“Up at 7 for a bath. Another calm today for a change. Joey has been doing some washing this morning again. Little Dux is laid up with the yellow jaundice which is anything but nice. She has to lay in bed a good bit & as it is rather sultry in as well as outside […]

“Up at 7.30 & find the weather still very fine but the wind has dropped very considerably. Our companion is still with us as she has been for the last 7 days & it is a pity we do not know her name. She has been gaining on us all day being lighter but if […]

“Up at 7.30. Another fine day with good breeze. Did from 8 to 10 knots all day. Had another bed making day which must last for some time now as it is too hot a job to be done often. I find that last voyage when they had coolies on board, that our house was […]

“Up at 7 & did nothing but read & play cards all day. An average of 8 knots all day today. Had some songs in the evening & to bed at 11. This afternoon we were less than 300 miles off the Brazilian coast & saw a few land birds which are sometimes seen at […]

“Out at 7.30 & had a bath. Doing about 7 knots all day. The heat is now so intense that it is impossible to do anything so that the news are therefore very scanty. In the evening had some gymnastics & to bed early.” Extract from A.Whelen’s journal aboard the Hesperides sailing from England to […]

“Quitted our cockerwalks at 7 & had a bath before breakfast. Another fine & hot day with a little breeze & we now hope to make some headway as it is now the last of a 9-day calm. One day we did 13 miles, another 17 & another 25 which is really wretched work. Cards […]

“Another dead calm & only 300 miles from the line so imagine how cold it is. Joey & I made our beds once again for a change our usual time for making them is every 2 to 3 weeks. Little of consequence occurs today. Had a game of whist & to bed at 11.30” Extract […]