During her only voyage to San Francisco she was partly dismasted, but Lauchlan McKay rigged her anew at sea in fourteen days and still made port in one hundred and three days, a record for the season of the year.
It was while running home from Honolulu in 1853 that the Sovereign of the Seas realized the hopes of her builder.

In eleven days she sailed 3562 miles, with four days logged for a total of 1478 knots.

Making allowance for the longitudes and difference in time, this was an average daily run of 378 sea miles or 435 land miles.

Using the same comparison, the distance from Sandy Hook to Queenstown would have been covered in seven days and nine hours.

Figures are arid reading, perhaps, but these are wet by the spray and swept by the salt winds of romance.