In the afternoon the yacht was again
brought to an anchor, and remained so till Saturday, about 4 A.M.,
when a breeze springing up from the southward, her head was pointed
towards the Welsh coast. Travelling was very slow, for the wind was
very light, and not at all true. Two short boards were made on
reaching the other side, and about 8 A.M. on Sunday the yacht was
laying up on the port tack for the Smalls. The wind had now some
westing in it, but not sufficient to let a course be laid for the
Longships; and as long rollers were coming in from the south-west, it
was settled to go well away to windward in order to make Land's End in
one tack and obtain a clear offing.
The Smalls was left behind about 3 P.M., and at 5 P.M. the whole face
of the sky was beginning to look so threatening, and the clouds to
drive past at such a rate from the southward, while the quiet rollers
had already begun to break up and require such extra attention, that
at 6 P.M. the 'Cyprus' was hove to, and made ready for a dirty night.
The mainsail was taken off her and trysail set, the topmast housed and
bowsprit reefed in, the second jib shifted for a spitfire, and the
foresail double-reefed. Two hours later, the wind having sprung up
into something near akin to a gale, and the yacht dancing with a light
heart and by no means wet deck away out to sea, everyone on board was
glad that she was under snug canvas and that time had been taken by
the forelock. She could not have been more comfortable or cozy had she
been a sea-going rocking-chair. On going about, the first land sighted
was Cape Cornwall, but the wind, having had its say, again went down,
till the yacht was left with just sufficient to keep her going, but
not enough to make her steady, or prevent her knocking about in the
choppy sea that remained. About noon, however, a breeze sprang up, and
the Seven Stones Lightship was passed close to about 3 o'clock on
Tuesday morning. Towards 8 A.M. the wind had veered round to the N.W.,
coming off the land in strong puffs; sail was made once more, and with
fairly smooth water all the way the yacht lay herself down to her
work, and finally brought to off the Hoe at 10 P.M. the same night.
The lesson learnt during this cruise was a useful one--viz. that if
sail is attended to in time, a 5-ton yacht is fit to face almost any
weather, provided she has sea-room. During the whole trip round the
crew were never without hot water when they required it, so easy was
the yacht's motion to those below, even during the most disagreeable
part of the journey; and no water went below even when it lay thick on
deck, as, for instance, off Stranraer, and once or twice before sail
was taken off her when near the Smalls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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