The Aberdeen ships were, however, very clannish, and being a stranger and not a Scot, he had his reputation all to make, the standard set being a very high one. However, he knew how to carry sail, and he managed to keep the _Cimba_ moving, though she was always a tender ship requiring a master hand.
Her best week’s work was 1860 miles, and her best 24 hour’s run, made on 6th June in 39° 51′ S., 34° 54′ E., 336 miles in a fresh gale from S.W., during which the second mate was lost overboard.
Other good runs on this passage were:—300, 302, 308 and 312.
_Cimba_ left Sydney in company with _Thessalus_ and _Argonaut_ on 17th October. Passed the Horn on 15th November, 29 days out—on 18th November in 51° 31′ S., 55° 47′ W., ran 316 miles, the wind blowing a strong gale from W.S.W. to W.N.W.—crossed the line on 8th December, 23 days from the Horn—passed Fayal, Western Isles, on Xmas Day, and signalled the Lizard at 1 p.m. 31st December, 75 days out.
This was really a splendid performance, for the _Thessalus_, which was really a much faster and more powerful ship, signalled the Start on 31st December at noon, whilst _Argonaut_, which was certainly quite as fast as _Cimba_, did not arrive until a month later.
Passed the Horn on 2nd November, 25 days out, having run 3422 miles in 14 days—crossed the line on 29th November, 27 days from the Horn—passed the Western Isles on 20th December, Lizard light abeam at 8 a.m. on 26th December, 79 days out.
In 1899 _Cimba_ went out to Rockhampton and loaded home from Brisbane. In 1901 she went out to Sydney in 85 days, her best run being 310 miles.
By this time sailing ship freights were in a very bad way, and a profitable charter in Sydney grew more and more difficult to obtain, thus in 1905 we find her making the record passage between Callao and Iquique for a sailing ship. As this may be of interest, I give her abstract log below:—
ABSTRACT LOG OF _CIMBA_ FROM CALLAO TO IQUIQUE RECORD SAILING SHIP PASSAGE.
July 2-7 p.m. got underweigh. | Lat. | Long. | Course.| Dist. | Wind. | | | | | July 3 | 12° 48′S | 79° 24′W| S50° W.| 80mls.| S.S.E. „ 4 | 14° 30′ | 80° 15′ | S46° | 150 „ | „ „ 5 | 16° 47′ | 81° 49′ | S34° | 165 „ | „ „ 6 | 19° 20′ | 82° 54′ | S22° | 165 „ | S.E. by E. „ 7 | 21° 48′ | 84° 17′ | S28° | 168 „ | S.Easterly „ 8 | 23° 52′ | 85° 52′ | S35° | 152 „ | „ „ 9 | 25° 32′ | 86° 34′ | S21° W.| 160 „ | „ „ 10 | 23° 57′ | 84° 41′ | N47° E.| 141 „ | S.E. by S. „ 11 | 23° 8′ | 82° 24′ | N69° | 135 „ | South, S.W. „ 12 | 23° 10′ | 81° 35′ | S87° | 46 „ | N.W. Westerly „ 13 | 23° 53′ | 78° 00′ | S78° | 202 „ | W’ly to S.S.W. „ 14 | 22° 42′ | 75° 7′ | N66° | 175 „ | S. Easterly „ 15 | 21° 38′ | 71° 00′ | N75° | 246 „ | „ „ 16 | 20° 57′ | 70° 48′ | N15° | 43 „ | „ „ 17 | 20° 31′ | 70° 22′ | S11° | 31 „ | „
