| Wednesday, 30th Lat 33°31’S Long 175°41’E |
Sorting topgallant sheets all day. Last night we were only 60 miles off the New Zealand coast. Still a head wind. | ||
| DECEMBER 1898 | |||
| ⚪ | Thursday, 1st | Rather squally. Ship on port beam, can't be seen from deck. Since leaving we have had about 40 hours fair wind. Ratlining down on main. | |
| Friday, 2nd | This morning extremely curious black bank of cloud came up ahead. Great excitement prevailed. Lowering away sails and making them fast, but it calmly past over and nothing happened. Tallowing all wire running gear. This afternoon a large whale has been playing right alongside. A ship also passed astern on the other tack. Looked very much like the ‘Leicester Castle’ which sailed a day after ourselves. Stormy. I can't understand how it is I don't feel much more lonely being all ways by myself, but all the same there's not much enjoyment in it. | ||
| Saturday, 3rd | Knocked off in good time this afternoon. Blowing pretty hard. | ||
| Sunday, 4th | Glass falling and beginning to look very nasty. Heavy sea getting up. All light sails off. | ||
| Monday, 5th | Glass still falling and we are now in the tail end of a cyclone. We have only the lower topsail on the Fore, and upper and lower on the Main. Very heavy squalls accompanied with rain continually passing over us. Two hands at the wheel. We were going ahead fairly dry, when all of a sudden a tremendous sea came crashing over the Fo'c'stle head on to the main deck, washing a great heap of things aft, including the “Professor”. I expect the worst of this is still to come, as the glass is very low. Stale! | ||
| Tuesday, 6th | All last night and this morning we were hove to under a main lower topsail and the whole time a proper cyclone blowing. Noon today it is now a beautiful day. You would think it never had blown here in its life. Wind right aft. Main royal on. Last night the wheel was kicking awfully. It threw Skuse right over the spanker boom, and snapped the spokes in the other man's hands. Skuse is lying up now. They then put on the two large wheel tackles, and had two hands at the wheel, but it broke the weather tackle and the staysail sheets had to be used. Today spent in mending the pieces, and in replacing gear, which has been washed away. We always have a cyclone when we have anything to do with 19. Last voyage we had one in 19°North and another 19° South of the equator. This time we had it 19 days out. Had an exciting argument with the mate last night. | ||
| ⚪ | Tuesday, 6th | Again it is Tuesday. We have had a Tuesday of 48 hours, as yesterday afternoon (Tues) we crossed the meridian, going from East longitude into West longitude and, of course, changing the time which was twelve hours ahead of your time to twelve hours behind Greenwich time. Of course this is a day without any pay for anyone. We had a fair wind for about six hours, but now it is ahead again. We have had 21 days head wind. Grand!!! Later: This evening it commenced to blow again and we had to take in upper topsails. It rained the whole night. I was at the wheel and as usual had no oilskins, and the most curious thing of all was “Dear” Mrs, Scott condescended to ask me if no one would bring them up. I told her I was then as wet as I could get, and it didn't much matter. | |
| Wednesday, 7th Lat 32°45’S Long 175°25’W |
Almost dead calm, but what little wind there is is right ahead. Ratline down on the main. | ||
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