Journey Jottings

“Today is Daisy’s birthday so the cook provided us with a little better dinner. And we enjoyed ourselves as much as was possible with the rolling. Joey has been fishing all day but could not catch anything so has gone to bed very much disgusted. The wind has been changing all day but still continues […]

“7 – 10 knots an hour all day, but very wet. Played cards morning afternoon & evening. & went to bed early” This was the entry A.Whelen made in his journal on this date when sailing from England  to Australia in 1878 aboard the iron clipper ‘Hesperides’  

“Heard this morning that we had had a very bad night; they thought that once or twice that our house would cave in as one green wave went right over & fell on the other side with a crash. I heard nothing whatever of all this as I am a good sleeper, but the ladies […]

“At 7.30 this morning we were called by the cabin boy to see a ship which was close by but we did not believe him as he so seldom tells the truth but on looking myself I found it to be quite true – So I turned out sharp. They were so close we could […]

“Yesterday we did 278 miles in the 24 hours an average of 11 and a half knots an hour. Last week we only did 7 knots on average every day. Although only a little better I got up today as it is such dreadful slow work being shut up there for 36 hours at a […]

“Today we have done from 10 –12 knot an hour. We are now in Lat: 43 30” S & 58 37” E & we shall not sight any land now till we get to Australia. At 12 we are 3 hours in advance of London time & no doubt some of you lazy folk are […]

“Up at 8.15 Doing about 4 knots an hour all day. Joey was very successful this morning & caught a large molly-hawk which measured 8ft 2 inches from wing to wing. The skinning process has been gone through and the bones will make capital pipe stems, the feet make good tobacco pouches and the skin […]

“This morning we had a change in the way of the Scotch mist, which was far from agreeable. However we have done a better pace today varying from 4 – 10 knots an hour. We saw a shoal of porpoises this morning. There were 1000’s of them and many dozens were so near the ship […]

“No peace for the wicked they will not let Joey & I enjoy the morning’s sleep but come at 8 & reopen both doors so that the cold breeze nearly took us out of our bunks. I expect you people at home are now making arrangements for Xmas. Joey has been fishing for birds all […]