John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

20. Our wind continued fresh and fair all Night, and all this day; but with rain, and fog, and an atmosphere so obscured that we could see no land in any direction— About eight this morning we spoke again to Captain Richards— He supposed Dagerort to be distant six leagues, and that we should see it within two hours— We sailed all day within speaking distance of each other—our Pilot’s anxiety at missing sight both of Gotland and Dago, was extreme; and his impatience approached to distraction. Soon after noon however we saw under the lee a small Dutch built schooner beating down against the wind; and altered our course to speak with her— When she came to a suitable distance, both ships hove to; but the Ocean only succeeded in speaking— From Captain Richards, the intelligence he had obtained was repeated to us— It was, that we should shortly make the Odersholm light, which the schooner had seen since noon, on standing out from the land— This agreed very well with our Pilot’s reckoning—for he had supposed both by that, and by the colour and smoothness of the water, remarkably different from that which we had experienced for several days, that we were already entered the Gulf of Finland— We now stood on in our course with a fair wind, blowing very strong, and within two hours saw the Odersholm light, and after it successively in the course of the Evening the Ragerwick and Revel lights, each distant from the other about 20 miles. 27The Evening was variable; sometimes with a bright moon-shine, and promising a continuance of moderate weather, with a favorable breeze— According to its variations, the Resolution of our Pilot also changed— At one time, he ordered the ship to be put under short sail; intending to lay to for the Night before reaching Revel— But finally having seen the island of Hargo, and the moon shining out in a more promising manner, he called up the Captain from his birth, and made full sail— The place which he was afraid of passing in the Night was Revelsten, a reef of rocks East of Revel, which forms one of the dangerous passages of the gulf— What contributed much to his determination and that of the Captain to proceed, was the idea of the other ship’s proceeding while we should stop short— He was very desirous of speaking to the other ship, and asking what she meant to do— Mr: Louder, the Mate who had the watch however would not comply with this request— But at the last—Pilot would not go on, untill the Captain himself came upon deck. The Captain as well as the Pilot had some scruples about passing Revel, and probably concluded to stand on, because the Ocean would have stood on without us— I was on deck late this Night, and untill 1. in the Morning.