SCHOONER CHANCE 71 



( Position Nedring Cape Harrison 

 Saturday, September 4th < Weather Very clear 



I Wind Strong northwester 



THE early morning was terribly lumpy. We gradually drifted 

 down closer to Saddle Island while the seas raised the very 

 devil with the rigging. It was a clear, lovely morning yet because of 

 the slatting it was no pleasure to be on deck. I am sure there was 

 some wind all the time yet because of the swell we were stem to our 

 course most of the time. 



Just at lunch time a first class northwester sprang up and we went 

 flying down a long string of bergs plenty fast enough to suit every- 

 one. We held the light sails on her the first hour or two, but then 

 the wind began to blow the tops off the waves so we reduced to our 

 four lowers and went just as fast. We hauled the log every hour 

 getting g}4 knots regularly, but as the wind was continually letting 

 up and then blowing in great puffs, I am sure we were doing eleven 

 at times. About four it began to get rougher and one sea came down 

 the after companionway. If we could only hold a breeze like this for 

 24 hours we could make a great run and wipe out our low average of 

 the last few days. But at dark the wind slackened and we averaged 

 about 6 miles all night. Perhaps this was just as well as there was 

 more ice around than we have seen for a long time. One thing we 

 noticed which helped a lot. All the small pieces which break off 

 float out in a line to leeward. The large bergs are easy enough to see 

 and by always passing to windward we escaped a lot of the small 

 stuff. We had three men on all night, two forward on look-out. 



In the morning Cape Makkovick was ahead and I was well 

 enough satisfied with the run to forget the loss of our old log which 

 was carried away by a small piece of ict. 



