“About noon the captain and second mate, who had been on the fore
topsail yard all the morning, discovered clear sea again, to gain which
we had to force a passage through dense masses of ice. It was here
she sustained the principal damage to her stem and copper. We soon
got clear and the rest of the day we saw no traces of ice and were
very thankful we had got off so easily. But to our dismay at 8 p.m.
we again fell in with it. The ship was put about and sail shortened
for the night and we ran back to the clear water in which we had been
sailing. At daybreak sail was made and at 7 a.m. we came up to the ice.
At first it was only large pans much melted, the water having all the
appearance of brine and being quite thick round them. Afterwards large
masses of icebergs presented themselves. In grinding the ship through
these, great difficulty was experienced—very large bergs were also
interspersed and visible all round.
“This day we cleared it again about noon. Icebergs were still, however,
seen both near and in the distance; their appearance was most grand,
the largest being thought to be about 2 miles in circumference and 100
feet high. It was passed about 4 or 5 miles distant on our starboard
and lee side.
“We hove to again at night. Next day, Saturday, was for the most part
a dead calm and we were carried back with the current. There was not a
breath of wind; a clear sky and beautiful weather, only the air sharp.
Icebergs were, however, still seen. The next day, Sunday, we passed
a number more, which were the last ice seen. One of these was most
grand, being about 200 feet high. We cleared it on our port or windward
side about a mile or less distant. The weather during this period
was clear and fine. Indeed, the day before encountering the ice was
beautiful, a fine light breeze which heightened towards evening and sea
smooth. We were running close-hauled 14 knots an hour steadily during
the night. The sun had set a deep crimson behind a bank of clouds over
against Cape Horn.”
_Red Jacket’s_ next three weeks’ runs averaged:—
4th week, 205 miles per day.
5th week, 237 miles per day. (Mostly light breezes,
squalls and rain.)
6th week, 224 miles per day. (Easterly winds.)
The line was crossed on 13th September, the _Red Jacket_ having run
10,243 miles in 42 days, an average of 244 per day. She now had every
hope of beating the record, but, alas, from here on she had nothing but
calms and light head winds which drove her across into 43° W. and she
was 31½ days from the line to port, reaching Liverpool on 15th October,
after a passage of 73 days. This was considered an extraordinary
performance, when allowance was made for the light weather experienced
after crossing the line. During one whole week in the doldrums she
averaged under 100 miles per day, and the two following weeks she only
averaged 142 and 106 miles respectively.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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