The Race That Beat the Sea: How a Local Yacht Outpaced the Coast
Captain Burns’ Pacific coaster claims victory in a thrilling seven-round duel against the Dashing Wave, proving that beating to windward is what truly tells.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
DEEP SEA STUFF.
In the days of keen interest and general utility in all that pertains to matters nautical, both at home and on our shores, anything relative to contests between sailing craft is read with avidity. Not only has the coast of Dufferin been favored with a train of true American "pull-back" fashion, but on our own coast a chip has been knocked from the tail of a racing craft of such dimensions to preclude a possibility of a very speedy repair.
Our readers no doubt recollect — that is, those of them that take an interest in what pertains to "those who go down to the sea in ships" — that a few months the master of the good ship Dashing Wave threw down the glove before the cut-water of all coasters in general, and that of the bark Forest Queen in particular. The challenge was promptly accepted in a quiet way by Captain Burns, and one morning deep-sea yachts passed through the Golden Gate and crossed the bar together, with a parting injunction from the friends of each: "May the fastest keel win."
It proved to be fastened to the Forest Queen, and she reported at the Round a few hours in advance, while the down trip resulted in a like victory. The hours gained on the first trip lengthened into days and weeks on succeeding ones, till Saturday morning, the 18th inst., she passed in from the seventh round trip to Port Ludlow and return, gaining a whole circuit on the Dashing Wave and a day to spare.
Captain Nichols sailed the Wave for all she was worth, and going free she can undoubtedly get away with the Queen; but the race proved in this case, as usual, that beating to windward is what tells, and on the wind is the latter's strong suit, and Captain Burns never loses a fathom, while he is as proud of her and her qualities as he is of the mate he shipped a few trips ago. The Dashing Wave is a New Hampshire built vessel, coming from good hands and well handled, but is no match for our Pacific coaster, launched at Fort Ludlow, and built for A. Phinney by Hiram Doncaster, now building a large bark at Seabeck, for Adams, Taylor Co and sailed by the model of masters, Captain F. J. Burns.
In an era before steamships dominated maritime trade, local shipbuilders like Hiram Doncaster were crafting vessels capable of outperforming imported ones on the treacherous Pacific Northwest coast. This story highlights the pride locals took in their own engineering and seamanship, a sentiment that echoes today's regional pride in tech innovation and sustainable transport solutions.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.