Arthur David LINKLATER

His ’Journal’

Apprenticed aboard British Princess

10.xii.1895 - 13.iii.1900



	Wednesday, 13th	Good breeze still blowing in same direction.
⚪	Thursday, 14th	12 a.m. Furled main sail and topgallant staysails. Very cloudy. While at the wheel from 4-6 this morning two tremendous “whirl winds” came over the horizon right astern. They looked lik smoking volcanos, and were going round and round and raised a column of water about 200 feet high. The mate got excited. We let go all staysails, Furled Royals and topgallants. We let her go off 6 points. Mate said if we had got in it, it would have taken the sticks out of her in two seconds. Terribly black.
	Friday, 15th	Sighted a three masted ship on the horizon. We could not see it from deck, but it could easily be seen from aloft. Grand evening.
	Saturday, 16th	Supposed to have passed Norfolk island about 2 a.m. but did not see it.
	Monday, 18th	Shifted out of house and got it painted. About 2 p.m. a very severe thunder storm broke over us. The lightning was incessant, the thunder continually roaring. Raining very heavy all the time. I had the good luck to be at the wheel from 2 - 4 so had it all. Took in Royals, Topgallants and all sail except topsails. Blowing very hard. Sea rising fast. It started all of a sudden and went all of a sudden. All hands were called on deck. At 9 p.m. a terrific squall struck us from right ahead, almost took the sticks out of her. If we had had more sail on, they would have gone. Curious sensation, sails flapping, men singing out, mates shouting ect ect, 3 mate said he thought it was “Good bye”.
	Tuesday, 19th	Splendid day again. All sail set. Very heavy swell from S.W. right ahead.
	Wednesday, 20th	Hardly any wind. Hot and fine. A lot of dolphins about, also 3 very large sharks. We caught one three times, but while hauling it up it got off. Its head was over the Half round, and its tail was in the water. About 16 feet long. They were also accompanied by the suckers and pilot fish (black and white stripes right round their bodies). About seven oclook tonight we sighted Lord Howe island about sixty miles off, and shifted course a point or so. Ship far over on the, horizon.
	Thursday, 21st	This morning we could see Lord Howe island quite plain. Looked something like this about 8 a.m Grower is 3,000 and some odd feet high, and is visable at 20 leagues.
⚪	Saturday, 23rd	Fine morning with good breeze. Going about 9 knots. At 3 p.m. thunder and lightning came, and a southerly burster caught us right aback, luckily we had all sail clewed up except topsails. All hands were called on deck. It was our watch below at the time. It could not have rained and hailed harder for the short time it lasted. When it left us there was not a breath of wind.
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