Thomas Keir diary - 30 November 1863 entry [National Library Micro-MS-0837]

Monday 30th Nov 1863
Beautiful morning and the ship
going on very rapid. The wind is
blowing in the ships quarter and
she is crowded with canvas, and
all are in fine spirits. Passed a
barque three weeks from England
bound from India, we pass every
sail we come in contact with
which is very encouraging. the in-
creased altitude of the sun is
easily distinguished expect to be
in the Tropics soon. the weather
is already a good deal warmer
and the decks are crowded. had
a hearty dinner of salt beef and
potatoes and cake of our own
baking for tea. Passed a shoal of
Porpoise. a solitary bird was seen
flying about supposed to be a lark

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the evening was beautiful without a cloud
and the blue vault of heaven was studded
with stars. The pole star[1] is considerably
nearer the horizon and the Plough will
soon rise and set. There is very little
wind, and the sea is very smooth so
that we expect a good nights sleep.

STANDARDISED

Monday 30th November 1863

Beautiful morning and the ship going on very rapid. The wind is blowing in the ship’s quarter, she is crowded with canvas, and all are in fine spirits. Passed a barque three weeks from England bound from India. We pass every sail we come in contact with which is very encouraging. The increased altitude of the sun is easily distinguished, expect to be in the Tropics soon. The weather is already a good deal warmer and the decks are crowded. Had a hearty dinner of salt beef and potatoes and cake of our own  baking for tea. Passed a shoal of porpoise. A solitary bird was seen flying about, supposed to be a lark.

The evening was beautiful without a cloud and the blue vault of heaven was studded with stars. The pole star is considerably nearer the horizon and the Plough will soon rise and set. There is very little wind, and the sea is very smooth so that we expect a good night’s sleep.

HENRY SCHOFIELD DIARY

30th – fine, fair wind

Passed a schooner bound for the West Indies. Had all our sails set going about 12 knots per hour. For dinner salt beef and potatoes. Had a good spree overboard by lighting a basket with tar and sticks in it and setting it afloat which looked grand.

Notes

1. pole star: a visible star that is approximately aligned with the axis of rotation of an astronomical body. On Earth, a pole star would lie directly overhead when viewed from the North or the South Pole. Currently, Earth’s north pole star is Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris) and the south pole star is Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis). [Wikipedia]

Its height in the sky depends on your location. As you travel northward, Polaris climbs higher in the sky. If you go as far north as the North Pole, you’ll see Polaris directly overhead. As you travel south, Polaris drops closer to the northern horizon. If you get as far as the equator, Polaris sinks to the horizon.

Bruce McClure and Don Maccholz, “Polaris – the North Star – is part of the Little Dipper“, Earthsky.org (pub. 7 May 2023).

Pole star [Sketchplanations.com]

Pole star [Sketchplanations]

Find the North Star [Sketchplanations.com]

Find the North Star [Sketchplanations]

In the Northern hemisphere you can use this handy technique to find the North star, that is always almost due North. Follow the last two stars of the Big Dipper, known as the Plough in the UK, to a prominent star.

Use the Southern Cross to find South [Sketchplanations.com]

Use the Southern Cross to find South [Sketchplanations]

Unlike in the North, the South pole star is much dimmer and harder to see. Instead, you have to use two handy indicators: the Southern Cross — easily spotted, fortunately — and two stars known as The Pointers. Find where these intersect, as in the sketch, and you’ve found due south.

Thomas Keir