We continued to sail slowly through the night along the Iberian coast. This provided a great opportunity to drill in sail handling at night and the watches ran through the preparations for squall response in getting all of the sail in aft and the getting in the ‘kites’.
A square rigger’s safest point of sail in high winds is with the wind well aft, where the strongest parts of the rigging are brought to bear and the apparent wind is decreased by running with it. As such we drill for squall conditions by quickly taking in the Gaff Topsail, Spanker, Mizzen Topmast Staysail and Mainsail to take the pressure off of the stern of the ship and allow us to turn down wind. The effort is next put into any other sails that might be vulnerable, Main T’gallant Staysail, Royals and Flying Jib.
As the gang gets better and better at these drills it allows us to carry more sail through the night and increase the distance we can make under sail in this passage.
Today we also continue to shift sails: both Royals have come down from the Fore and Main and old ones have been sent up for bending.
SHIP’S WORK: Oil blocks on deck; greasing rounds aloft and on deck; clean semi-dory on the house; continue shaping Main T’gallant Studdingsail boom; send up Main T’gallant Staysail and Mizzen Topmast Staysail; wire halyard whips; Sailmakers begin tabling on the new Upper Topsail and continue with bunt cloths; begin grommets on new Flying Jib.
FROM: La Rochelle, France
TOWARDS: Quebec, Canada
TIME ZONE: GMT
NOON POSITION: 41°42.3’N / 009°47.6’W
DAYS RUN: 74nm
PASSAGE LOG: 543nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 4,072nm
COURSE AND SPEED: SE, 3.5kts
WIND: SSW, Force 3
WEATHER: Sunny, air temp: 21°C, water temp: 17°C
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: N’rly, 1-2 ft
SAILS SET: All Sail, except Fore Royal