| Thursday, 5th Lat 57°11’S Long 75°44’W |
Again under journaltopsails, it being very squally and also raining hard. Scottie fell and sprained his wrist so has knocked off work. We all envy him lying in his bunk, while we are up aloft in the rain, wind and cold. | ||
| ⚪ | Friday, 6th Lat 57°11’S Long 74°20’W |
7 a.m. Furled foresail. 12 a.m. Set fore sail. Moderate gale, accompanied with heavy squalls and rain. Tonight very squally. Fore topmast staysail carried away with a report like thunder. Grog tonight. I tried it. | |
| Saturday, 7th Lat 57°12’S Long 76°38’W |
Midnight and midday wore ship. This last week has been horrid rain the whole time, also lee wheels all the time, for the sea has been very high. We have had plenty of sail drill this last week, continually setting and taking in topsails [- ? -] topgallants. | ||
| Sunday, 8th Lat 57°16’S Long 78°36’W |
Sighted G.F.T.R. (French) and another double topgallant ship. 6 a.m. Tacked ship and stood to N'ard, Very strong breeze, heavy swell, and high sea. This has by no means been a “day of rest”, for ever since we set the topgallants we have done nothing else than haul them up and down. | ||
| Monday, 9th Lat 54°39’S Long 78°50’W |
There is a very high sea running, also very heavy squalls. The ship has been encircled in spray all day. A homeward bounder very nearly ran us down, it being rainy and very foggy at the time. We signalled the ‘Hollyhead’, Cardiff to Callio, 90 days. | ||
| Tuesday, 10th Lat 52°45’S Long 79°33’W Dist. 116 miles |
Very high sea running, and also a strong Echenoctial gale. Tonight the Mizzen staysail sheet carried away, taking with it the capstan bar stand and two bars, which we deposited in the Pacific. All day and night raining as hard as possible. Lee wheels play a prominent part in the programme. | ||
| Wednesday, llth Lat 51°44’S Long 78°7’W |
This morning we reefed Fore Upper journaltopsail, main upper journaltopsail. Fore sail, and main journaltopmast staysail, the sea being too heavy to keep them full. There has been a lot of water on deck today. At 8 oclock this morning, as I was under the break of the poop after coming down from ringing the bell, a tremendous green sea came over by the port main rigging which washed me journalright into the port after locker, which was immediately filled up to the journaltop, before I had time to get out. It was journalback again, with the roll of the ship, and smashed me up against the journalback of the locker, filling me with water and nearly choking me for want of breath. The same sea smashed in our window and bent our door off its hinges, also filled our house up, and washed Scottie out of his bunk. It did great damage to the poop. It smashed the teakwood meat safe to splinters, smashed the stanchions of the starboard pinrail, also smashed cabin skylight in, carried away the rope netting of the port rail, and tore the port weather cloth to shreds. It also washed the cook out of his galley and filled it up, and put out his fire and cabin. | ||
| ⚪ | Thursday, l2th Lat 50°48’S Long 79°00’W |
Raining and blowing as hard as ever. 12 p.m. (Midnight). We are just down from main upper journaltopsail yard. We have been up for ¾ of an hour without oilskins. We had a hard job to get the sail stowed. I have got 5 sets of gear wet now. | |
| Friday, l3th Lat 49°27’S Long 79°08’W |
Raining as hard as it can. Tonight the good coast wind caught us! We are now averaging 10½knots. Tonight while I was standing on the main hatch a big green sea came over and washed me under the lee spar, and carried my hat overboard. | ||
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