A craft of this size can do well with more when she is racing, but for a crew it is more than one wants, a good deal; and people would stare if we went into an English port.
Still, I don't say that it is not an advantage to be strong-handed if we get heavy weather, and it makes light work of getting up sail or shifting it, and one wants to shift pretty often when he is trying to get high speed out of a craft." The wind continued fitful, and, in spite of having her racing sails, the Osprey's run to the Start was a long one.

It was not until thirty-six hours after getting up anchor that they were abreast of the lighthouse.
"I try to be patient, George," Mallett said, "but it is enough to make a saint swear.

We have lost eight or ten hours instead of making a gain, although we had the advantage of coming through the Needles passage, while they had to go round at the back of the island to escape observation." "Yes, sir, but you know we have often found that sometimes one, sometimes another, makes a gain in these shifty winds; perhaps tomorrow we may be running along fast, and the Phantom be lying without a breath of wind." "That is so, George.

I will try to bear it in mind.

There, you see, the skipper is taking the exact bearing of the lighthouse, and we shall soon be heading south." In five minutes the captain gave the order to the helmsman, and the craft was then laid on her new course.
"The wind is northing a bit," the skipper said as, after giving the helmsman instructions, he came up to Frank.