W:
!l
I:
as th e lead is th e b e s t guide, remembering th a t off C ape Kru se n stern , P o in t Plope, and Ic y
Cape the vrater shoais fast, as those places appe ar to be washed hy s tro n g currents.
In this passage tlie re was not much c u rre n t betwe en Awatska and St. Lawrence Is la n d :
i t amounted to only thirty-one miles S. 54° W . Off th e island it ran S. S. E . seven-eighths
per hour on one trial, and on anothe r seven liours a fte n ra rd s N. E , five-eighths p e r h o a r ; b u t
betwe en this island an d B eerin g ’s S tra it it ra n to th e north-westward a t about th ree quarte rs
o f a mile an h our. T o th e n o rthwa rd o f th e S tra it It take s a more n o rth erly d irection, and
n e a r th e land ru n s first to th e N. E . and then N. W .
KOTZEBUE SOUND TO CALIFORNIA.
October ]4 th to 7th November, 1826, a n d October Qth to 2W i, 1827.
T h e se passages we re made late in th e yea r, when north-westerly winds prevail, and
consequently a t a favourable time for g e ttin g to th e southward. In both years th ey occupied
exactly tw en ty -th re e d ay s ; and it is fu rth e r remarkable, th a t in each th e A leu tian
Islands we re passed on th e n in th day afte r our depa rture . T h e route pursued by th e Blossom
was to th e westward o f K in g ’s Island, and between St. Law renc e Island and th e maiii-Iand
of Americ a, an d thenc e within sig h t o f St. P au l's and St. G eo rg e’s Islands to the S tra it of
Oonemak.
T o th e eastward o f K in g ’s Island th e soundings are v e ry irregular, v ary in g from nine
to six fa thoms; and as a t th e season above mentioned th e we ather appears to be g en e rally
bad, it is advisable to go to th e westward o f the island, where th e wa te r is deep. Between
St. Law renc e Island an d th e co n tin en t of Americ a th e re is a bank with eleven fathoms
w a te r upon it. If, on approaching it in foggy weather, it be doubtful, from tlic shoaling of
th e water, wh e th e r it b e n o t th e island th a t is th e occasion o f th e decrease o f soundings,
h au l over to the American shore, and the water will deepen. T o th e southward of S t.
Law renc e it is necessary only to mention tb e islands of S t. P a u l and St. George, which
a p p a ren tly may be safely approached within four or five m ile s ; b u t I could n o t g o t near
th em in either year to ascertain what dange rs lie close off th e shore. In tlie geographical
table I have given the positions o f these islands, wdiich were before considered so uncertain,
th a t th e y were not placed on our charts.
I should recommend th e passage bein g always made to the eastward o f these islands, as
betwe en th em an d Oonemak th e re is a s trong cu rren t from Bristol Bay, which in 1827 drifted
th e Blossom thirty-five miles to the S. AV. in th e course o f th e day. T h e S tra it o f Oonemak,
ly in g betwe en th e islands of O onemak and Coogalga, appears a t p re sen t to be the safest
opening to th e Pacific from the Kamsehatka Sea. T h e Aleutian Islands in the autumn
ap p e a r to be enveloped in fog about half-way down, and to have a region of mist lying to
windward o f tlie Arcliipelago, which makes it necessary for a ship to be certain of
h e r position before she a ttem p ts an y of th e channels, as she m ight be led down so close
upon th e land in th e fog, th a t she would not have room to rectify a mistake, should slie
u n happily in cu r any, which is v e ry likely to happen, from the irregularity and velocity of
th e cu rren ts ab o u t th e islands. U n d e r these circumstances I should recommend making the
north-west end o f Oonemak, an d afterwards k eep in g along th e coast o f th a t island to the
southward. As this island lies forty miles to th e northward o f th e o th e r islands o f th e chain,
Am n ak excepted, which is th re e degrees to the westward, it cannot be mistaken, unless the
re ckoning o f th e ship is v e ry incorrec t indeed. A n d by so doing, in th e ev e n t o f n o t liking
to a ttem p t the passage, a vessel will still be far enough to windward, supposing th e breeze to
be from the northward, to w e ath er th e other islands o f the chain ; and if from the westward,
she may reach into Bristol Bay.
AVe had no op p o rtu n ity o f se e in g th e summits o f eith e r Oonemak or Alaska , whicli,
when clear, are good guides for th e s tra it* ; b u t when the low lan d o f th e former can be seen,
th e south-west point o f Oonemak may be known by a pointed rock situ a ted n ea r th e base of
a remarkable wedge-shaped cliff, conspicuous from th e northwa rd and north-westward. T h e
narrowest p a rt o f the stra it is betwe en this rock and Coagalga Island, an d th e distance exactly
n in e miles and a half, in a S. 1« 30' E . (tru e ) direction. I n a line betwe en these, a t the
distance of four miles from th e rock, th ere are soundings in tliirty fathoms, aud I understand
th a t if necessary th ere is anchorage close u nder Oonemak.
Coogalga Island is ab o u t four miles in length, and may be known b y a remarkable peak
n ea r its N. E . extremity, in latitude 54" 16 '5 2 " N., an d longitude 164« 47' 06" AV. T h e
variation off it is 20" 50' E.
From th e Aleutian Islands to San Francisco we steered n ea rly a d ire c t course, w'ith
winds g en e rally from the N. W . an d W ., and made P u n ta de los R ey e s on th e 3d November.
In this passage th e cu rren ts were variable. From B e e rin g ’s S tra it to th e Aleutian Islands
th e y prevailed to the westward, and near the islands ran strong, b u t afterwards th ey continued
between S. E . an d S. AV. O n our arrival off Califurnia, the whole amount, in 1826, was
S .89° AV. six ty -fo u r m ile s; and in 1827, S . 2 6 °AV. forty miles.
REMARKS ON THE PASSAGE FROM MONTEREY (NEW C.ALIFORNIA) TO WOAHOO, SANDWICH
ISLANDS.
J a n u a r y 5ih to 5.5th, 1827.
T h is passage was begun a t a period -M'hen the north-west and we ste rly winds are proverbially
prev alen t upon the coast o f New Albion, and extend a considerable distance to the
westward.
W e sailed from the B ay of Alonterey on the 5 th J a n u a ry , and immediately took a
n o rth erly wind, which carried us into the trad e s ; and we arrived off Mowee on th e twentieth
day. Our passage mig h t have been considerably shorter, had we not taken a circuitous route
in search of some islands reported to lie to the southward, and had sail been ca rried throughout
the twenty-four hours, instead of h auling to tlie wind as soon as it was dusk, to maintain
our position du rin g the night, th a t no th in g m ig h t be passed unseen within th e limit of our
horizon.
As we left the e x tra tropical latitudes, the atmosphere gradually became more hazy and
humid, the clouds increased, and in 18« N. we had some showers o f rain. On the IS th , in
latitude 16" 18' N. and longitude 136" V\'., we had a very s trong trade a t N. E., with squally
• See Cook’s Tlurd Voyage, vol. ii.