Man Overboard.

the Piako's next best run was made when she left London on October 23, 1879, and arrived at Lyttelton on January 16, 1888—85 days port to port, or 73 days to the Snares. Next year she had a very bad run to Port Chalmers. Leaving London on September 25, 1880, she was delayed several days in the Channel by head winds, and then met with a terrific gale accompanied by high seas in the Bay of Biscay. So bad was the weather that the second-class passengers had to be battened down, and during the height of it an A.B. named John Heywood, fell overboard, the ship then logging eleven knots, but in spite of the heavy sea that was running, a boat was lowered and in less than an hour the man was safe on board again. On this trip the Piako did not cross the equator until the 40th day out from port, and the Cape was passed on December 4. Running down her easting the ship got a nice slant of favourable weather, logging 319, 304, 301, and 296 on four days; but after passing Tasmania she ran into a succession of easterly gales and heavy seas, and did not make Port Chalmers until January 14, 1881—101 days out.

Very tempestuous weather was experienced by the Piako on her next voyage out, but still she reached Port Chalmers in 85 days, or 79 days from land to land.

In the year 1878 the Piako made a good run from Port Chalmers to London in 71 days. She carried a westerly wind right to the Horn, and covered the distance in the good time of eighteen days, during which not a sail was taken in.