ABSTRACT
The apparent security which we derived from the [present] season, the opinion of the coastal pilots, our own experiences in 1789, together with the proximity of the beaches and the adequate shelter from the prevailing winds from NW to SW, first gave us the impression that our position and surroundings were satisfactory. This was in spite of the fact that this cove was open from east to south and its vicinity offered nothing but drying reefs exactly like those at Puerto Deseado. Thus we first regarded as a freak the violent gale from NE and NNE that blew all afternoon, obliging us to drop a second anchor, and as the night and early morning were very peaceful and calm we were able to take up [the slack] on the warps set out the previous afternoon, finally warping us to a position close to the shore in the above-mentioned cove in three and a half fathoms, sand, at low water. In this position, now moored with two anchors to the north and south, we were half a cable from the large rocks at the eastern point of the cove, a cable from the headland opposite and about two cables from the inner beach, on which I had decided to set up the observatory for the important gravity experiments. Having sounded the area carefully with the lead, there seemed to be no risk to our moorings, even to shoreward. [29th] With our minds now put at ease in this regard, we promptly took all necessary measures for the safety of the ship, and began the planned astronomical work. The chronometers were taken ashore, the tent and the astronomical quadrant were set up, and that morning, after taking equal altitudes, we were able to determine the longitude of the observatory with the chronometers and calculate the first period for establishing their new rates. The weather at the time seemed highly propitious for the proposed operations, since either the Sun or the stars shone above the horizon with equal clarity. The beach adjacent to the observatory provided good, constant shelter for the pinnaces 1 and for the necessary study of the tides. The corvette lay very close to the observatory. Finally, the very stiff SW wind that blew during the afternoon, forcing us to lay out the sheet anchor, had dropped entirely at sunset.
