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The Channel, Les Casquets

First mate’s logbook

In the morning and forenoon we had a stiff and decreasing breeze coming from the ESE with drizzling rain. We steered WSW and saw several ships around us that had To turn a sailing ship so that its bow heads into the wind and the ship lies motionless except for drifting, in order to meet a storm.heaved to, away from the storm. When The length of the watches was measured using an hourglass filled with sand. Each watch consisted of 8 half-hour glasses, marked by bells.six glasses in the forenoon had run out, we unfurled the  main sail. At noon we estimated our dead reckoning position since our last estimation at the cliffs west of the Island AlderneyLes Casquets. Our estimated compound course and covered distance was 29 miles coming down to the estimated North latitude 49°35′, Longitude 11°11. We steered somewhat to the WSW. We found that one of the ties of a shroud in the fore rigging on port side had broken down, so we bolted it. During the afternoon watch and the dog watches there was a stiff lower sail SSE breeze with a cloudy sky and drizzling rain. At the start of the first watch we had a SW and S breeze.  During the middle watch the wind was directed to the SSE with heavy rain showers and a strong wind. With the crutch we fixed the main sail; the weather remained like this till morning.