The Penang, the L'Avenir and the Pommern at Port Lincoln

After the First World war, most of the deep sea sailing ships began to be scrapped. However, Gustaf Erikson, finnish shipowner based in Mariehamn in the Åland islands, bought some of the lasts four-masted barques.

In this time, the sail ships were still competitive against the steamers on the longer trades: the chilean nitrate and the australian wheat.

Gustaf Erikson assigned most of his fleet to the latter trade.

His ships left Europe in september and went along Africa then crossed the Indian ocean to reach Australia in december.

They went outward on ballast or with finnish timber for South Africa.

They were back in june.

After loading in the Spencer Gulf harbors, most of the ships were ready almost at the same time, which induced a competition for the faster on the homeward bound voyage to Europe by the Cape Horn.

Grain races 1921 - 1939
Year	Ship	Voyage	Length
1921	Marlborough Hill	Port Lincoln to Cobh	91 d
1922	Milverton	Melbourne to London	90 d
1923	Beatrice	Melbourne to London	88 d
1924	Greif	Port Lincoln to Falmouth	110 d
1925	Beatrice	Adelaide to Falmouth	103 d
1926	L'Avenir	Geelong au Cap Lizard	110 d
1927	Herzogin Cecilie	Port Lincoln to Cobh	98 d
1928	Herzogin Cecilie	Port Lincoln to Falmouth	96 d
1929	Archibald Russell	Melbourne to Cobh	93 d
1930	Pommern	Wallaroo to Falmouth	105 d
1931	Herzogin Cecilie	Wallaroo to Falmouth	93 d
1932	Parma Pamir	Port Broughton to Falmouth Wallaroo to Cobh	103 d
1933	Parma	Port Victoria to Falmouth	83 d
1934	Passat	Wallaroo au Cap Lizard	106 d
1935	Priwall	Port Victoria to Falmouth	91 d
1936	Herzogin Cecilie	Wallaroo to Falmouth	86 d
1937	Pommern Passat	Port Victoria to Falmouth Port Victoria to Falmouth	94 d
1938	Passat	Port Victoria to Falmouth	98 d
1939	Moshulu	Port Victoria to Cobh	91 d
1946	Viking	Port Victoria to London	93 d
1949	Passat	Port Victoria to Falmouth	110 d

This yearly event, announced in the newspapers, became the "Grain Race".

The Archibald Russell at anchor in Port Lincoln with the Ponape decked

The record is held by one of the former Laeisz "P-liners", the Parma with Ruben de Cloux: 83 days in 1933. Her average over five passages between 1932 and 1936 was however no lower than 115 days. The Herzogin Cecile went close to this record in 1936 during her last voyage before her wreck.

The Pamir under finnish flag circa 1934

One consider that the last meeting took place the 5-6 january 1934 where eleven square-riggers put anchor at Port Victoria. They didn't loaded all there, coming for orders, and after a few days dispersed in the harbors of the Spencer Gulf. The Lawhill only entered the St Vincent Gulf to load in Adelaide.

Port Victoria circa 1933

Grain races 1921 - 1939
Ship	Length	Voyages	Years
Passat	99 d	7	1933-39
Pamir	102 d	7	1932-39
Moshulu	106 d	4	1936-39
Herzogin Cecilie	107 d	11	1926-36
Pommern	108 d	11	1929-39
L'Avenir	113 d	5	1933-37
Ponape	114 d	7	1929-36
Parma	115 d	5	1932-36
Archibald Russell	115 d	14	1925-39
Viking	116 d	9	1931-39
Lawhill	121 d	14	1921-39
Killoran	125 d	10	1927-39
Grace Harwar	127 d	8	1921-36
Winterhude	133 d	8	1932-39

The last passage via Cape Horn for trade sailships took place in 1949 during the race between the Passat and the Pamir.

The Passat taken from the Pamir circa 1950

The opposite table gives average number of days (from Georg Kahre). Herzogin Cecilie's 137 days passage in 1926 increases her average which otherwise would have been 105 days.

Grain races 1921 - 1939 Less than 100 days passages
Ship	Passages	Years
Passat	100, 87, 94, 98, 98 d	1935-39
Pamir	92, 98, 98, 96 d	1932, 36, 37, 39
Herzogin Cecilie	98, 96, 93, 86 d	1927, 28, 31, 36
Pommern	98, 95, 94, 94 d	1933, 35-37
Moshulu	91 d	1939
L'Avenir	95 d	1937
Viking	97 d	1935
Ponape	98, 99 d	1929, 31
Grace Harwar	98 d	1936

The Passat holds the best average between the two wars with 95 days for 5 passages between 1935 and 1939.

The Herzogin Cecilie loading at Wallaroo in 1934