In This Channel Of The Abyssins, As It Is Called,
It Is Not Proper To Sail By Night, Nor Unless
The wind is in the poop,
as if the wind should change there is not room to turn to windward,
Neither can we come to anchor till so far forward as the first of the
first islands, when we shall observe to seawards nine little islands,
and from thence forwards the sea remains free and open to seaward, but
towards the land there still are many islands. Some of these islands are
about two leagues distant from the coast, but the greatest part of them
are close to the land. The length of this channel, between the three
first islands and the coast of Abyssinia is about 8 leagues, and the
safest navigation is nearer the continent than the islands: But in my
opinion no one ought to venture upon this passage without a pilot of the
country.
On the 31st day of January we came to a shoal with six fathoms water,
and to seawards of which, over against certain islands called the Seven
Sisters, there is a very dangerous rock as I was told by the Moorish
pilots; so that the safe navigations in this part is to go between the
shoal and the land, and in no case to pass to seawards of the shoal. At
night we came to anchor in a haven named Sarbo, or Sorbo, in 9-1/2
fathoms water; having all this day seen many little islands close to the
coast.
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