Vessels Often Run From A Clear
Sky And Light Wind, With All Sail, At Once Into A Heavy Sea And
Cloudy Sky, With Double-Reefed Topsails.
A sailor told me that
on a passage from Gibraltar to Boston, his vessel neared the
Gulf Stream with
A light breeze, clear sky, and studding-sails
out, alow and aloft; while, before it, was a long line of heavy,
black clouds, lying like a bank upon the water, and a vessel coming
out of it, under double-reefed topsails, and with royal yards sent
down. As they drew near, they began to take in sail after sail,
until they were reduced to the same condition; and, after twelve
or fourteen hours of rolling and pitching in a heavy sea, before a
smart gale, they ran out of the bank on the other side, and were in
fine weather again, and under their royals and skysails. As we drew
into it, the sky became cloudy, the sea high, and everything had the
appearance of the going off, or the coming on, of a storm. It was
blowing no more than a stiff breeze; yet the wind, being north-east,
which is directly against the course of the current, made an ugly,
chopping sea, which heaved and pitched the vessel about, so that
we were obliged to send down the royal yards, and to take in our
light sails. At noon, the thermometer, which had been repeatedly
lowered into the water, showed the temperature to be seventy;
which was considerably above that of the air, - as is always
the case in the centre of the Stream.
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