entered so far within the banks, there is no return- 

 ing by the same way, the vessel must inevitably be 

 lost. 



Storms and hurricanes did not lessen the problems of 

 the navigator, for it was next to impossible to prevent the 

 clumsy square-riggers from being carried oif their course 

 by heavy winds and currents, and there was no means of 

 ascertaining their position when out of sight of land. Con- 

 sequently, through the years, many of them never reached 

 their destination, but piled up on the Florida reefs instead. 



What struck me as remarkable was that over the years 

 the Spanish did not seem to learn that hurricanes occur 

 only in the summer and fall months, nor did they schedule 

 their convoys to sail at other times of the year. Instead, 

 almost invariably, they sailed from Havana in the sum- 

 mer months, calmly inviting disaster. 



By 1565 Pedro Menendez, the Spanish explorer, had 

 driven the French out of northern Florida and had 

 founded St. Augustine to protect his country's interests in 

 that area. Spain now had some control over the waters to 

 the north of the Florida straits. 



Although the Florida Indians were always wary of the 

 Spaniards, Menendez did succeed in making friends with 

 them by pretending to marry Doiia Antonia, the sister of 

 the Indian chief, Carlos. Throughout these early years this 

 liaison paid off, for the Spaniards were able to enlist the 

 aid of the natives in salvaging the wrecks along the coast 

 and in establishing a limited amount of barter between 

 Havana and the keys. But people of other nations were 

 always at the mercy of the Indians. 



Seemingly the Spanish should have had complete 

 control of the Florida straits, for they had possession of 

 Florida, Cuba and the Bahama islands to the east. But be- 

 cause they were interested only in the quick riches to be ob- 



50 Sea Diver 



