Streight of Magellan to Port Famine
Index
Search
Contact us
SOON after I returned on board, I got underway, and worked up the Streight, which is here about nine leagues broad, with the flood, not with a view to pass through it, but in search of some place where I might get a supply of wood and water, not chusing to trust wholly to the finding of Falkland’s Islands, which I determined afterwards to seek. About eight in the evening, the tide of ebb beginning to make, I anchored in five and twenty fathom. Point Possession bore N.N.E. at about three miles distance, and some remarkable hummocks on the north, which Bulkeley, from their appearance, has called the Asses Ears, W. ½ N.
At three in the morning, of the 22d, we weighed with the wind at E. and steered S.W. by W. about twelve miles. During this course we went over a bank, of which no notice has hitherto been taken: at one time we had but six fathom and a half, but in two or three casts we had thirteen. When our water was shallowest, the Asses Ears bore N.W. by W. ½ W. distant three leagues, and the north point of the first Narrow W. by S. distant between five and six miles. We then steered S.W. by S. near six miles to the entrance of the first Narrow, and afterwards S.S.W. about six miles, which brought us through: the tide here was so strong, that the passage was very rapid. During this course we saw a single
 |
Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 33, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/070.html