Clear of the Channel at last, the Duke of York was finally making progress, although conditions were still uncomfortable for the passengers. Captain Morgan reported that the seas were high and that ‘great quantities’ of water continued to swamp the decks. This was bad news for those below, who would have been wet, cold and miserable. The John Pirie meanwhile passed more of the wreckage from the great March storm – a sobering reminder of the awesome power of nature.
8
weeks passed
37
weeks to go
Week 09 - to sea at last
Journals from passengers at sea:
Week 06 – a ‘perfect Hurricane’
On 26 March the John Pirie seemed to be making progress, as it finally cleared the English Channel and struck out for the Atlantic Ocean. But just west of the Bay of Biscay the weather worsened…