Day 376. Flying fish and salt horse: a seafaring tale
10th August 1860:
Friday 10th. We also had some heavy showers during this morning with very little wind. 11 AM lashed a spar across on top of the pumps brakes, with short bell ropes at the end, to work the pumps with, it is not nearly so harrassing as it was before. But it is anything but easy, now. Tarring down the Mizen Rigging this afternoon. 7 PM took in the Stun Sails and braced the yards up, it commenced raining immediately after and fell in torrents throughout the night. I think I never saw it rain so heavy in my life, and to mend the matter we was at work in at all, the wind choping round, on the other side, and we had to Tack ship, which we had no sooner got done, that it chopped right back again, and took the ship quite aback when we had to tack again, it was also pitch dark, when we got that done, we had nearly 2 hours water to pump out of her which kept us busy untill 8 bells (12 o'clock). Latitude by observation at noon 12″0″ N.