Day 343. Flying fish and salt horse: a seafaring tale
8th July 1860:
Sunday 8th. When we came on deck at 4 AM Set M.T.G. sail, Fore and Mizn ditto, F. Jib, Main Royal and Crossjack. Shook all the reefs out of the Topsails and set T.G. Staysails.
The M Topsail stay carried away which we had to set up again this found us plenty of work until 8 AM when we went below. Nothing of importance occurred to day until 8 PM when the weather had a more stormy appearance, with increasing wind. 9 PM we still had all sail on her even Topmast and lower Star sails (which we set at 1 PM, the men growling very much because we had to do it when we came on deck, the other watch doing nothing all the morning and the wind in the same quarter, we had to reeve all the gear, launch the boom out and set the sails which broke into the watch a good deal). when we were struck by a squall which carried away the Fore Topsail, Jib and F.T.G. sheet, but as luck would have it the Topsail was above the double reef. At 9 PM we were carrying all the sail we could pack on her and at 10 PM we were under double reefed Topsails and Foresail.
We had some terrific squalls in the night with very heavy hail showers at short interval untill it blew a regular gale, with a heavy head sea. Which made the old ship bounce about like a Billy Goat in a Cabbage Garden.