ABSTRACT
We were only some two miles from the harbour entrance when the light airs fell away completely and the greater part of the adjacent islands disappeared in thick haze. A heavy swell from north and NW began to push us towards the shore west 2 of the harbour; we sounded nineteen fathoms, sand. Our situation being far from comfortable, our sole concern was to keep off the reefs around the islands east of the harbour 3 and to stay closer to the western shore so as to be able to anchor, should that be necessary. However, this unpleasant situation lasted only until seven-thirty in the morning when a moderate breeze from SW soon cleared the skies and the horizon. We crowded on sail and regained our intended track, passing the two small islands at a distance of two miles, until at about a quarter past ten we were able to haul to the wind in the fourth quadrant while having in sight the sandy shores of a low island 4 bearing WSW, distant one-and-a-half leagues.
