The Donzella and the Ceylon

It was early in the morning on the first of February, 1890, that the Lunenberg schooners Donzella and Ceylon started a race from Nova Scotia to Puerto Rico. Arriving in Ponce fourteen days later, the Ceylon was victorious by a mere ten hours. Bolstered by victory, a cargo of molasses was loaded and the crew set sail for Boston shortly after. The return journey saw fierce gales, and on the 28th of March, the ship was lost off Point Michaud, Cape Breton Island.

The friendly rivalry and the tragic pressures of mercantilism are narrated in The Donzella and the Ceylon, allegedly by the steward of the Ceylon. The Donzella was itself lost in a wintery storm in 1896.