her bobstay pendant burst and the bowsprit broke off short to the stem-head. Topsails had been shifted, as there was a prospect of a strong breeze, but the outcome was a tempest without a rattle of wind. 'Britannia' sailed in fine form, and simply lost her opponents directly 'Satanita's' accident had put that boat out of the way. It was a wretchedly poor time, however, and, thanks to not a little good fortune, 'Britannia' beat 'Valkyrie' by 41 mins. 40 secs., and 'Calluna' by 62 mins. 17 secs., while 'Iverna' gave up. Protests were lodged against 'Britannia' on behalf of both 'Calluna' and 'Valkyrie.' The 'Calluna's' objection was considered, and about midnight the Sailing Committee decided to disqualify the 'Britannia,' only one witness, be it said, from the last-named vessel having been called. There was really not a semblance of racing on the second day of the Royal Clyde Regatta, which was the valedictory fixture in the so-called 'Clyde fortnight.' Flying chills and draughts out of every 'airt,' with long spells of calm, kept the vessels hanging about the lower part of the Firth until the shadows were well slanting eastward. An evening breeze helped 'Valkyrie' home, but it took her nearly seven hours and a half to cover one half the course, and she finished 54 mins. 9 secs. before the 'Calluna,' 1 hr. 31 mins. 30 secs. before 'Britannia,' and about 2 hrs. 40 mins. before 'Satanita,' the last named taking 10 hrs. to cover 25 miles.
