I have a guest post on the excellent Wonders and Marvels history website:

“I could hardly believe my eyes when I stumbled on the report in the Royal Astronomical Society’s archive. It transported me to 1:30am, 2nd September 1859, when the clipper ship Southern Cross was 84 days out of Boston and sailing in a living hell. Hailstones from above and waves from all around whipped the deck. When the wind-lashed spray fell to leeward, the crew noticed they were sailing in an ocean of blood. ...”

To read the full post, click here