244 G. Davidson — Northwestern Coast of Ar)ierica. 



at anchor until the 6th of November, when they left for the cape 

 with very light airs, which gave them no steeragewa}^, for they 

 were four days making twelve or thirteen miles. Off the cape 

 another southeaster came up, and the vessels ran before it, mak- 

 ing good progress, and sufficiently close to the land to assure 

 themselves that there was no southeast anchorage. On the 11th 

 of November the vessels were under the shadow of the compact, 

 bold and precipitous mountain barrier of the Sierra Santa Lucia, 

 which rises, in latitude 35° 54', to an elevation of over 5,000 feet, 

 at a distance of not quite three miles inland. Here the south- 

 easter broke upon the vessels in all its fury. 



"And at four o'clock in the night, being in the sea about six 

 leagues from the coast, lying-to, waiting for daybreak, . . . 

 so great a storm struck them from the southwest and the south- 

 southwest, with rain and dark, cloudy weather, that they could 

 not keep up a hand-breadth of sail, and it made them scud, with 

 a small foresail, with much labor, all the night, . . . and 

 a great sea that nearly engulfed them, and at dawn, the wind 

 blowing tremendously, it was not possible to run before the wind, 

 and on account of the strong sea, wind and dense clouds one 

 vessel lost sight of the other, and that one vessel threw over- 

 board everything that could lighten her from the deck, because 

 the storm was very great, and on the Capitana, seeing themselves 

 in the greatest danger, they vowed a pilgrimage to our Lad}^ of 

 the Rosary and the Blessed Mother of Pity for her mercy, and 

 she favored them with a little fair weather." (Cabrillo, Ferrelo. ) 



Ferrelo continues : " That on Monday, the 13th of the said 

 month of November, at the hour of vespers, the weather cleared 

 up and the wind veered to the west, and immediately they made 

 sail and went in search of their consort, steering toward the land, 

 praying to God that they might discover her, as they much 

 feared that she would be lost. They were running to the north 

 and to the north-northwest, with the wind west. and west-north- 

 west ; and the following Tuesday at daybreak they had sight of 

 the land, and the)^ were able to hold on until the evening, and 

 they could see that the land was very high, and they cruised 

 along the coast to discover if there was any port where they 

 might take shelter, and so great was the swell of the sea that it 

 was fearful to behold, and the coast was bold and the mountains 

 very lofty, and at evening they lay-to for rest. It is a coast 

 running northwest to southeast. They perceived the land at a 



