Close

Little Bassa, Liberia

First mate’s logbook

It was calm in the morning and forenoon with an misty sky. We received a canoe of firewood on board. When 2 The length of the watches was measured using an hourglass filled with sand. Each watch consisted of 8 half-hour glasses, marked by bells. glasses in the afternoon watch had run out we had a gentle breeze from the SSW. We raised anchor and set sail. We saw a a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts barquentine and a boat which were tacking up and a ship sailing off. With 7 glasses into the afternoon watch we dropped anchor at 14 ½ 1 fathom = 6 feet (170 cm) fathom stiff ground because it was calm. 7 Tree was to the ENE of us. We took in 15 baskets of rice and ½ A Dutch liquid measure of approximately 155 liters aume of palm oil. Throughout the night there was a NE gentle breeze and good weather till morning.