three o’clock in the afternoon
A struggle of the elements was approaching . The storm burst during the daytime of May 13 , just as the Nautilus was cruising abreast of Long Island , a few miles from the narrows to Upper New York Bay . I 'm able to describe this struggle of the elements because Captain Nemo did n't flee into the ocean depths ; instead , from some inexplicable whim , he decided to brave it out on the surface . The wind was blowing from the southwest , initially a stiff breeze , in other words , with a speed of fifteen meters per second , which built to twenty-five meters near three o'clock in the afternoon . This is the figure for major storms . Unshaken by these squalls , Captain Nemo stationed himself on the platform . He was lashed around the waist to withstand the monstrous breakers foaming over the deck .