| JANUARY 1900 | |||
| Friday, 26th | V. strong N. East trades. Too strong in fact as we can only paint one side of the vessel as the other has one continual stream of sprays etc. coming over it. | ||
| ⚪ | Saturday, 27th Lat 12°58’ N Long 34°15’ W |
Strong N. East trades. Tonight the main royal carried away just as it was getting dark and we had to send it down and another up. We had a jolly lively time of it up there too. It being pitch dark, instead of seeing what we were about, it had to be done by feeling, and then half a gale of wind all the time. I had the pleasure of being perched on the yard arm for about half an hour. It is curious how particular they are to keep sail on her sometimes, and other times take it off recklessly. | |
| Sunday, 28th | Nothing very important happening today. Still the good breeze. | ||
| Monday, 29th | Still strong North Sast trades. Tonight sighted a homeward bounder away to windward. She appeared to be drifting down on top of us. | ||
| Monday, 30th [sic] | The three masted barque all day has been sailing along equal with ourselves, only she is not able to steer as close to the wind as our ship, and is therefore coming nearer us all the time. 4 p.m. The Barque suddenly furled her royals, mainsail, spanker galf topsail and staysails. No one can on this ship understand it, and we have come to the conclusion that the Old Man is either drunk, mad, or is scared to keep sail on his old craft. At all events, we are keeling over to it in good style and are fast licking him now. | ||
| Wednesday, 31st | 8 a.m. this morning we could only see about two feet of the other ship's royals, and by ten she had disappeared. She was right astern. That is the first ship I have seen that has not been in a hurry to get to port. Very heavy squalls kicking about, and we are now heading for New York instead of the channel. The sooner the N.E. trades finish now the better. The second mate and half his watch were in squalls last night, but nothing serious happened. No bones broken. | ||
| FEBRUARY 1900 | |||
| Thursday, 1st | We are now heading for New York instead of the Channel, the trades being very much from the Northard. | ||
| Friday, 2nd | Tobacco finished and I have now had to start on all the conceivable substitutes imaginable. The best substitute I have found so far is coffee beans, which of course ground up has a slight resemblance to tobacco. There is now a continual crowd at the galley getting “fills”. Once the Old Man finds out how his coffee is getting used, it will be stand-by for squalls. | ||
| ⚪ | Saturday, 3rd Lat 24°45’N Long 42°00’W |
Dead calm. We have put the ship round about a dozen times, but of course what little wind there is is from ahead. A crisis has now been reached with the two officers. Tonight they had an argument in their rooms and at last a fight in which the mate came out second best. He is in a juice of a mess and his white coat is covered with blood. The Old Man held a court case to enquire into the state of affairs, but there was such a row on the poop that he dismissed the whole business. The second mate is of course in great glee and is going to do it again, etc. of course, etc. etc. The mate is going to “Settle him in the dark”, “Play his shooting iron” on him, bring his shooter to bear upon his countenance, etc, etc. etc. We have had a bright crowd of officers this voyage, and no mistake. | |
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