Revised 2012-12-11
Week Day | Mo. Day | Winds | Courses | Dist. in Ms | Latitude Obsd. South | Longd. Et. | Longd. Obsd. East | Varian pr Azths | Merd Altd Center | Days from last Port | Rems. on Board the Vlydt Packet from Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec'r 1789 Sunday | 6th | N Calm SE Calm | N79W | 82 | 34°..39′ | 35°..59′ | " | 29..30a 27..30m | 77..57 | 51 Days | Fine Wr. first part, middle Foggy, latter Light Airs and Calms. A very heavy Dew at Night The Officers and me differ 8 Miles in Latitude. |
Monday | 7 | SSE ESE NE | W1°N | 107 | 34..37 | 33..48 | " | 27°..45′a | 78°..5′ | 52 | Do. Wr. and Cloudy in the latter part. Jogging on. Some Albetrosses and Sheerwaters. |
Tuesday | 8 | ENE NEbN NW WSW | S81°W | 70 | 34°..48′ | 32..24 | 24°..55′ | 27..40a | 78..00 | 53 | Modt. and Fair first and middle part, latter fresh Wind and Cloudy. Error in Currt. 20 Miles in Latd to S.E. Latd D R 34°..27′ So. Longd by Observ'n brought on agrees to a great nicety. |
Wednesday | 9 | Wly | N40°W | 24 | 34..30 | 32..06 | 24..37 | 26..15a | 78..24 | 54 | Modt. and open Cloudy Wr. at 5 PM Saw the Land.
A high peaked Mountain near the Bay of Algoah
uneven on one side like a Cockscomb NWbN. At 6 O'Clock Tkd. The Peeked Mountain NNW½W
16 Leagues. A round Top'd Mountain with flat Cape land underneath it N½W & the Extremes
of the Coast from NW½W to NE off Shore 7 or 8 Leags. At 8 AM Tkd and stood in shore. Round
Top Mountain NbEt. At Noon Round Top Mountain NbE¼E and the Peeked Mountain NbW
dist off shore 8 or 9 Leags. The whole Coast a range of Mountainous land. Our reckonings are now proved to be 7½ Degrees wrong as my Longd Obsd pointed out before; yet the Captain has not a disposition to acknowledge it. many Gannets. |
Thursday | 10 | Do Sly Calm SE Calm | S31°W | 22 | 34°49′ | 31..53 | 22..46 | 24..44a 26..16a 24..42 by the Capt. | by me by the Capt 78..11 | 55 | First and latter part Fair Wr. and Calms, middle Cloudy with Fresh Breezes. At 7 PM Extremes
of the Land in sight NE to NWbW off Shore 6 Leags. Peeked Mountain NbW¼W Round Top Do. NbE¼E At 7 AM Hazy Wr. Saw the Peaked Mountain N¼W, many Gannets seen. At Noon too Hazy to see the land. At 4 PM Sounded Ground 65 fms fine Sand. At 20h..25′..13″ Latd 34°..37′ So Longd Obsd. & ☽ 22°55′..45″E — 10′ Equal to 22°..46′Et. at Noon which by the Maps of the Soundings on board is exceedingly exact. |
Friday | 11 | SWly | SEbS | 81 | 35..56 | 32..49 | 23..42 | 77..09 | 56 | Strong Gales & fair Wr. Under Courses, much Sea, Gannets, Albetrosses and Mother Careys Chicken. Struck T G Mt. | |
Saturday | 12 | WSW SSW SSE SE East | S83°W | 54 | 36.03 | 31..43 | 77..06 | 57 | Modt. & Cloudy Wr. with some Showers of Rain with little Wind at times. The Wind came fair about 3 PM & we continued jogging on umtill 8 AM when they began to let the Reefs out & get up T Gt Masts At 10 Set Fore T. M and lower Steering Sails. | ||
Sunday | 13 | SE SSE So SbW | W1°N | 116 | 36..01 | 29..31 | 24..15m | 77..12 | 58 | Modt. & fair Wr. At Sun Set in Stud'g Sails. In the Night reefed the TS & made no more Sail untill 9 AM when I having taken notice of it the Reefs were let out & M T Gt Sails set. At Noon hove to & Sounded no Ground at 90 fms. Found our reckoning out 42 Miles being that to the South'd of where we supposed ourselves. Current to the WSW. | |
Monday | 14 | SW NNE Calm NNW | NW | 41 | 35..32 | 28..55 | 24..30a 22..50m | 77..44 | 59 | Fine pleasant Wr with Calms in the forenoon. Jogging on as usual. Capts. Latd 6 Ms. as is common different from mine. | |
Tuesday | 15 | NW WNW W WSW to SW | N11°W | 52 | 34..46 | 28..43 | 78..33 | 60 | Do. Wr. At 3 PM saw the land NbE. At 7 saw the Cape of Good Hope N½W about 10 leags. & the East part of the Hottentots Land NNE½E. The Cape land appeared like small Islands & the Hottentots land which is to the Eastward of False Bay, High Mountainous Land. Saw a Ship standing to the ESE. At 10 PM it came on to blow very hard with a great Sea from the SW & brought us under Courses. AM at 8 Set close Reefed Top Sails. At 9 modt. Wr., At Noon Land near the Cape NbE abt. 8 leags. We might now with good Sail weather the Cape but we are joggin on under close reefed F &; Dble Reefed M. T Sail & Courses. A Strong Current has been setting us to the Westward. | ||
Wednesd'y | 16th | SW WSW Calm West | 33..56 | 79..26 | 61 | Modt. and fair Wr. with Light Winds in the latter part. At 7 PM the Cape Land E¼N 6 Leags. Table Mountain NEbN. The Captain now kept to the NW untill morning for fear of being too near the Shore when at 7 AM The Table Mountain bore E¾S 8 or 9 leags. from the Shore. At Noon Table Mountain E½W and the West high land of False Bay SE½E. Dist. from Table Bay West about 7 or 8 Leags. Cape of Good Hope not to be seen from the Deck. Wr. rather Hazy. Long Trumpet Weed, Seals, Pengwins and Gannets. | |||||
Thursday | 17th | Wly | Do Wr. This afternoon we got into the Bay and about Sun Set Anchored. Found several French Ships
here.
Some Dutch bound to Batavia
and an English Whale Fisher called the British Queen. At Midnight ends Log Account of Time. |