A Voyage to the South Atlantic and round Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean, etc./Chapter 1
1793.The slant of wind with which we set sail continued to be fair no longer than midnight, and we were obliged to ply to windward until the January 7.ſeventh of January at noon; when, being close in with the Start, and threatened with a gale of wind from the Southward, we bore up and anchored in Torbay for the night. The wind at day-light shifting to the North North West, we weighed and stood out of the bay. This spirt carried us as far as the Eddystone Light-house, when it again
shifted to the Southward and blew fresh. We had now to beat off a lee-shore, and, by the press of sail which we were obliged to carry, in order to accomplish that object, and to get ten leagues to the Southward and Westward of the Lizard, we had three feet water in the hold from a leak in the trunks that were sunk to the hawse for the cables, in consequence of a spar-deck being fixed to join the fore-castle and quarter-deck, and bringing the cables on the upper deck. At this time the gale had so increased, as to reduce our sails to the three storm stay-sails; and, at times, during the twenty-four hours it lasted, we could not carry all of them, from the rain, hail, snow and blowing weather which we had experienced more or less every day, since we sailed: while our crew consisted of no more than seventeen, officers and seamen, with three landmen and five boys, to work a ship that, in his Majesty's service, had a complement of 130 men: and all the alteration I had made was cutting four feet off the lower yards, two feet off the top-sail yards, and reducing the sails in proportion. Thus weak handed, we were all obliged to be on deck when there was an extra duty, which our situation and the state of the ship often required. The crew also, at this time, began to grow weary, and, in addition to our other exertions, it was necessary to keep the pump in continual employment. We were, however, greatly indebted to the marine barometer, as it warned me against making sail when there was an appearance only of moderate, and to shorten sail on the approach of foul and tempestuous, weather. AtJanuary 13. length, however, on the thirteenth at noon, when we were within a few leagues of the Lizard, the wind shifting to the North West, and from thence to the North East, a strong wind and great swell carried us to Madeira in six days; on one of which alone we had fair weather. OnJanuary 20. the twentieth I had run that distance by two of Arnold's time-pieces and account: it also blew a strong gale, very variable, with dark cloudy weather and heavy rain. I had not made any observation this day to be relied on, but such as pointed out to me the like was not far distant, and that it became absolutely necessary for me to ascertain our true situation before night. I depended on the qualities of the ship for clearing the land if caught on a lee-shore, and accordingly shortened sail to close-reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail. We then hove too and housed our boats: but we had no sooner bore up, than, half a mile on the lea-beam, we descried the Deserters Rocks: and as it was impossible to weather them on the tack we were then on, we wore and stretched out between Porto Sancto and the East end of Madeira; while it blew so heavy at intervals, that the ship lurched three streaks of the main-deck under water: at the same time, she made a better way through the water than we could expect or would generally be believed. When the gale had ceased, calms, light winds, and baffling weather, prevented our clearing the West end of Madeira,
until22. the evening of the twenty-second of January.
My present intention was to pass in light to the Westward of the Canaries; and29. at noon, on the twenty-ninth instant, had the weather not been so dark and clouded, we ought, by our observations, to have seen some of them. At four in the afternoon we got sight of the Island Ferro, distant about five or six leagues. From hence I was persuaded to get in the Longitude of 21° West, in the Latitude of the Isle of Sal one of the Cape de Verds, and run down in that parallel for the Isle with an expectation of catching whale. This was not merely a curious inclination, but a sense of duty, which inspired the wish to begin my acquaintance with that business, at as early a period of the voyage as possible. Dark, hazy and cloudy weather accompanied us all the way from the Canaries, and our rigging was covered with dust of the colour of brown sand, as if it had been laying on shore. We ran the distance by watch and reckoning to a few miles, but the continuance of hazy weather prevented our seeing it: and as it blew strong with a heavy sea, it was the whaling master's opinion, with such weather we could do nothing with fish, if we fell in with them: I accordingly bore up, and run down the lee-side of Bonavista. Light winds prevented our crossingFeb. 10. the Equator until the tenth of February, at midnight, in Longitude 24° 30′ West of Greenwich, and all the fish we had as yet caught, were a shark and a porpoise.
In the Latitude of 19° South, and Longitude 55° West, we lost the South East trade wind, which had accompanied us from 4° North: when a wind from the North East fell in with us, and continued until we reached the Latitude 21° 30′, and Longitude 36° West. At this time we had changeable weather, with lightning, heavy rain, and a swell from the South West. The wind then shifted to the Southward and Eastward, and blew in that direction until the twenty-thirdFeb. 23. of February, when, at midnight, we made Cape Frio: but calms and light winds prevented our getting into Rio Janeiro, until the twenty-fourth24.. We there found Governor Phillips on his homeward bound passage from Botany Bay, in the Atlantic Transport; and, on the following day, a South Whaler came in to stop a leak.
The rigging of the Rattler was in such a state as to require considerable repairs: the new work also wanted caulking; and that no further time might be lost, the season being already far advanced for doubling Cape Horn, I hired natives to supply me with water, as well as a couple of caulkers to assist our carpenter in caulking the ship and stopping our leak, which was under the hawse-pieces. At length, all our repairs being completed, and our stock of provisions, including two live bullocks, being got on board, by the fifthMarch 5. of March, we set sail with the Mediator, the whaler already mentioned. We parted, however, with her, on getting out of the harbour, and passed, between the Razor and Round Isles, to the Sea.
Governor Phillips sailed the day before me, and was so kind, among other civilities, as to be the bearer of a table of the rate of the time-keepers to Phillip Stephens, Esq. as well as of letters to the owners and my friends. On my return from taking leave of him, and at the distance of about two cables length of his ship, I struck with an harpoon the largest turtle I ever saw: it weighed at least five hundred weight. Governor Phillips, on observing our exertions on the occasion, immediately sent a boat to our assistance, and I requested his acceptance of the prize.
On the arrival of a ship off Santa-Cruz at the mouth of Rio Janeiro, the Patrimore or harbour master comes on board, takes charge of the vessel, carries her into the harbour and moors her in a good birth. Sometimes the mate is first taken out, as was the ceremony with me, to undergo an examination; but the captain is not suffered to leave the ship without orders; neither will any supplies be admitted until a visit has been made by the officers of police, to inquire into the health of the crew, from whence you come, whither you are bound, what is the particular object of your voyage, and the time you wish to stay. The mates are then taken on shore to be examined, when their declaration with that of the commanding officer, is laid before the Viceroy whose official permission must be given before any commercial intercourse can take place between the ship and the shore: the captain and officers must also sign a declaration, acknowledging that they and their crew consider themselves as amenable to the laws of the country, while they remain in it.
The land-breeze, at this place, commences in the evening, and generally continues until the morning; the length of time it blows, as well as its strength, depends on the different seasons of the year; and all vessels leaving this port must take the advantage of the land or leading wind, the mouth of the harbour being too narrow to turn out. We had no sooner left the harbour, than the Patrimore took his leave of us. It may be proper, however, to remark in this place, that the commanders of merchant vessels are required to give one day's notice, previous to their sailing from this port.