User:Amgine/Ocean Passages for the World 1950/Section C/Page 220

l ,....,.¢»-»-»»~. SECTION C INTRODUCTORY REMARKS The sailing-ship routes given in this Section have been arranged in three Parts, I, II and III, according to oceans, in a similar manner to the steam-ship routes of Section B, and are limited to those between the principal ports of the world nowadays visited by sailing-vessels. The Mediterranean, hon/eve‘r, is included in Chapter I of Part I instead of as a separate part as in Section B. The routes are mostly confined to those between ports situated in the same ocean; but as sailing vessels constantly make long-distance voyages from ocean to ocean, without calling at an intermediate port, routes have been included for rounding South Africa, Tasmania and Cape Horn, respectively. Continuous voyages to and from the China sea, through the various straits and passages of the Sunda islands and through the Eastern archipelago are also provided f`or. Coastal voyages and many others which, since the advent and growth of steam-ship trafhc are seldom or never undertaken by sailing-ships, have heen omitted. So, also, have been routes for sailing~ vessels having auxiliary motor or steam power, or steam or motor vessels with auxiliary sails. l\lever- theless these vessels can obtain considerabie assistance in planning their routes by a careful study of the following information to be found elsewhere in this book, or in other Admiralty publications or charts :»-- (a) Winds and weather, and currents in Section A, and in Chapter il of each part of Section B. (b) The routes described in Section B, especially those for low-powered vessels. (c) The sailing-ship route in this section to some port in the same region as that to which the auxiliary-vessel is bound. (d) The Admiralty Sailing Directions for the area to which, or through which, the vessel will proceed. See Chart Y in the pocket at the end of this book. (e) Chart 5309, “ Tracks followed. by sailing and low-powered steam vessels” (not included in this volume), on which are plotted many routes in more detail than on Chart 5308 to be found in the pocket at the end of this book. It must be stressed, however, that the routes des- cribed in this section are for large sailing-vessels able to stand up to, and take advantage of, the heavy weather to be expected on many of the passages, e.g.: The Roaring Forties of the Southern ocean. The great Southern ocean, which offers the only direct water-route around the globe, may be con~ sidered as the main track of sai/ing-s/zips, on account of the strong westerly winds which there prevail, and may be 'depended upon at all seasons of the year to afford a swift passage, unimpeded by dangers” Therefore the voyage of a sailing-vessel, from her port of departure to her return home, is as a rule, around the world, before the wind, to the east- ward. V1 the routes given herein, however, provision is made for voyages in the contrary direction, as, for example, from Cape Town to the River Plate, or to New York; from Australian ports across the indian ocean to Durban; or from Valparaiso westward across the Pacihc ocean to New Zealand. I 220 The greater part of the sailing directions for each route has been condensed, or copied verbatim from the Admiralty Sailing Directions for all oceans and coasts, and much of this information is derived from the navigating notes of naval and merchant ofiicers of days before steam.-ships had come into general use. It would be very desirable, consequently, if modern additions and corrections should be made to these directions, and sailing-masters are requested to forward such information to the Hydrographer, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, S.W., for this purpose. In the first edition, the sailing routes plotted on the map of the world in the pocket at the end of the book represented, in condensed form, information from several sources. Chief among these was the plotting of about 100 tracks of actual voyages made, in the years previous to the first edition between various ports, on trips around the world, made by the vessels of Messrs. Hardie and Company, of Glasgow, who kindly supplied the track-charts on which they were shown. The averages thence derived were combined with the recommended tracks, for different seasons of the year, shown on the Pilot charts of the British Meteorological Office for the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and with those shown on the Pilot charts for all oceans, and all seasons of the year, issued by the Hydrographic Office of the lglnited States Navy Department. t lt was not possible, without causing confusion, to plot every sailing voyage described in the text of the book; but the general, and principal routes were shown on the map. The map is retained practically unaltered in this, the second, edition. In the sailing directions given under each route special reference is made, where necessary, and cautions given respecting winds, currents, fogs, etc. likely to be encountered; but the navigator should, without fail, make himself acquainted with the general oceanic winds and currents to be expected on any voyage, besides those referred to in the route, such are described in Section A, and in Section B (Parts I, ll, lil and it/_Qt of this book and shown in the chart (5310) of ocean currents in the pocket at the end. The introductory remarks on page 7 should also be st.ndied, in which the general scope of the whole book is explained, and also the method of arrange- ment of information concerning Winds and Currents, and Routes (both steam-ship and sailing-ship) is set forth. As regards distances traversed on a sailing voyage between any two ports, it is considered that this could be more profitably expressed in the average number of days that would be taken, in ordinary weather, by a well-found ship of about 2,000 tons burthen; the type of ship, namely, for which the routes themselves have been framed. The following list of length, in days, of sailing voyages between some of the principal ports of the world, is therefore appended. It has kindly been supplied by the same hrm of sailing-ship owners mentioned above, in connection with sailing tracks around the world, Messrs. Hardie and Com- pany, of Glasgow.