Sailors on a becalmed Ship threw out ballast to make the Ship faster. A gale arose and with no ballast the Ship and Sailors all perished. Too bad.
Don’t act rashly; particularly with no facts on hand.
JBR Collection
Some Sailors, whose ship made but little progress towards the port whither she was bound, through want of wind, besought the captain to allow them to throw out the ballast which was on board, in the hope that when the ship was lightened she would move faster through the water. No sooner was this done than a breeze sprang up, which in a few hours became a furious gale of wind, and the ship, deprived of the ballast which would have kept her steady, heeled over, and all on board perished.