SCHOONER CHANCE 85 



Meanwhile the wind was plenty strong enough to have the stay- 

 sail in and we were oflf Egg Rock. 



Position Anchor at Sh^lburne 

 Friday, September lyth <( Weather Cloudy 



Wind Strong easterly 



BY breakfast time it was quite rough. Yet even so, Oily and I 

 did 41 miles in the morning watch. This breaks all records. 

 Nobody even contested our claim. Halifax Lightship had a riding 

 sail up and was plunging into the swells in good style. A passing 

 steamer bound in for Halifax only went about two knots faster 

 than we. About noon, when we were flying along wing and wing, a 

 sea broke on our quarter. As both the hatch and the skylight to the 

 after cabin were open, OUy's bunk became filled with green water 

 and the after cabin required bailing. Our greatest trouble was to keep 

 the sails wing and wing. The foresail had a vicious tendency to jibe. 



After lunch the swells got very heavy indeed. Jack claimed he had 

 never seen them so big. The rollers were very far apart and came in 

 from the ESE. I am sure the breaking seas were more than 40 ft. 

 high. At times the schooner seemed to stand on end. Our decks re- 

 mained surprisingly free from water. Nobody wore oilers through 

 pride of the schooner but I will have to admit that both my boots 

 filled and I went under several times to the waist. 



At four, the wind having hauled towards the north, it became 

 necessary to jibe. We took the topmast runner off and with a sicken- 

 ing feeling I saw both masts start towards the bow. They looked for 

 all the world like the 'Tlapper's" stick when we forgot the back-stay 

 while jibing. Maybe I didn't yell to get the crew busy taking the 

 mainsail oE Just after they got the boom-tackle off, the boat gave an 

 extra heavy roll burying the whole outer half of the boom. This 

 pulled the jaws of the mast. John by some quick work with the 



