Day 345. Flying fish and salt horse: a seafaring tale
10th July 1860:
Tuesday 10th. Set flying Jib and M.T.G Stayl. the wind drawing more ahead braced the Yards sharp up, but the ship still going her course (which is N.E. by E.) at 5 knots. 6 AM shook the single reefs out of the Topsails and are again carrying all sail. At 1 PM it looked very threatening with heavy squalls in rapid succession all the light sails were furled and a single reef taken in each Topsail, we are now in Lat 40″10S and Long 40″0W in this place the Captn cannot put much confidence in the weather so its clew up and haul down in time or perhaps you won’t have the chance after.
I was thinking about Bolingbroke Fair today.
Just as another storm is threatening, Richard is thinking of home, where it would be Fair day in his village of Bolingbroke, which had had an annual fair around the end of June since the Middle Ages. Richard has either found himself with more time for the diary, or decided he needs to fill in some gaps for his family at home, so we are suddenly being treated to much more interesting and informative entries than we are used to.