Clipper Ship 'City of Adelaide'

Journal Foreword

It may be necessary before commencing my diary to make a few remarks that the reader may be enabled more fully to comprehend the incidents that I have endeavored to narrate in this my journal.

We sailed from Adelaide on the 26th December 1866 in the ship "City of Adelaide", 1,000 tons register, commanded by Captain David Bruce the second in command being Mr. John Bruce.

The passengers were about seventy in number - thirty saloon and forty second class or steerage passengers. Our fellow cabin passengers were all very pleasant people which rendered the voyage one of a very agreeable character.

The following are their names:

Our passage to Cape Town was a very pleasant one although we occasionally experienced some rough weather. We arrived in Table Bay on the night of the 13th February, on the following morning we landed and after spending three days on shore sailed within fifteen minutes of each other the "Yatala", our opponent.

It may be remembered by many that the two ships "City of Adelaide" and the "Yatala" sailed from Adelaide within five hours of each other the latter having the start it was therefore a 16,000-mile race to the Mother Country. - The "Yatala" arrived at Cape Town three hours before the "City of Adelaide" and again sailed within a very short time of each other. The second part of our voyage that is from Cape Town to London was as agreeable as the former notwithstanding that we narrowly escaped shipwreck on the Flores, one of that group of islands known as the Azores. We arrived in London on 11th April 1867 - the "Yatala" was the victor having passed Lands End the day before us and arriving in London three days before us.

The race was indeed a close one and great credit was due to the "City of Adelaide" which is 200 tons less than the "Yatala", however, many pounds as well as new hats were lost and won.

We spent seven months in England during which time I visited several towns and places of interest the sights of which I have endeavored to describe in this my journal.

We sailed from London on the 21st of October in the ship "Duke of Sutherland" 1,400 tons register Captain Thomas Louttet commander.

Our passengers were only six in number namely:

Our voyage was rather a dull one which is to be ascribed to the small number of passengers and the length of the passage.