The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-05-01
LONG SEA VOYAGES.
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From the records at Lloyds there
are many instances of long seavoy-
ance, vessels being out so many
months that they have been given up
as lost. The Italian ship Mnfa arrived
at an English port the other day after
being out 1876 days. To the nautical
perception the sea is full OF such lone
ly craft battering their way round the
Horn through region of almost per
petual gales, or idling in the doldrums
to the irritation of their dispirited
crews who only find partial consolation
In the reflection that every flap of the
mainsail means half crown out of the
owners pocket and corresponding
addition to their own hard earned
pay.
Within the experience of the deep
sea sailor such passages are nothing
unusual, particularly on the outward
voyage to the Pacific. when Cape Horn
has TO be weathered and its prevailing
westerly winds won through. ON
March 2, 1910, the four masted bark
Invernesshire sailed from Hamburg
bound for Santa Rosalia IN the Gulf
of California. During a passage which
included such incidents as its tenn
porary abandonment by its crew i'm
dread of laundering II was forced To
put into the Falklands to reht and
sailed again on the Interrupted voyage
On
was neither seen nor heard Of until
1t arrived safely at it's destination on
Feb. 2, 1911, 33S days out from the
original port of departure.
The voyage of the Invernesshire al
most compares with the performances
of the cumbersome craft of earlier nav
igators except no doubt that il was
tedious passage and not enlivened by
encounter with carracks laden with
pepper from Malabar, of which the
king of Spain was owner on Nov.
10, 1887, the Desire, under command Of
Thomas Cavendish, n gentleman of
Suffolk, set sail from the headands of
California for the channel.
At break OF day on June of the fol-
lowing year II fell in sight of the Is
land of st. Helena; on July it crossed
the line and after holding the brave
trade winds to the limits of 40 degrees
north latitude recovered the long
wished for port of Plymouth on Sept /
Z. 1888. Not much better could be ex-
pected from the ships and their equip !
ment.
The sailing master of the Desire ,
thought il worthy of record that run
ming merrily before the wind under all !
the sail ii could carry his vessel COM
passed 40 miles between noon and
noon, a boast which would expose the |
modern shipmaster to the derision of
his companions i'm every shiphandler's !
shop of the ports he frequented.
Among some extraordinary voyages
made by deep sea sailing craft within |
recent years there may be mentioned |
that OF the Beacon Rock, engaged for
a short coastal trip between two Aus
trailian ports. After all hope of its
safe arrival had been abandoned IL |
turned up at Talcahu ano' Chile, some |
COCO miles from the intended destIna-
tion. Being in light trim ana consc>
quently with no grip on the water II
had been unable to make any progress
against persistent head wind and the
master had been compelled to square
yards and make a fair wind of it across
the broad Pacific.
Another large four masted bark, the
Buteshire, had the remarkable expert
ence last year OF circling around the
MINDLESS gulf of Panama like a circus
horse until II was obliged to put back,
ninety days out and short of provis-
ions, to the port of departure. 1t may, |
however, be an exaggeration that the
lighthouse keepers i'm the gulf fell into
the habit of regulating their calendars
by its appearances.