Boston Harbor with East Boston on the horizon

For a figurehead, the Champion of the Seas had the full figure of a sailor "with his hat in his right hand, and left hand extended, ornamented the bow. It was certainly a most striking figurehead, the tall square-built mariner, with dark curly hair and bronze clean-shaven face," as quoted from Some Famous Sailing Ships by Richard C. McKay.

To follow this up here is the often quoted passage concerning this figurehead from Arthur H. Clark's Clipper Ship Era:

A black belt with a massive brass buckle supported his white trousers, which were as tight about the hips as the skin of an eel, and had wide, bell-shaped bottoms that almost hid his black polished pumps. He wore a loose-fitting blue-and-white checkered shirt, with wide rolling collar, and black neck handkerchief of ample size, tied in the most rakish of square knots with long flowing ends. But perhaps the most impressive of this mariner's togs were his dark-blue jacket, and the shiny tarpaulin hat which he waved aloft in the grip of his brawny tattooed right hand. The only exception that one could possibly take to this stalwart sailorman was that his living prototype was likely to be met with so very seldom in real life.

The Champion of the Seas had close to the same spar measurements and sail area as the Lightning and her deck plan rigging was the same as well. What was different was her hull form and she was 6 feet deeper in the hold. Her bow presented a sharp entrance but was noticeably not as hollow as the Lightning.

Early criticism of the Lightning's extreme sharpness had swiftly made its way across the Atlantic while the Champion of the Seas was still on the stocks and perhaps Donald McKay had made a few changes to fend off this barrage with his next clipper and her run aft was not as sharp either.

Upon her launching, the Champion of the Seas was towed over to Grand Junction Wharf and fitted out with her sticks and rigging. An early daguerreotype taken while she was fitting out captured the magnificence of this powerful clipper in great detail.

In May, she was towed from East Boston by the R. B. Forbes to New York, where she was loaded for her maiden passage to Liverpool and sailed from New York on June 16, 1854.

Light winds blew over the summer and even with her royals flying all the way, it took the Champion of the Seas 29 days to reach Liverpool, arriving there on July 15th, and over the course of the voyage this new McKay clipper hardly had the chance to stretch out her sails.

Additional work was done on the Champion of the Seas to accommodate the clipper for the Australian emigrant trade and she sailed from Liverpool for Melbourne on October 11, 1854, the day after the Swallow and Belle of the West, sailed from London to Melbourne.

The Swallow was another East Boston clipper that was launched from the shipyard of Robert E. Jackson on April 4, 1854, 15 days before the Champion of the Seas, and was said to be "a handsome ship in every way, alow and aloft, with long and sharp ends and slightly concave lines," as noted in American Clipper Ships, with a woman draped in white for a figurehead.

She was smaller than the Champion of the Seas, but had already made one chartered run to Melbourne and had returned to London from Shanghai and was chartered again for another Australian passage. The Swallow sailed from London on October 10, 1854, and her captain, Benjamin W. Tucker, had high hopes of winning the race.

The Belle of the West was an extreme 178 feet long clipper of 936 tons, old measurement, designed by Samuel Harte Pook and launched from the Shiverick Brothers' shipyard in East Dennis, Massachusetts on March 25, 1853.

Like all Pook creations, she was said to be a sharp, heavily-sparred beautiful ship with a slight outward curvature of bows that "gave her a most saucy and coquettish appearance," as noted in American Clipper Ships. A female figure in white flowing garments fringed in gold graced her bow as a figurehead.

She created quite a sensation when she first appeared in Boston Harbor to take on cargo for her first run around the Horn, and when she arrived through the Golden Gate, the San Francisco newspapers said of her: "Whatever bright-eyed little flirt she is named after, need not be ashamed of her appearance."

Her captain, William Fredrick Howe of East Dennis was said to be a skillful navigator and this was his first voyage to Australia as captain of the Belle of the Seas that left London in company with the Swallow.

The following day, three tugs towed the Champion of the Seas down the Mersey with 780 passengers aboard and she encountered strong head-winds coming down from the north-west which slowed her progress upon reaching the mouth of the river and she almost missed the high tide that was necessary to take her over the Mersey bar, but soon she was in the Irish Sea, where two tugs left her, and the third tug towed her as far as Ballycotton Island. But the winds ran contrary in the Irish Sea and Captain Newlands had a hard time of it over the first day and a half keeping the Champion of the Seas away from the lee shore.

Until at last the winds shifted and Newlands took her further out to sea where she ran into a fierce gale and took a battering and the captain was forced to call out both watches to reduce sail after the Champion of the Seas went over on her beam ends. The fierce winds snapped the crossjack yard in two and the sail landed on the poop. Both watches were urgently called upon to remove the canvas.

Up in the mizzen topsail yard, an unfortunate sailor was blown off into the sea with no chance of rescue as the ship tossed around and was close to capsizing in rough seas, but Captain Newlands never lost his nerve and eventually reduced enough canvas to right her.

From that point on, the Champion of the Seas found the fair winds that would take her to the line and the doldrums which she reached 25 days out, but then she ran into contrary winds from the south that kept her to leeward of Cape San Roque where she lost two more days.

The winds then shifted in her favor and she sailed down the South Atlantic in search of the strong westerly winds to make her easting down around well to the south of the Cape of Good Hope all the way down to latitude 49° S. Where at last Captain Newlands found the winds he was looking for and the Champion of the Seas had some excellent day's runs, some of them over 300 miles for days at a time. The Champion of the Seas reached Melbourne on December 25, 1854, Boxing Day, with a respectable passage of 75 days, but everyone had expected her to do better. This 75-day passage however would prove to be the fastest that the Champion of the Seas would ever make on the Australian run from Liverpool.

The Swallow won the race beating the Champion of the Seas to Melbourne by 16 hours, arriving on December 25th with an elapsed time of 73 days, 18 hours, and the Swallow's commander, Captain Benjamin W. Tucker, was quite elated with his victory. The Belle of the West arrived nine days later.

The Champion of the Seas made a return passage to Liverpool in 84 days and upon her return Captain Newlands left the ship.

On the second voyage, the Champion of the Seas sailed under Captain John McKirdy to Melburne in 83 days and she returned to Liverpool in 90 days. Over the course of this voyage, the Champion of the Seas Times was published weekly and much welcomed reading by passengers and crew.

A sampling of stories, poems and such are presented here:

Champion of the Seas Times.

"Men of thought and men of action-Clear the way."

Published on board "The Champion of the Seas."

Champion of the Seas Times.

No. 1. Monday, July 16, 1855.

To our Readers.

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It has been often said, that "this is the age of newspapers;" and when we consider the astonishing way in which they have of late been multiplied, and their extraordinary influence in creating and fostering the growth of public opinion, every unprejudiced observer must acknowledge that the press is one of the most remarkable characteristics of the times in which we live. We have now become so accustomed to the sight of a "Times" or a "Chronicle," that the breakfast table seems incomplete without such an adjunct. The passengers on board the Champion of the Seas are not strangers to this feeling, and that they have thought that the absence of some stated publication (without of course the ambitious aim and comprehensive range of our home papers), was a blank that should be filed up. To meet this wish and attempt some memorial of a voyage, which has hitherto been so prosperous, we now launch the "Champion of the Seas Times." In comencing this series, we beg distinctly to state, that we have no literary vanity to gratify-no hobby to mount; but our simple object is to interest and amuse our fellow passengers. We propose in accordance with our title, to give a record of the Times on board our good ship-the Times of embarkation, of parting from home and country, when memory and hope seem to mingle in the present,-the times when the last outline of the land fades from our view, and when fresh associations spring up in the new world around us,-the Times when our noble ship, like a bird on full wing, flies through the waters, and the intervals when she is becalmed,-the times of sea sickness, when rueful visages are "sicklied o'er with the pale cast of too painful thought," and the pleasant times when we recover our sea legs, and with steadier gait pace the deck, or in friendly groups chat or sing or smoke, just as the varying spirit of the hour prompts us,-and thus we hope to bring our little publication down to the times of landing with all our joyous bustle and excitement, when we shall exchange our comparatively inactive, though agreeable, times on board for the scenes of more laborious duty which await us on shore.

Whilst we deprecate unfair criticism, which might expect from us more than is reasonable, we shall gladly avail ourselves of the hints and contributions of those who are animated by a similar desire to promote our common enjoyment. Our sources of news are of course but "few and far between;" but if in the treatment of the few that arise our readers will be gratified, we shall feel amply repaid. But if, on the contrary, our effort does not meet with their sympathy, the sooner our periodical closes the better. At the same time we have no disposition to indulge in fears as to the success of our humble efforts. We have no sympathy for those who would dwell too much on difficulties and hindrances, we would rather first ascertain if our motives are right,-if they are, let us do our duty like men, and persevering in that course we may, without being to sanguine, ever hopefully look forward to "The good times coming." T. McC.

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT ON THE MIZZEN TOP.

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Our news this week is very limited, and if we expect the new pudding "everything including the shark caught on Monday," is stale, flat and unprofitable. We are happy to think that our remarks of last week, in reference to the amusements on board, have had their effect; and we are delighted to hear from one or two persons propositions for the bettering of our condition. Readings from Shakespeare have been proposed and kindly agreed to by a number of gentlemen,, and we are sure the ladies will give us their aid and contenance (and their ability is unquestionable) in this interesting project.

We regret to have to remark that a pig was found lately in the second cabin, thrown down, we believe, by a person who, as far as age goes, ought to have known better, than to abuse in this manner an animal, which perhaps deserves the name applied to less than its tormentor. Apart from the cruelty altogether of the act, a frightful accident might have resulted from this outrage; the pig in this descent fell within a few inches of the wife and child of the Rev. J. Downes, who were sitting below..

Should this person's propensity for practical joking overcome his fears while on board, we would suggest that he be given over to the tender mercies of the sailors, in order to their making a "Spread Eagle" of him. F. McC.

No. V. Monday, August 13, 1855

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT ON THE MIZZEN TOP.

After a great many crosses, we have at last made that most important cross-namely, "Crossing the Line." All on board must have been struck with the want of attention on the part of Mr. and Mrs. Neptune and their attendant sprites, and have wished for the good old days when the sanitary condition of the passengers was more carefully looked after by these marine deities...-when grease and tar were as familiar in our months not as "Household Words.," but something else. What a degenerate age is this in which we live-c(s)hampagne is the only pain we have experienced on this occasion. We are glad not to have it in our power to relate a very serious accident this week; but we are happy to be able to notice a very providential escape made by some of the crew and passengers. A chain which is used for hauling up the maintop-gallant yard gave way in one of the links, and fell with a number of blocks which were attached to it from that great height to the deck, injuring one of the boats in the fall, and knocking down two of the ship's company. One of them-the bo'son's mate-was cut out on the forehead; the other sustained only a trifling damage. Both are now, we are happy to state, doing well. F. McC.

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OUR SHIP.

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Before parting with our good Ship we are desirous of recording a few particulars regarding her, which though more scantly than we could wish, will, we trust, prove interesting to our fellow passengers.

She was built by Donald McKay of Boston, U.S., 1854; register tonnage, 2,237 tons. Her extreme length over all 264 feet- Length from inner part of main stem to fore part of stern post, 247 feet; the length of keel is 230. Breadth in midships 42.3, and depth of hold 29 feet. The height of her masts are:-foremost 150 feet, above deck to top of royal; mainmast 175 feet; mizzen mast 168 feet. She has a flush deck, the advantages of which we fully appreciated during our run through the southern latitudes. The dining saloon is very commodious, and the berths airy and comfortable. The after-saloon is elegantly fitted with rosewood panelling and gilt mouldings; and her general accommodations are excellent and commodious.

The "Champion of the Seas" made her first trip to Melbourne on the 15th February in the present year for Liverpool, and made the passage home in 87 days. Her present trip, which notwithstanding unexpected calms and contrary winds, she made in 83 days, is therefore the third within a period of twelve months.

We subjoin a List of the Passengers and Crew she carries out on this voyage.

STATEMENT OF PERSONS ABOARD. . . .

Her third outward run to Melbourne took 85 days. Over the course of these voyages the Champion of the Seas established a reputation for consistently good passages rather than record breaking runs and was quite popular as a Black Ball Liner in the years to come.

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