A ruttier that a man must keepe from Dominica
to
Martinino, and so to Tierra firma.
I ADVISE thee that going from Martinino or Dominica
,
if thou wouldest goe for Margarita, that thou stirre South
and by West, because of the great currents that goe
here, and set Northwest. And by this course thou shalt
find the Testigos, which be 4 or 5 Islands: and if thou
wilt not goe so much to windward, then thou shalt see
Frailes, which bee three small Islands. And if thou wilt
goe into the harbour of Manpater, it is presently in doubling of the point on the East side to the Southward.
And being minded to go for puerto de Juan Griego, which
lieth on the Northside, then go neere the land, and along
the coast of the West, and presently thou shalt have sight
of puerto de Juan Griego; it standeth in 11. degrees.
I advise thee that going from Matalino, which standeth
in 13. degrees, if thou wouldest goe to Cartagena
, thou
shalt goe West and by South, and by this way thou shalt
have sight of the
Isles of Curazao and Aruba
, which stand
in 12. degrees: from these Islands thou shalt go West;
and when thou art North and South with Monjes, thou
shalt see them to be three little white Ilands, and they
are white because of the multitude of birds that are there:
they stand in a triangle. From thence thou shalt goe
West, if it be by day, and so shalt have sight of Coquebacoa that standeth in 12. degrees. And being by night,
then goe Northwest: and by day thou shalt cast to goe
for the land againe Westsouthwest. Coquebacoa hath a
certaine poynt not very high, and within this poynt thou
shalt see in the inland certain hilles which bee called las
Sierras de Avite.
Going from this poynt of Coquebacoa thou shalt run
West, and shalt run along the coast, and shalt go to have
the sight of Baya honda and Portete, which is a low land
even with the sea.
The Cape de la Vela lieth with a redde shewe not very
high; and without this Cape about a league there is a
little coppled rocke. A man may be bold to go betwixt
this rocke and the maine.
And going from this Cape to have sight of Cape del
Aguja thou must stirre Southwest, and thou shalt have
sight of the Ancones which lye at the ende of the hilles
called Sierras Nevadas. And then presently thou shalt
see the Cape del Aguja: the marks whereof are these: It
is a low Cape, and upon it is a copple not very high, and
there beginneth the high land of the Sierras Nevadas, or
snowy mountaines.
Take this for a warning that if thou goe for Cape de
la Vela by night by the course abovesayd, and commest
into a whitish water, then sound and thou shalt find 40.
fathoms, and thy sound will be certaine smal sandy white
oaze, and some smal weeds. And then thou mayest make
account that thou art North and South with the river
called
Rio de Palominos, which commeth out of the midst
of the Sierras Nevadas. And being benighted thou shalt
go Westnorthwest, or West and by North until day: and
being day then thou mayest hale in with sight of the
land Southwest, because thou mayest be sure to come
right in with it.
If thou goe from Cape del Aguja for Cartagena
, if it
bee by day, thou shalt goe West and by South, and shalt
goe to have sight of Morro Hermoso, that is The faire
mountaine, which lyeth to the Westward of
Rio grande.
And being alone, and with a good ship of saile, and
drawing towards night, then thou must come to anker
behind Morro hermoso: and after the first watch thou
must set saile, and go out West and by North, because
thou must be sure to keep a seaboord from the
Island
de Arenas, which lyeth 2 leagues to seaward right against
Samba.
And if thou goe from Cape del Aguja by night, thou
shalt goe West and by North: and so thou shalt goe
without the force of the water of
Rio Grande. And being
by day thou shalt goe along the coast, and shalt see
Morro hermoso, which, as I have sayd, lyeth to the West
of
Rio Grande, and hath for markes, a face of a blacke
land not very hie, and it is round. And if thou depart
by day from Morro hermoso, thou must goe West, and
must take heede, as I sayde before, of the
Isle de Arenas,
which lyeth North and South of Samba. Samba hath
for a marke as it were a gallie towed. And going this
way by day, thou shalt see El buio del Gato
, which is an
high land with certaine white cliffes to the seaward: and
also more to the West thou shalt see the poynt called
Punta de la Canoa, which is a low land even with the
water: and there endeth the coast which lyeth East and
West. And the Bay that goeth to Cartagena
beginneth
here, and lyeth Northeast and Southwest.
And take this for a warning, that if thou be benighted
against Samba, thou shalt take in thy sailes, & lye off
to the offward until midnight without any saile abroad
until midnight: and from midnight forward thou shalt lye
so into the land without sayle: and if in the breake of
day thou see no land, then goe Southwest, and if this
way thou have sight of certaine white cliffes, make
account it is Buio del Gato
. Take this for a warning,
if thy ship bee great come not nigh the land in the Bay:
I meane thou mayest not with a great ship come nigh
the land from the poynt de la Canoa untill thou come to
Cartagena
, because in many places there are not above
3 or 4 fathoms at the most. In all this Bay there is no
hie land but the Gallie, which is right over the harbour
of Cartagena
.
And if it chance that any man come for this place that
never was here before, then let him looke for a little hill
like a towed gallie lying East and West, and all the land
is low, and seemeth to be full of trees. Having these
sights, then make account thou art against Cartagena
,
and to goe in thou hast nothing to be afraid of: but
keepe thyselfe hard aboord the poynt of Ycacos: and then
when thou commest to double the poynt del Judeo, give
a breadth off, because there is a shoald.
I advise thee that if thou be benighted, when thou art
at The poynt de la canoa, and wouldest enter into Cartagena
by night, that thou take good heede of a shoald
that lyeth halfe a league to the sea, and so thou shalt
goe in 8 fathoms, and sandie ground. And when thou
findest thy selfe in deepe water, as in 30 fathoms and
more, then the harbour will bee open before thee. And
if thou have any fresh Northerne winds, then loofe up to
the seaward, and lye with thy stemme Eastsoutheast, and
so thou mayest goe in East through the middest of the
chanell: and though it bee by night, yet thou mayest
goe in safely, because it is all cleere. And if the night
be cleere thou shalt have sight of the Island called Cares,
and it is an high land.
Comming from Cartagena
to goe for Nombre de Dios
in the time of the Northerne winds, thou must bring thy
selfe to the offward of Sal medina: and thence stirre
West till thou bring thy selfe North and South with
Cabeza de Cativa; and then goe Southwest and by West,
and thou shalt so fall with
Rio de Francisco. It hath for
markes a certaine land not very high, and within the land
certaine high hils lying East and West. And on the
West of the river of Francisco thou shalt see certaine
cliffes that bee sixe leagues from Nombre de Dios, inclining toward the sea.
I advise thee that going this course above written; if
thou see 3 or 4 Isles lying lowe with the sea, and also
lying East and West, thou mayest make account that
they be the
Islands de Cativa, and then runne West, and
so thou shalt go along the coast. And if thou see by
this way a poynt of low land, make account it is Punta
de Samblas : and upon it thou shalt see a row of hie rockie
hils, and they be the mountaines of Santa Cruz.
If thou come from Cartagena
to go to Nombre de Dios
in the time of the sea winds, when thou art out from Sal
Medina, thou shalt goe West and by North, that thou
mayest have sea-roome, and take the Brisas or Northerne
winds when they come: and goe till thou be North and
South with the harbour of Nombre de Dios: and from
thence goe Southwest, and if by this way thou see a row
of high hils on a coast that lyeth Northeast and Southwest, make account they are Sierras de las minas Viejas,
which minas Viejas lie North and South with the harbour
of Velo alto. Having kept this course abovesaid, and
having sight of the former marke, thou mayest account
that thou art on the West side of Nombre de Dios.
Furthermore when thou hast sight of an high land, and
thou bee North and South with it, and in the toppe thereof
thou seest as it were a litle table, if it be highest toward
the East, then make account that thou art North and
South with Nombre de Dios, I say, with the harbour of
Nombre de Dios, and this hill is called Sierra de Capira.
And if thou wilt goe into the harbour, thou must keepe
thy prow right against this hill, and comming neerer to
the shore, thou shalt see a ledge of rockes, and it is without, and thou mayest goe in what depth thou thinkest
good, or at which place thou findest most water in. And
to the West of the harbor thou shalt see two or three
Islands called Islas de los Bastimentos.
Take this for a warning, if thou come out of Nombre
de Dios in the time of the Brisas or Northerne winds, and
wouldest goe for Cartagena
, thou shalt come out in the
morning, and shalt go Northnorthwest untill 3 of the
clocke at afternoone, and then cast about to the land,
untill thou be hard aboord the shore, and so thou must go
turning untill thou hast doubled Cabeza de Cativa: and
having doubled it then ply to windward all that thou
mayest: and if thou be Eastnortheast off it, then thou
shalt have sight of the
Ilands of Baru, which are 3 or 4
Islands lying low, and are all full of trees: and then presently thou shalt have sight of the gallie that is over
Cartagena
, and it is like a gallie towed.
I advise thee, that if thou come for Cartagena
in the
time abovesayde, and commest from Cabeza de Cativa, if
the wind will not suffer thee to lye but West, then going
thus if thou seest a great high Island full of mountaines,
and on the North side thereof thou see a ledge of rocks
two leagues into the sea, thou mayest be sure it is Isla
fuerte: but if thou see not the rocks, give them a good
breadth: and if thou wilt come to anker, thou mayest ride
well on the West side of them, betwixt the maine and
them in fifteene fathomes; and the sounding is clay. And
if thou wilt go betweene this and the
Islands of Saint
Barnardo to goe into Cartagena
, thou mayest goe safely.
And if any man aske thee how thou knowest the
Islands
of Baru and San Barnardo, thou mayest answere truely,
that the Isles of San Barnardo are full of high hilles, and
certaine sandie bayes to seaward; and the sayd Isles
have a good depth two or three leagues to the sea: and
this depth is called the Bacilla. And these are all the
markes for the Islandes of San Barnardo. And touching
the
Isles of Baru, they bee 3 or 4 little Islands and very
even with the sea, and full of trees, and there is no good
depth about them, but hard aboord them.
