At 8 A. M., Being Near Land, Commander Ayala Lowered The
Launch, And In It Pilot Canizares Was Sent With Ten Men To Search For An
Anchorage, While The San Carlos Continued Along The Coast.
At 9 a. m. a
strong current was felt, which drove them to sea, but at eleven it was
Observed that the vessel was nearing the coast, which convinced the
commander that it was due to the tide, and this was confirmed by the
soundings; in entering the port, as on the first occasion, the tide was
going out, and on the second one the tide was coming in. The altitude of
the sun was taken at noon of that day, with the utmost care, and the
latitude was found to be 37deg. 42' and the longitude 17deg. 14' W. of San
Blas. At this time Point Ano Nuevo was about fourteen leagues distant to
the southeast south; the Farallones to the northwest, distant four
leagues, and Point Reyes north 1/4 northeast, distant four leagues. The
wind was from the west. At 4 p. m. the vessel was steered to the
north-northeast, and half an hour later soundings were taken and bottom
found at sixteen brazas[46] of mud and sand mixed, and distant from the
mouth about two leagues. At 5 p. m. bottom was found at fifteen brazas,
with the same kind of bottom material. Sounding was continued and the
bottom was found to be as noted in the large map. The current was so
great at the mouth of this port that at 8:30 p. m., with a strong wind
from the west-southwest with full sails, the current allowed them to go
not more than a mile and a half per hour, which shows that the current
must go at least six miles at the middle of the channel. The swiftness
of the current, the fact that the launch had not returned and that night
was coming on, made it necessary to seek for an anchorage; this was done
with great care and precaution; as the force of the wind made it
necessary to have full sail, it was feared that some of the rigging
might give way. For that reason, soundings were taken continually with a
20-lb. lead, and a line of sixty brazas could not reach bottom, either
in the channel or near the point. This seemed very strange until it was
realized that the current was carrying the lead and it did not strike
bottom. They continued thus until they were one league inside the mouth
of the bay and a quarter of a mile from the shore, when the wind
suddenly stopped. Finding that the current was carrying the ship towards
the mouth, an anchor was thrown overboard, after having made it fast to
the big mast so that if it did not catch the bottom it would not be
lost. It was found that the anchor held. Two more anchors were made
ready to drop in case the big one should drag. When the wind stopped and
the current ceased, the vessel was found to be in twenty-two brazas,
with sandy bottom[47].
At 6 a. m. of August 6, the launch, which had not been seen since sunset
the day before, came to the vessel. The pilot was asked why he had not
come to meet the ship when he saw her sailing shoreward looking for the
entrance of the bay, answered that at 6 p. m. he had seen a suitable
harbor for the packet-boat to the east of the entrance, and when he
attempted to go out the whirlpools and eddies caused by the current were
such that it was impossible to make any progress, as the current carried
him back towards the shore, so that he determined to stay in the harbor
he had attempted to leave. This, and the fact that the men were fired
out, made him wait until 4 a. m., when he again attempted to go out,
with the same result as before. During his efforts to get out, he saw
the packet-boat, and putting the bow towards her he had no difficulty in
reaching her.
At 7 a. m., the commander sent the pilot to examine a harbor which was
to the west-northwest. He found it useless, because, though it had
sufficient water, the bottom was sticky mud. As Ayala was not in need of
shelter then, he did not enter that harbor, as he was afraid of losing
his anchor in the mud, and also because it was open from the south to
the east, although the wind came from the landward which was about two
leagues from the harbor[48]. He called this harbor "Carmeita," because
in it was a rock resembling a friar of that order. There was in its
vicinity an Indian village, the inhabitants of which came out from their
huts and cried out and made signs for the vessel to go near them. As the
sailors were taking soundings and came near the shore, the Indians
erected a pole, at the top of which was a large number of feathers. The
sailors having no orders to answer them, remained at a distance from the
shore. The Indians, thinking, no doubt, that the sailors were afraid of
them, endeavored to assure them by dropping their bows to the ground,
and after describing a circle in the air with the arrows stuck them in
the sand. The launch came on board again, and soon after, the Indians,
from a point of land near the vessel, talked to the sailors with loud
cries, and although their voices were heard distinctly, they could not
be understood for want of an interpreter. At 9 the launch was sent again
to another harbor to the north, which seemed to be better sheltered and
to have better anchorage[49]. It was so, and when the launch returned at
10, the pilot stated that he found bottom at eight to fourteen brazas,
and the bottom was sticky with mud.
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