Royal London Yacht Club Match - The Sphinx And Volante Rounding At Southend

Royal London Yacht Club match - the Sphinx and Volante rounding at Southend, 1869. 'The yachting season is now fairly opened. On Friday week was the match of the Royal London Yacht Club, from Erith to the Nore and back. There were two prizes, of 100 guineas and 50 gs. value, for any rig of first-class yachts, with a due time allowance for differences of tonnage. The famous schooner Cambria, of 186 tons, owned by Mr. James Ashbury, contended on these terms with the yachts Fiona, belonging to Mr. E. Boutcher; Sphinx, Mr. J. S. Erie; Volante, Mr. H. C. Maudslay; and Muriel, Mr. H. Bridson. There was a light wind from the north-west when they started at eleven o'clock, but it proved so variable that the Cambria fell a long way behind, the Sphinx taking the lead, with the Volante and Fiona next her at Gravesend; but at Southend this order was reversed. In returning up the river the Fiona had a mishap with her rigging, which obliged her to retire from the contest. The first prize was, finally, taken by the Sphinx, with her time allowance, though she came in two minutes later than the Volante, which obtained the second prize'. The Sphinx also took the first prize in the Royal Thames Yacht Club's cutter match and in the New Thames Yacht Club regatta. From "Illustrated London News", 1869. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)