TIDE-RIPS AND SEA DRIFT. 405 



that they have no influence on the ship, but they certainly beat 

 very hard against the ship's sides, and jarred her all over. They 

 are felt even when below, and will wake one out of sleep." 



755. Mock vigias. — Captain AVakeman, of the "Adelaide," in 

 January, 1856, lat. 11° 21' N., long. 33^ 33' W., encountered 

 ■"tide-rips " which broke and foamed with such violence that he 

 took them for breakers or a shoal. They sometimes are most 

 alaiTQing. Approaching through the stillness of the night with a 

 roaring noise, and in the shape of tremendous rollers combing 

 and foaming, they seem to threaten to overwhelm vessel and 

 orew ; but, breaking over the deck, they pass by, and in a few 

 moments the sea is as smooth and as unruffled as before. Many 

 of the " vigias " which disfigure our charts have no other founda- 

 tion than the foam of a tide-rip. Captain Arquit's log of the 

 ■" Comet " gives an account of many tide-rips which he encoun- 

 tered also in the north-east trade- wind region of the Atlantic. 

 T:hus, November 15, 1855, lat. 7° 34' N., long. 40° 30' W. : 

 ""Many tide-rips, which we had a good opportunity of observing 

 when becalmed. They came up in ridges as long as the eye 

 <;ould reach, from all parts of the compass, but mostly from the E. 

 I examined the ridges very closely, but could not see any fine 

 ■drift-matter of any kind, as you can on the ridges of currents in 

 many parts of the ocean. We have had no currents unless they 

 liave been from different directions, and one counteracting the 

 other. Kovember 16th, lat. 6° 07' N. : Light winds and plea- 

 sant. There has been no time since noon to midnight but there 

 have been tide-rips either in sight or hearing, mostly tending 

 N.E. and S.W. in long narrow ridges. From 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. the 

 ocean appeared like a boiling caldron, which we sailed through 

 for three miles. The bubbling made a loud noise, which we 

 heard for a long time after we had sailed through it. The ship 

 had a very singular motion, like striking her keel on a soft 

 muddy bottom in a short rough sea-way — the same as I have 

 felt in the harbour of IMontevideo. The motion was noticed by 

 all on board. We have had a current of fifteen miles going west. 

 I have often noticed tide -rips in this part of the ocean before, 

 particularly when bound home (for I have never been where I 

 am nokw, bound out, before), and have mentioned them in my 

 abstract log, but they were different from what we had last night. 

 The ship would come to and fall off three points without any 

 regard to the rudder." 



