Log Entries:  Oct 3 - Oct 9, 1844

Thu, Oct 3, 1844 (Lat 44.44 Lon 160.30 W)

First part of this day lying too; had a severe gale from SW with some hard squalls and rain.  At 8 am shipped a heavy sea, sweeping the deck of everything movable and damaging one boat some… At 11 am [it] moderated some…

Fri, Oct 4, 1844 (Lat 42.43 Lon 160.10 W)

…First part had gales from W… moderating fast.  Latter part had brisk breezes from SW.  Gamming with the Tuscarora.  Unbent the foretopsail and bent another.  Saw a large school of blackfish just at night.

Sat, Oct 5, 1844 (Sun Not Taken)

This day commences with stiff breezes from the SW … increasing very fast indeed.  At 6 am hove her too with nothing but a close reefed fore topsail and fore spencer set.  Gale increasing rapidly.  At 10 am blowing a perfect hurricane from WSW.  At 11 am kept the ship off before the wind under the main top sail only.  Blowing tremendously until  5pm, then began to lull some… I have never seen the wind blow so hard before.

Sun, Oct 6, 1844 (Lat 40.11 Lon 158.00 W)

…Commences with a brisk gale from NW moderating fast.  Had a heavy sea on… Latter part light breezes, the Tuscarora in company.

Mon, Oct 7, 1844 (Lat 39.00 Lon 155.34 W)

This day clear and pleasant… Gamming with the Tuscarora.

Tue, Oct 8, 1844 (Lat 37.28 Lon 155.33 W)

This day clear and pleasant… Employed in mending sails… 

Wed, Oct 9, 1844 (Lat 36.44 Lon 155.48)

This day pleasant, most part calms… Mending sails and gamming with the Tuscarora…

A close call for the Thames!  Two other Sag Harbor whaling ships were not so lucky.  The ship Gem was lost in a typhoon off Japan in 1834, and the Bark Ocean departed Sag Harbor in 1866 and was never seen or heard from again.  It is assumed she went down in a storm.

The keen observers amongst you will have noticed no whales have been mentioned in the last two weeks. The Thames has left the whaling grounds off Kamchatka and is now sailing south for…  Any guesses?