Aug 18, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 20, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
[Bearings: indicates what follows is from a separate Bearings column.]
1 pm: Fresh Breezes & Cloudy ½ past 2 Answered the Assistants Signal for seeing Land – In Studding sails and Hauled up for the Land in SW At Sunset – In 1st Reefs – spoke the Assistant and Tacked Ship to the Northward
4 pm: Bearings: At 4 PM Island A S24°W 6 Leagues B S40° to 42½W 6 or 7 Leagues
5 pm: Bearings: At 50′ past 5 (Sunset) Island A S16°W 5 Leagues B S36°W 3 Leagues C a large Island and partly on with B S46°W 6 Leagues Island D S76°W 9 Leagues North rocks NWbW 4 Leagues
8 pm: Cloudy Weather the Assistant ahead carrying a Light
12 mid: Wore Ship per Signal – At 2 Squally in 2nd reefs
4 am: Dark cloudy Weather
5 am: At Daybreak Saw the Land – Out reefs
7 am: At 7 Bore away for the Land
Bearings: At 7 Island A S14°W 4 or 5 Leagues Extremes of B S28W to 45W 3 Leagues
North rocks N41°W 5 Leagues
8 am: Hazey
Bearings: At ¼ past 8. Island B SE½S to S6°W off shore 2 Leagues North
Point of B & South of C on at S6°W – [?] Two Keys S55°W and
S60°W 6′ D S77°W to West 4 Leagues N. Rocks N13°W 5 Leagues
9 am: Saw a large Devil Fish and Numbers of flying Fish – Smoke and Inhabitants on D
10 am: Bearings: At 10 High Land of B EbS½Squall to SE¼E – Island A S43°E 1st Key S28°E 4′ – 2nd on with North Point of C S25°E – High Land of C several Mountains in a Line S14°E – West Point of C S10°W Island D S55W to 76°W North Rocks N17°E 4 Leagues
12 noon: At Noon Fresh Breezes and pleasant Weather the Assistant in Company ahead
Bearings: At Noon Island D S65°E to S27°E 6 or 7 Miles – High Land of B
S68°E
Island D shaped like a half [figure of a crescent moon] – the two Points of the Bay
came on at S20°E – the South shore within the Bay runs SW – Line of the SE shore
without forming two Points S18°E – the North shore rounds off gradually the South Point
of D and NW Point of C came on at S15°W – North rocks in a Line with the
Bay at N32°E and S32°W
The Island A is very small, little better I believe than a rock, it is the same Captain Bligh calls the Sugar Loaf in which Form it would appear if we had made it to the Northward of us it will be in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] according to the Time Keepers
Island B is well covered with Wood and Verdure and about [blank] Miles in Circumference. I do not know that any Marks of Inhabitants were seen but we thought we saw Cocoa nut trees. at the Summit of the Mountains which are very high – its North Point will be in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] East of Greenwich by the Time Keepers
Island C is by far the largest of all these Islands. its Coast from NW to SE is near [blank] Miles
long. we saw no Signs of Inhabitants upon it, but on the Northermost Key which we suspected was joined to the
Island by a reef, we saw a Canoe with a Triangular Sail like those of Blighs Islands with several Indians
in her – the NW Point of this Island is in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] East the SW Point
in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] East the Keys are low, woody and about ½ Mile asunder [apart]
– they will be in Latitude [blank] and Longitude [blank] East by the Time Keepers
Aug 18, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Aug 20, 1792