Drake in California

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In 1579, Francis Drake sailed out in the Pacific, then turned east seeking the Strait of Anián (a water passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic, known in the reverse direction as the Northwest Passage), or for a place to repair his ships.[1];

After reaching land in Oregon, at the Oregon Dunes, near Coos Bay, Drake headed south, seeking a safe harbor.[2]

Like most early explorations, Drake's harbor was not marked by a large, permanent marker that could be found by future visitors. Instead, smaller pieces of physical evidence lead to the identity of Drake's landing site:[3]

Contents

[edit] Twelve Keys

1. The bay is within one-half degree (thirty nautical miles) of 38 degrees or 38 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude.

2. The bay is in Coast Miwok territory.

3. The Islands of Saint James are not far without the bay.

4. There is no strait leading into the continent, nor currents at sea suggesting one.

5. White banks and cliffs resemble counterparts along the English Channel.

6. The climate was cold, very foggy and windy from 27 June through 2 August (new style dates).

7. The bay is the second in a charted sequence of two bays when traveling south.

8. Drake found the bay unexpectedly, as by godsend and "fell with" a harbor within the bay.

9. The bay faces south, with depths from six to eight fathoms within a prominent point, diminishing gradually to three fathoms on a course leading northeasterly into the bay toward an anchorage off a river or estuary in the north end.

10. A fertile and hospitable inland region contrasts sharply with the barren, cold and foggy haven at the shore.

11. Artifacts attributable to the Drake expedition are in Native- American village sites.

Drake's Cove in Drakes Bay fits these criteria.


Robert Allen recognizes three of these items as the keys that identify the location of Drake's landing site:

[edit] The Three Most-Important Keys

1. "A latitude of 38 degrees was given six times in contemporary accounts as the lattitude where Drake came ashore." [4]

3. "Not farre without this harborough did lye certain lands (we called them the Islands of Saint James)"[5] The only islands in the vicinity of 38 degrees north latitude are the Farallone Islands. They are visible only as far north as Point Reyes.

Upon leaving his landing site, Drake was reported "from thence setting his course southwest." [6]

Working backwards, from the Farallone Islands, heading northeast, takes one directly into Drakes Bay.

5. "White bancks and cliffes, which lie toward the sea" [7] are prominent features of Drakes Bay. The cliffs face both south and west, "toward the sea." These are similar to the white cliffs of Dover along the English Channel, hence the name "Nova Albion."

[edit] SeeAlso

[edit] References

  1. ^ REPORT OF FINDINGS RELATING TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE'S ENCAMPMENT AT POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE (1970-01-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  2. ^ Von der Porten, Edward P., Drake's First Landfall, Pacific Discovery, California Academny of Sciences, Vol. XXVIII, Number 1, January/February 1975, pp. 28-30
  3. ^ Aker, Raymond, and Edward Von der Porten, Discovering Francis Drake's California Harbor, Drake Navigators Guild, Palo Alto, CA, 2000
  4. ^ Allen, Robert, monograph, 2007
  5. ^ Drake, Sir Francis, The World Encompassed, 1579
  6. ^ Stow, John, The Chronicles of England, 1592
  7. ^ Drake, Sir Francis, The World Encompassed, 1579

[edit] External links

Drakes Navigators Guild [1]