Church Aboard Way to Big Race: Schooner Days MCXLIII (1143)

by C. H. J. Snider

Canadians After America’s Cup - 3

OUTWARD BOUND for the America’s Cup in 1876 the log of Commodore Gifford’s RCYC challenger Countess of Dufferin continues:

“June, Wed., 28th—Left Quebec at 9.25 a.m., stiff breeze from the W. dead astern, Capt. Th. Bernier, coasting pilot on board. Abreast of the foot of the Island of Orleans at 1 p.m. Through the Traverse at 3 p.m. Wind failing abreast Saguenay; at 5 p.m. wind failed and breeze sprang up from the NE, lasted for an hour and failed. No wind all night.

June 29th—At morning light air from SE veering gradually around to S. Abreast Bic at 10 a.m. Abreast Father Point at 12 a.m. Breeze steady, weather fine, bright sun. At 4 p.m. abreast of Grand Metis becalmed. Light air sprang up from SE at 4 1/2 p.m. Freshened a little but died down again at sunset. Tacked on and off the S shore to take advantage of the current.

June 30th—Wind increased towards morning and at 4 a.m. carried away the hook of the throat halliard block. Down mainsail and took in three reefs mainsail and foresail, whole fore staysail and made up for the north shore. Anchored in a bay about 1 mile to W of Point Des Monts. Sandy bay, good anchorage. Dropped anchor at 8.50 p.m. All hands except cook and mate went ashore in the boat and obtained some sea trout from an Indian and his family who lived a short distance from the shore. They talked French and Indian, no English. Their house roofed with birch bark and about a dozen dogs.

Gabrielle the Indian had been boiling down a porpoise he had found and we believe had salmon which he had speared but would not produce for fear of being fined. Rameau, an old fisherman formerly in the Hudson Bay came on board in his boat and volunteered to get us some salmon from a fishing 2 miles to the W of us. He returned with 3 fish, one nearly 40 lbs. The whole weighed 64 lbs. I paid him for them $2.

July 1st—Wind and rain all night. About 4 a.m. July 1st rain cleared up but the wind SE and weather cloudy. Made sail at 5 a.m., close reefed mainsail whole foresail and staysail. At 6 a.m. shook out the reefs in the mainsail and set the jib, standing on the port tack towards the S shore. Misty weather cleared up at noon and was succeeded by a dead calm until 1 p.m. when a light breeze from the S sprung up. This continued for an hour, then veered round to the NW a good sailing breeze, vessel making 10 knots by the log. Off Mont St. Louis at 4 p.m. running dead before it, wing and wing. At 10 p.m. the wind failed us and a light breeze sprang up from the S, putting us 4 points off our course to the E. The wind continued all night very light. We made tack and half tack off the land.

July 2nd, Sunday—At morning we were off Little Fox river. At 8 a.m. hailed a trading schooner from New Carlisle, New Brunswick. The captain complained of there being no fish.

Had divine service at 11 o’clock. Lay to off Great Fox River, a telegraph station at 2 p.m. The gig went ashore with some of the fellows and sent telegrams to the papers. Lay to two hours, started again with a light breeze dead astern, tide running down very fast. At 4 p.m. passed the Pollena and Alhambra, screw steamers, off Griffin river, abreast of Gaspe Point. About 8 p.m. steamer passed us near the land and went into Gaspe Bay. Fine night, no wind. We drifted to the S all night. Thick fog at midnight.

We thus resume the interrupted Victorian logbook of the first Canadian aspirant for the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic, and hope to continue it next week.