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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

Terrific Gale Encountered

Terrific Gale Encountered.

On the first of these runs to Otago under Captain Collingwood, who had been transferred from the Margaret Galbraith to the Canterbury, the ship left London on September 9, and did not clear the land until eight days later. The equator was crossed on the 15th October. On the 19th, when travelling at 10 knots, an apprentice fell from aloft overboard.page 72 The ship was immediately hove aback, a boat lowered, and in less than half an hour the youth was on board again. The Cape was rounded on the 6th November, and on the 27th the ship met with a terrific gale from the south-west, with mountainous seas. The vessel was hove-to for several hours, during which immense quantities of water were shipped, the vessel rolling and straining heavily and endangering all the fixtures about the decks. One sea broke on board and washed away the solid teak rail on the forecastle, and did other serious damage. Thence the ship had moderate weather to the Snares, which were made on the 9th December. Light and variable winds carried the ship to anchorage on the 19th December.

Captain Collingwood had another stormy passage when bound from Glasgow to Port Chalmers the following year, and this was the second passage in which the ship had exceeded 100 days to Dunedin. the Canterbury made some rapid passages home, and on one occasion is credited with a run of 69 days port to port.

the Canterbury was sold to Norway in 1905, and was still afloat in 1915.