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Fateful Voyage

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Revised Jun 7 2021

Bounty Logbook Remarks, Apr. 13, 1788

Saturday, Apr. 12, 1788

1:00 pm Fresh Breezes and dark Gloomy Weather. Out 2nd Reef Main Topsail.

4:00 pm Ditto Weather and Foggy. Out 3rd Reef Fore Topsail.

7:00 pm Wind encreasing and a bad looking Night. In 3rd Reefs.

11:00 pm Very Squally and a high Sea. Handed the Fore Topsail.

Sunday, Apr. 13, 1788

12:00 am Very Strong Gale and Rain. Handed the Main Topsail, and Handed the Main Sail.

4:00 am Hard Gale with very Severe Squalls and Rain & Sleet.

8:00 am Very Severe Weather and a high breaking Sea. Handed the Fore Sail and brought too under Reefed Main Sail. Caught a brown Albatross.

11:00 am A little more Moderate, set the Reefed Foresail.

12:00 pm A Strong Gale and thick Rainy Weather with squalls of Hail. As much as we can carry Reefed Courses. Wore Ship. Saw some Whales. The Sea high and breaking frequently Over us. Some Birds about.

Remarks

It was with much Satisfaction we found the Wind Moderate this afternoon, and I made the most of it by carrying all the Sail the ship would bear, particularly the first part of the Night when we laid so well up, but the Wind freshened and became so Strong a Gale before Midnight that it was as much as all hands could get the Sails in, our Decks was twice filled with the Sea, but happily no damage of consequence happened to us. We carryed a Reefed Foresail untill 8 in the Morning when I was obliged to furl it & bring too under the Main Sail Reefed; but towards noon it Moderating a little we got the Foresail set again, when finding I was only encreasing my Southing & easting, and the weather much Colder, I wore ship with hopes of the Wind comng from the Southward.

It is now three Weeks since we came round Staten Land, a time we have spent with much fatigue and almost constant bad Weather, I now begin to see that this is a most improper time to venture into these Seas, and I realy do not know a more faithful description of it than Lord Ansons; An Account I have often doubted, supposing their internal Maladies to have aggravated their distresses. Upon the whole I may be bold to say that few Ships could have gone through it as we have done, but I cannot expect my Men and Officers to bear it much longer, or will the object of my Voyage allow me to persist in it.

My Gunner who has had charge of a Watch is now laid up, and my Carpenters Mate, and from the Violent motion of the ship the Cook fell and received a severe bruize and broke one of his Ribs, and One Man Dislocated his shoulder.

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