To NZ on the Sir George Seymour
To NZ on the Sir George Seymour
The voyage from England to Auckland
The Fencibles and their families boarded the boat on Monday 9 August, 1847, and arrived in Auckland at the end of November. The voyage was non-stop (because it was feared that crew would desert ship if the boat stopped at any ports on the way - it is interesting that 16 crew deserted ship when it reached Auckland!) They sailed round the bottom of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, then round the bottom of Tasmania, around the top of New Zealand, and then down the coast to Auckland.
The voyage took 130 days - nearly 5 months at sea. Two other boats carrying fencibles and their families also left at around the same time, travelling the same route. On the Sir George Seymour there were 77 Fencibles, 58 women, and 109 children, as well as the crew. (This is on a boat about the same size as the Devenport ferry.) (back to top)
The weather during the long voyage
For the first five weeks of the journey they had good weather. It was fine and clear, with light winds. After that they struck several weeks of gales, rain, and heavy seas. During one of these storms, a young apprentice was lost overboard while stowing sails on deck.
At times the ship was sailing up to 12 knots, which is quite fast. When they sailed south the temperatures became quite cold and unpleasant. There were only 10 days that passengers could not come up on deck, and had to remain below for safety. (back to top)
During the voyage one of the Fencibles died, and four of the women. Eight of the children also died, mainly from dysentry. It was quite common for people to die on long sea voyages, and there were nearly always about 10 people sick on board at any one time.
Another of the ships carrying Fencibles and their families to New Zealand had an even worse time. On that boat, 3 men and 4 women died, and 46 children. They died of smallpox, typhus, measles, dysentry and malnutrition. Some of those were infectious diseases that they came on board the boat with, and the malnutrition (starving) was because they were very poor and could not always afford to buy the food they needed for their children. (back to top)
Each morning, all passengers came up on deck to air their bedding (which got very damp and smelly below decks), and to clean their swinging stoves. Awnings were put up to protect people from the sun, and screens to allow people to wash (in salt water, with no soap).Then the lower decks were ventilated by allowing the hatches to be opened to let in some fresh air. There were regular lessons for the children, and the ship's doctor checked people's health. Women were advised to take knitting or sewing so that they had something to do on board ship.
Once a week the lower deck was scrubbed with holystone (a kind of soft sandstone) and fumigated. Passengers were allowed once a week to get to their boxes stored in the hold, so that they could get a change of clothing. There was a church service on deck every Sunday. (back to top)
The passengers travelled in the hold down below the main deck, in the centre of the ship. There were no portholes, only skylights in the hatches. If there was a storm, the skylights were taken out, and the hatches fastened down so that water did not wash into the hold. Passengers were allowed to have a box, with blankets, clothing, knives, spoons, dishes etc, but it was not allowed to contain any glass or crockery that might break. This box was stowed away, and you could only get to it once a week. The rest of your things had to be stored in a canvas bag kept by your bunk.
Light was provided by smelly whale oil lanterns, that swung from the beams as the ship rolled to and fro. It was very stuffy, especially at night, and always damp. The ship creaked as it rolled about in the large waves. The conditions were very crowded, and noone had any privacy at all. If you needed to go to the toilet, you used a bucket, which added to the smell down below. (back to top)