May. 22, 1788
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Logbook Remarks GM
May. 24, 1788
Revised Jun 7 2021
1:00 pm Fresh Gales & Cloudy. In 2nd Reefs.
2:00 pm Saw the Table Land of the Cape of Good Hope E½N off shore 8 or 9 leagues.
4:00 pm Ditto Weather. The Sugar loaf Hill in Table Bay NE 6 or 7 leagues.
6:00 pm Tacked. Ditto Weather with some Rain. Tripled the Topsails & hauled the Wind. Sounded 20 fathoms coarse shells. Cape Good Hope SE½S 4 leagues.
9:00 pm No Ground at 75 fathoms.
12:00 am Moderate & fair Weather. Hove Main Top Sail to the Mast & sounded 80 fathoms but no Ground. Cape Good Hope EBN.
4:00 am Ditto Weather. Cape Good Hope E½N, 4 leagues.
5:00 am Bore away.
Hove too, Sounded
69 fathoms. Cape Good Hope
East
4 leagues nearly.
8:00 am Light Winds & fine Weather. Cape Good Hope ENE 5 Miles, Westmost Land N½E.
9:00 am Many Seals Gannets, Albatrosses & some Shags with Patches of Rock Weed as big as in the Stem as a Mans leg passing.
12:00 pm Ditto Weather & Cloudy. Cape Good Hope N15W
distance about
3 leagues. Cape False
EBN½E & the Eastmost high Land of Simons Bay N½E.
The Sail seen Yesterday now in the
Offing & hoists Dutch
Colours is comeing in
here by her Working to
Windward.
Remarks at Noon: True 18°29′E.
Being certain of my Situation altho the Weather rather thick I carried all possible Sail to make the land, and to my expectation I made the Table land very distinctly at 2 O'Clock. I Steered in a direction along shore to make the Cape, False Bay being the proper place for me to get refreshments at this Season of the Year. I spent the Night under Sail, and at Day break was very well situated to get in; but the Wind being variable and having not much of it, our progress to Noon was very triffling. I showed our Colours to the Ship in the Offing which proved to be a Dutch East India Man, and by her tacking I found she was endeavouring to get in here, which Yesterday I had no Idea of, by her keeping so much to the Southward, but I imagine she had it not in her power to be benefited by a latitude, as my certain situation in that respect was only owing to a Meridian Altitude of the Moon. Some Ships keep in the Latitude of the Cape when they are bound to False Bay, but that is by no Means so proper as keeping in the latitude of Table Bay 33°55′S. the Land being there very high and Remarkable, besides if by keeping nearly as you can in the Latitude of the Cape, there should be an error in your Accounts of 4 or 5 leagues in Latitude which frequently happens when no Observation, a ship may pass the Cape without seeing it in hazy thick Weather and be to the Eastward of False Bay before they are aware of it. All the Cape Land being considerably lower than about Table Bay.
May. 22, 1788
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Logbook Remarks GM
May. 24, 1788