| ⚪ | Sunday, 25th | Dead head wind for the channel, but nice day. Sighted one of the American liners, either the “Paris” or “New York”. She had three funnells and looked very fine going ahead at about twenty knots. 11 we signalled our numbers to an old western ocean “tramp”. She caught them and will report us. What a striking contrast between the tramp and the ocean [- ? -] hound. The tramp looked to me as if she would fall to pieces before she got out of sight. 4 p.m. One of the Cunarders past us at a duice of a speed. 5 p.m. Gale coming on, it looks very bad. 6 p.m. Furled topgallantsails, jibs, spanker, etc. A little later fore topsail. I am now writing this on Monday evening and the gale is now over. What a night last night was. A living gale from the North East was blowing all night with a very choppy sea running. The darkness was dense, so black and dense that it was an utter impossibility to see your hand held before your face. Raining torrents all the time. All hands were two hours on the fore yard struggling with ths foresail. How many times I just missed coming down on deck does not need explained. One man on the yard although he could feel his partner next to him could not see him at all. Soaked to the skin is a mild way of putting it. Tnen we had to make the other topsail fast. And that was another three quarters of an hour of our watch below gone. It is awfully curious we always get the worst gales on Sundays. To make matters worse, the cable broke adrift, and was taking full charge of the forid-deck. Pretty soon the ship became unmanagable, and we had to put the tackles on the wheel. Suddenly out of this awful gloom gleamed all the lights of an Atlantic liner. We could do nothing and waited quietly for the crash, but she was handled splendidly and shot past our bow. Another minute and she was out of sight. She was going full speed and in weather like this you can readily understand what the danger is and that unless an officer thoroughly has his vessel under control what the consequences must be. 200 miles off the channel. | |
| Monday, 26th | Very foggy all day repairing damage done by last night's gale. The ship has about a hundred small shore boards on her. Sparrows, finches, black-birds, swallows and two cock-robins. They must have been blown off the shore in the gale. They are very tame, and one flew onto the man at the wheel's head. All hands have treated them very well, and I have no doubt they this is a good living ship. Miserable, wretched weather, everything damp, all clothes wet, with very little prospect of getting them dry. | ||
| Tuesday, 27th | All day very dull, but as the wind has now altered and we are going once again in the right direction, no one minds. All day sounding with deep sea lead in 60 fathoms of water. This sounding business is a duice of a job as the main yards have to be “backed” each time to stop the vessel from going ahead. 5 p.m. I went aloft to see if we could see the Lizard's light. Nothing was in sight. At 6.30 p.m. We saw the glare of the lights which are visable 21 miles and the glare I suppose another 10. The Old Man has struck the channel remarkably well, considering he has had no sights for several days. It is a treat to once again be in civilization and also to be out of the Atlantic swell. From 8 p.m. to 12 we must have seen at least thirty different vessels' lights, mostly steamers. There is always a fearful amount of traffic in this channel. We have just had to back our main yards to avoid a collison with another homeward bounder. We are now considering ourselves home. It is now ahundred and thirteen days since we sailed. | ||
| ⚪ | Wednesday, 28th | Early this morning the wind suddenly shifted into the East and for the last 20 hours it has been a dead head wind for us. We have put the ship round about five times, and I am sure we are not more than three miles nearer Leith than when we started. This evening it came on to blow, and we furled royals and topgallants. All day numberous ships and steamers all round us. Signalled the Lizard signal station about one oclock. The tug “Eagle” of Falroouth came off to us this morning, but as we were going so far, of course such a thing as taking a tug was out of the question. That is the first civilized tongue we have heard for over six and a half months, barring our own crowd on board. Tug-boat men make a good thing out of ship. I have never yet seen a tug come alongside that hasn't been out of tobacco or rum, and would also like a piece of salt-beef. In all the countries I have been in it is the same. The only difference being in America where it is most curiously always “The captain's birthday”. They nearly always get something too. This chap today got a bottle of rum, and about 30 lbs of pork. In exchange he gave a newspaper (six days old) and about sixteen “spuds”. He then “opened her out” as the Yankees say, and disappeared from sight. My dearly beloved friend the mate is now in a great state because we are drawing near home and there is not much chance of him getting a reference. He has today blamed every one in turn from the cook to myself for causing his downfall. He has a slate loose there is no doubt about it. | |
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