A VOYAGE TO 
[East Coast. 
iso;?. and at noon we came to a third, lying ten miles west of Wreck- 
August. J ° 
Friday 26. Reef Bank. Having then lost the breeze, we stopped to cook our 
dinner on shore ; and in the mean time I shot as many noddies as 
would give all the boat’s crew a meal. On quitting this third bank, 
which is near the western extremity of Wreck Reef, we crossed into 
the open sea; and a breeze springing up at south-east, made sail 
towards Sandy Cape. Many hump-backed whales were playing 
about the boat during the whole time we remained under the lee of 
the reef, but they did not follow us further. 
Nothing but clear water was visible at sunset, nevertheless 
we ran cautiously in the dark, looking out for breakers ; the night 
was fine, and we made good progress by means of the oars, at 
which the twelve men took watch and watch, as Mr-. Park and my- 
self did at the helm : it was for this purpose, and to guard against 
accidents, that I had taken so many men in the boat. 
Saturday 27. At day break the wind was E. S. E., and no land in sight; the 
boat was going four knots, and at noon our latitude by log was 
23 0 6 ' and the distance made from Wreck-Reef Bank, ninety miles. 
The wind freshened in the afternoon, and a cross sea rose which 
obliged us to reef the sails, and made the boat very wet. At four 
we close reefed and hauled to the wind, but this was not enough; 
the increased hollowness of the waves catised the boat to labour so 
much, that every plunge raised an apprehension that some of the 
planks would start from the timbers. Having no other resource, we 
emptied one of the two casks of water, threw over-board the stones 
of our fire place and wood for cooking, as also a bag of pease and 
whatever else could be best spared ; the boat was then somewhat 
more easy ; and before dark, the hollow swell had so far subsided 
that we kept two points from the wind, and again went along in 
tolerable tranquillity. 
This hollow sea was probably caused, by a weather tide setting 
out of some passage between the reefs to the north-westward ; and 
the succeeding smooth water by the tide having turned to leeward. 
