6 August 1770

James Cook's Journal: Daily Entries

Table of Contents On this day ... 6 August 1770 Endeavour Voyage Maps James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia Joseph Banks's Journal Sydney Parkinson's Journal The authorised published account of Cook's Voyage by John Hawkesworth 1770 Index Search Contact us Search for Nautical Term in Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine...

6 August 1770 Monday 6th Winds at SE   at 2 oClock in the PM it fell pretty moderate and we got under sail and stood out upon a wind NEBE having the Turtle Reef to windward having the Pinnace ahead sounding, we had not stood out long before we discover'd shoals ahead and on both bows,   at half past 4 oClock ^having run off 8 Miles the Pinnace made the Signal for shoal water in a place where we little expected it, upon this we tack'd and stood on and off while the Pinnace stretched farther to the Eastward, but as night was approaching I thought it safest to anchor which we accordingly did in 20 fathom water a muddy bottom, Endeavour River bore St 52° West   Cape Bedford —— WBN1/2N distant 5 Leagues, the northermost land in sight which made like an Island North and a shoal, a small sandy part of which appear'd above water bore NE distant 2 or 3 Miles. In standing off from the Turtle Reef to this place our soundings were from 14 to 20 fathoms, but where the Pinnace was about a Mile farther to the ENE were no more then 4 or 5 feet of water rocky ground and yet this did not appear to us in the Ship. In the morning ^we had a strong gale from the SE that instead of weighing as we intended we were obliged to bear away more Cable and to strike topgallant yards Voyaging Accounts © Transcription by Paul Turnbull of National Library of Australia, Manuscript 1 page 273, 2004 Published by kind permission of the Library To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/cook/17700806.html