A quick note: my name is Mike Romero, and I'm a Historic Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg. The postings I make on this site are my own personal opinions and research, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Colonial Williamsburg. With that said, enjoy the read!
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| Track of the Racehorse and Carcass with position plots for June 29, June 30, July 5, and July 10, 1773. |
"5th. At five the officer informed me, that we were very near some islands off Dane's Gat, and that the pilot wished to stand farther out; I ordered the ship to be kept NbW, and hauled farther in, when clear of the islands. At noon I steered North, seeing nothing of the land; soon after I was told that they saw the ice: I went upon deck, and perceived something white upon the bow, and heard a noise like the surf upon the shore; I hauled down the studding sails, and hailed the Carcass to let them know that I should stand for it to make what it was, having all hands upon deck ready to haul up at a moment's warning: I desired that they would keep close to us, the fog being so thick, and have every body up ready to follow our motions instantaneously, determining to stand on under such sail as should enable us to keep the ships under command, and not risk parting company. Soon after two small pieces of ice not above three feet square passed us, which we supposed to have floated from the shore. It was not long before we saw something on the bow, part black and part covered with snow, which from the appearance took to be islands, and thought we had not stood far enough out; I hauled up immediately to the NNW and was soon undeceived, finding it to be ice which we could not clear upon that tack; we tacked immediately, but the wind and sea both setting directly upon it, we neared it very fast, and were within little more than a cable's length of the ice, whilst in stays. The wind blowing fresh, the ships would have been in danger on the lee ice, had not the officers and men been very alert in working the ship. The ice, as far as we could then see, lay nearly EbN and WbS. At half past seven in the evening, the ship running entirely to the Southward, and the weather clearing a little, I tacked, and stood for the ice. When I saw it, I bore down to make it plain; at ten the ice lay from NW to East, and no opening. Very foggy, and little wind, all day; but not cold. At eleven came on a thick fog. At half past midnight, heard the surge of the ice, and hauled the wind to the Eastward."
Meteorological Data:
7/5 Weather on Expedition: 41°F at noon, winds from the SW, foggy.
7/5 Weather in Williamsburg (Weather Channel App): 86°F with a heat index of 95° at 2PM, sunny with 8mph winds from the SE.
"7th. At five in the morning the wind was Northerly, and the weather remarkably clear. Being near the ice I ranged along it. It appeared to be close all round; but I was in hopes that some opening might be found to get through to a clear sea to Northward. I ran in amongst the small ice, and kept as close as possible to the main body, not to miss any opening. At noon, Cloven Cliff W1/2S seven leagues. At one in the afternoon, being still amongst the loose ice, I sent the boat to one of the large pieces to fill water. At four we shoaled the water very suddenly to fourteen fathom: the outer part of Cloven Cliff bore W1/2N: Redcliff S1/4E. The loose ice being open to the ENE, we hauled up, and immediately deepened our water to twenty-eight fathom; muddy ground, with shells. At half past four, the ice setting very close, we ran between two pieces, and having little wind were stopped. The Carcass being very near, and not answering her helm well, was almost on board of us. After getting clear of her, we ran to the Eastward. Finding the pieces increase in number and size, and having got to a part less crowded with drift ice, I brought to, at six in the evening, so see if we could discover the least appearance of an opening: but it being my own opinion, as well as that of the pilots and officers, that we could go no farther, nor even remain there without the danger of being beset, I sent the boat on board the Carcass for her pilots, to hear their opinion; they both declared that it appeared to them impracticable to proceed that way, and that it was probable that we should soon be beset where we were, and detained there. The ice set so fast down, that before they got on board the Carcass we were fast. Captain Lutwidge hoisted our boat up, to prevent her being stove. We were obliged to heave the ship through for two hours, with ice anchors, from each quarter; nor were we quite out of the ice till midnight. This is about the place where most of the old discoverers were stopped. The people in both ships being much fatigued, and the Carcass not able to keep up with us, without carrying studding-sails, I shortened sail as soon as we were quite out, and left orders to stand to the Northward under an easy sail: I intended, having failed in this attempt, to range along the ice to the NW, in hopes of an opening that way, the wind being fair, and the weather clear; resolving, if I found it all solid, to return to the Eastward, where probably it might by that time be broken up, which the very mild weather encouraged me to expect."
No observations of latitude and longitude were recorded on the 7th...one suspects that cloud cover prevented it. However, on the sixth, Phipps was at approximately 79°57'N latitude, seemingly as far northward as other recorded European explorers managed to sail before being forced to turn back. Time will tell us how much farther Phipps will be able to get.
Meteorological Data:
7/7 Weather on Expedition: 39.5°F at noon, winds from the W, cloudy.
7/7 Weather in Williamsburg (Weather Channel App): 89°F with a heat index of 97°F at 2PM, sunny with 14mph winds from the W.
"8th. Little wind in the morning, and a swell setting on the ice, we were obliged to get the boats a-head, to tow the ship clear; which they effected with difficulty. A breeze springing up when we were within two cables lengths of the main body of the ice, stood in for the land, and tacked at two, to stand to the NW for the ice; but the weather coming thick between five and six, I stood in again for the land. It clearing up soon after, I bore away again NW for the ice. At ten, spoke with a Greenland Ship which had just left the ice all close to the NNW. Between eleven and twelve the wind came to the SW, with an heavy swell, and thick weather. Double-reefed the topsails, and tacked at twelve, to stand in for Hacluyt's Head Land, not thinking it proper to run in with the fast ice to leeward in thick weather, without even the probability of an opening; and proposing if that weather continued, to complete the ship's water, and be ready with the first wind, off or along the ice, to look out for an opening, and run in. To avoid any inconvenience which from the experience of the preceding day I perceived might happen, from too many running to one place on any sudden order, I divided the people into gangs under the midshipmen, and stationed them to the ice hooks, poles, crabs, and to go over upon the ice when wanted."
According to the roster in the appendix, Racehorse has a complement of 92 officers and men, including 50 Able Seamen. As the expedition sails into potentially hazardous waters, Phipps wisely learns from the experiences of the past few days and proactively divides the crew into multiple response teams, ready to react to a variety of situations. Better to plan ahead than to react on the fly, possibly losing critical time as the crew attempts to react to dangers such as sudden weather shifts or the always feared lee shore.
Meteorological Data:
7/8 Weather on Expedition: 39.5°F at noon, winds from the WbS, cloudy.
7/8 Weather in Williamsburg (Weather Channel App): 92°F with a heat index of 98°F at 3PM, sunny with 11mph winds from the W.
"10th. We lost the Carcass twice in the night, from the very thick fog, and were working all night amongst the ice, making very short tacks; the opening being small, and the floating ice very thick about the ship. The situation of the people from the very fatiguing work and wet weather, made the most minute precautions necessary for the preservation of their health: we now found the advantage of the spirits which had been allowed for extraordinary occasions; as well as the additional clothing furnished by the Admiralty. Notwithstanding every attention, several of the men were confined with colds, which affected them with pains in their bones; but, from the careful attention given them, few continued in the sick list above two days at a time. At nine in the morning, when it cleared a little, we saw the Carcass much to the Southward of us. I took the opportunity of the clear weather to run to the Westward, and found the ice quite solid there; I then stood through every opening to the Northward, but there also soon got to the edge of the solid ice. I was forced to haul up to weather a point which ran out from it. After I had weathered that, the ice closing fast upon me, obliged me to set foresail, which, with the fresh wind and smooth water, gave the ship such way as to force through it with a violent stroke. At one in the afternoon, immediately on getting out into the open sea, we found a heavy swell setting to the Northward; though amongst the ice, the minute before, the water had been as smooth as a mill pond. The wind blew strong at SSW. The ice, as far as we could see from the mast head, lay ENE: we steered that course close to it, to look for an opening to Northward. I now began to conceive that the ice was one compact impenetrable body, having run along it from East to West above ten degrees. I purposed however to stand over to the Eastward, in order to ascertain whether the body of ice joined to Spitsbergen. This the quantity of loose ice had before been rendered impracticable; but thinking the Westerly winds might probably by this time have packed it all that way, I flattered myself with the hopes of meeting with no obstruction till I should come to where it joined the land; and in case of an opening, however small, I was determined at all events to push through it. The weather clearer, and the land in sight."
Meteorological Data:
7/10 Weather on Expedition: 39.5°F at noon, winds from the SSW, thick fog.
7/10 Weather in Williamsburg (Weather Channel App): 91°F with a heat index of 95°F at noon, sunny with 6mph winds from the SW.
It looks like Phipps's men are starting to feel the effects of the climate they're sailing through; coupled with the harder than usual labor of constantly tacking and working their ships through the ice, it's no wonder some of the men are starting to take sick. It's interesting to see Phipps refer to 'one compact impenetrable body' of ice, an early documentation of the northern polar ice cap. So far, he's traced the perimeter of the ice through ten degrees of longitude, a distance of approximately 100 nautical miles at latitude 80°29' (where the table of day's works in the appendix lists his position).
Phipps and company have spent much of this week in the upper 30's and low 40's, with weather not terribly hostile just yet. Williamsburg, oddly enough, has had a fairly mild summer thus far...I don't think we've quite cracked a hundred degrees without the heat index just yet. Just like with Racehorse and Carcass, though, I think the fun is only just beginning.
Source:
Phipps, Constantine John. A Voyage Towards the North Pole Undertaken at His Majesty's Command. (J. Nourse, 1773.)
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