| MARCH 1900 | |||
| ⚪ | Thursday, 1st | March has succeeded in coming in like a lion, as I expected. We set topgallants, but had to take them off again. Cold, damp, miserable, wretched day. Dead head wind and we have had to “bout ship” at least nine or ten times. A head wind here takes the cake. All day a great many vessels in sight, and all night there has been a continual shouting from the look-out man of “Light on Starboard Bow”, port bow, beam, quarter, ahead, etc. Nothing very important happening except that Skuse gave one of the A.B.'s a jolly good hammering this morning. It is most agrovating and disheartening to keep continually puting the ship round, and at the end of the day to be in exactly the same place. We no sooner turn in than it is “All hands bout ship”, but we have to turn of course. Splendid!!! | |
| Friday, 2nd | Although head wind again, we are lying nearer our course. It is also a little finer today. Still no sun and jolly cold. The ropes are like bars of ice. We had suddenly to put the vessel round as we were almost on top of one of the channel islands. I think it must have been Jersey. Two hours later we again put the ship round. At 7.30 a confounded steamer bore right down on top of us and deliberately crossed our bows. All hands were on the Fo'c'stle head shouting like maniacs. I was at the wheel and had to throw our ship right up in the wind to avoid a oollision. She cleared us by about a dozen yards. This is exactly the same thing that the steamer did off Lowestoft. At 9 p.m. a passenger boat came almost alongside, and the Old Man and mate were shouting like mad to know in what direction the Casquel's [- ? -]. Of course no notice was taken. The Old Man does not know where he is and has been on the poop all night. Twice I got relieved from the wheel and went onto the topgallant yard to see if I saw the light, and both times I saw it, but neither the second or first mates, who also came up with their glasses, saw it. I suppose the old man thinks I am a pretty good liar. If he had gone by what I said he could have turned in as usual. He is now well clear of the Casquels, although he thinks he is not yet up to them. Of course he would rather stay the whole night on the poop than go up aloft. Captains are exceedingly important personages in their own estimation and such a thing would be much below their dignity. I would let dignity go to the dickens in a case like this. | ||
| ⚪ | Saturday, 3rd | Still this confounded head wind. Tack and Tack all day and night. Ship after ship passing, and some times there are some jolly close shaves of collisions. We are all sick of the channel now. It is exceeding cold, and at night it is fearfully dark. | |
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