Two passengers on the voyage have left us with very different diaries of the voyage. The first of these passengers was James Trangmar who appears to have had connections with the shipbuilding trade. He tells us in his diary that he boarded on October 12th 1839, the "JAVA" weighed anchor and was towed down the Thames by a steam tug, to Gravesend, then sailed to the Downs where the anchor was dropped for the night. On the next morning the ship got under weigh and five days later, on the 18th of October, arrived at Plymouth to take on the Cornish Emigrants.

At this point, on the 4th day of the "JAVA" being in Plymouth, the Cornish emigrants came on board, Trangmar commenting, "there has already been some terrible rows amongst them which looks rather bad for a beginning".

We presume that William Richards embarked with his family at this point. On October the 28th, James Trangmar had the following entry in his diary:

" Hurrah! This morning the Blue Peter is hoisted at the masthead which is the signal for sailing, the sailors call it the Salt Horse Flag. More disturbances amongst us. I begin to have a bad opinion of our Plymouth Emigrants, the greatest part of them are Cornish people, and many of them are miners, they are a very uncouth and dissatisfied lot of people. At 5 o'clock we are once more underway with a fine breeze.

Passed the Edystone light and standing well out to sea."

According to William Richards, the "JAVA" passed the Scilly Isles, 40 miles West, on the 29th. William next wrote in his diary on the 31 st October, when he noted:

"Becalmed 1 1/2 days - very warm, rudderband gave way 10 at night, had dancing all the evening on the quarter deck."

James also wrote in his diary on the same day:

"Strong and heavy swell on the skirts of the Bay of Biscay - the ship rolling very much, tinware and crockery are rolling about in all directions, belonging to those who embarked at Plymouth - the emigrants who came from London are more fortunate, having had some experience in coming down channel"
The weather changes were something to note, to vary the daily diary entries as the following entries four William show:
November 2nd N.E. Fresh gale, driving us on in style, all recovered from the sickness.
November 3rd. Strong gale all night driving before the wind".
November 4th. Fine weather, heavy sea, little wind (child died), an owl lighted in the rigging, starlings, larks and bluebirds caught.
November 5th. S.W. breeze, 10 degrees hotter than last Sunday. November 6th. Fine thermometer 2 degrees below summer heat. November 7th. Coats, neck cloth and stockings off."

The next day James has a detailed entry as compared to George, when the former noted:

In the afternoon, a heavy squall struck us from the N.W. while off the Western Islands; the effect of the wind upon the sea was wonderful, the waves seeming to rise in size as if by magic. Our foretop mast stun sail was blown from the bolt rope and the boom came tumbling down about our ears, broken in two.

William noted simply on this day: "Rain, stormy petrel showed an approaching storm."

On the next day, William noted: "Vivid lightening (squalls) heavy sea, ship labouring a good deal, lost our breakfast 2 mornings, teapot and cups rolled off the table."