nearly midnight
The tide was , they thought , by the level of the water where they had embarked , within an hour or two of flood . They therefore determined to shape their course to the north of the point where they believed Jersey to lie , so that when tide turned , it would sweep them down upon it . The wind was too light to be of any assistance , but the stars were bright , and the position of the north star served as a guide to the direction they should take . It had taken them some considerable time to launch the boat , and they calculated that it was nearly midnight when they left the mouth of the river . There was no occasion to row hard for , until it became daylight and they could see the island of Jersey , they could not shape their course with any certainty ; and could only hope that by keeping to the north of it they would not find , in the morning , that the tide had taken them too far to the south . `` We are very lucky in our weather , '' Terence said as , after labouring at the heavy oars for a couple of hours , they paused for a few minutes ' rest . `` If it had been a strong wind , it would never have done for us to have started .