Diary 16.4.1883

Monday April 16

Got up at 7:15 had breakfast on deck of porridge and coffee and toast and eggs, a good wind we have gone 180 miles. Lat. 7.17N Long. 24.5W

Diary 15.4.883

Sunday April 15

A cloudy morning looked like rain but turned out a hot day, had breakfast on deck porridge and coffee. Some jam would be very nice we would have brought a dozen pots if we had known before what we know now, butter and bread is not so good on ship board as at home.
We had church service again in the morning and preaching in the afternoon, it never looks like Sunday, the young men were card playing today for money they are a bad lot, went to bed soon not so very well. Distance run 150 miles, Ruth Emmeline has got bowel complaint.

Diary 14.4.1883

Saturday April 14

A very nice morning and a fair wind lots of flying fish and porpoises about, the day is very hot we are getting near the line we shall most likely cross next week. There is to be a concert tonight, the young men get them up they are of a low sort the songs that they sing are disgusting. The sailors caught a flying fish today.

Diary 13.4.183

Friday April 13

Up at 7:15 two ships in sight, a very good and fair wind but noting to boast of only run 115 miles. The single young women had a concert last night on the poop and married were allowed to go, but not the young men. They were very disappointed, the first mate had to keep an eye on them, one of them from Shipley thought he would do something clever and tried to get up, the first mate told him to go down the steps and he would not so knocked him right from the top to the bottom and it served him right, he was in bed almost all day after. The concert passed off well. We spoke a ship today the “Lock Garra” (there was a Loch Garry built in 1875, on the Glasgow to Melbourne run) bound for Melbourne, it left Grenoch at same time as us, it is a larger ship than the “Nairnshire” having four masts. A beautiful moonlight night.

Diary 12.4.1883

Thursday April 12

Got up a 7 o’clock, breakfast porridge and coffee, no wind only run 44 miles, Lat. 16.55N Long> 25.48W. San Anotone Island very near it is a mile and a half high, it looks very barren not anything to be seen but sand and rocks, there is a lot of sea birds about.

Interior of Santo Antao

Diary 11.4.1883

Wednesday April 11

Got up at 6:30 had some fried eggs and toast then some porridge and coffee, a very fine morning and nice and hot, the sailors have been working very hard getting all masts into order for the warm weather and putting lightning conductors on the top. A whale passed within two miles of us it was not such a large one, also a shoal of porpoises passed quite near, there was a lot of them and some star fish.

Diary 10.4.1883

Tuesday April 10

Was on deck at 6 o’clock three sails in view low astern and one ahead, a beautiful morning, breakfast of porridge and sugar, Emily Ann went to the ship’s cook and gave him a tip so we got some toast, we shall be able to get some anytime now we made a very good breakfast. Not much wind today only run 104 miles, San Anotone Island in sight (as the most northern of the Cape Verde Islands and at 1,979m high, it would have been the first to appear on the horizon) 62 miles almost ahead, it looks like two black clouds in the distant sky, it is a very hot day the sun is almost shining straight down upon us.

Diary 9.4.1883

Monday April 9

Got up 7:15 breakfast at 8:30 porridge and coffee, a nice day the sun very warm we have now got into the tropics, we are going on slow as the wind is very light. Ruth Emmeline has almost found her sea legs, the first mate keeps giving her spice, and the boatswain keeps carrying her about. Emily Ann is not so very well today (At this time Emily was 3 months pregnant with Mary Ellen) although she has been making fatty cakes this morning. The log today is Lat. 19.58N, Long. 25.1W distance run 143 miles. San Anotone Island 144 miles off.

Diary 8.4.1883

Sunday April 8

Got up at 6:30 had enough of the stifling below, as usual corned beef and carrot for dinner. The Doctor held a Church Service this morning on the main deck, there was no sermon, we only sang two hymns “Jesus lover of My Soul” was one, there is going to be a service again this afternoon, we have now got the Trade Winds and expect to keep on going, the distance was today 147 miles run, Lat. 22.19N Long. 33W, San Anotino Island 302 right ahead.