WORLD VOYAGE BEGINS I9I 



north-eastward, when they are said to have 'recurved'. Bermuda 

 often finds itself in the hurricane area at the time of recurving. 



Some ships have of course passed right through the centre of a 

 hurricane, experiencing winds of well over loo miles an hour 

 and mountainous seas. Such ships have often lived to tell the tale, 

 usually with calmness and much understatement, one feels, when 

 reading these accounts in the meterorological journals. But well- 

 found vessels have gone to the bottom as the result of meeting 

 with a hurricane or a typhoon at sea, often as a result of a giant 

 wave pouring down the funnel, as the ship is tossed madly in 

 a confused and towering sea. So it is well to avoid these circular 

 storms if one can, and this is difficult of accomplishment in a 

 low-speed ship. 



On this occasion the hurricane was reported coming north- 

 wards between Bermuda and the coast of the United States. Her 

 name was Doris. A little later she was reported to be recurving 

 and then to be moving in a north-easterly direction. Challenger 

 was just south of the Grand Banks and the Captain and Navigator 

 had decided to head due westwards and later southwards towards 

 Bermuda, getting round behind Doris. But as the next 12 hours 

 wore on the feeling of ominous calm became gradually apparent, 

 and by evening, as the ship sailed westwards into the setting sun, 

 it was unmistakable. Cirrus clouds stretched in wispy bands right 

 across the sky, and lower cumulus clouds cast leaden shadows on 

 the glassy surface of the gently heaving sea. A flock of storm 

 petrels fluttered in the wake of the ship, which was flanked by 

 the waves caused by the ship's bows rippling outwards on either 

 quarter as far as the eye could see. 



Those on the bridge were not surprised therefore when a signal 

 was passed up which said that the last report of Doris's movements 

 had been in error and that in fact she was still proceeding north- 

 wards. A simple sum in relative velocity showed that ship and 

 hurricane would eventually meet. 



The course was altered to the south-east and Challenger began 

 to run a little faster, at her maximum speed of about ten knots. 

 For two or three days Challenger hustled south-eastwards and was 

 by now approaching the latitude of Bermuda, and she began 

 edging to the westward in heavy seas in Doris's wake. 



About this time the Wardroom invented a game called 'Ships 



