Seafaring Sunday: Aboard Endeavour

First part Strong Gales, and very heavy squalls with Hail and Rain; remainder more moderate but unsettles, sometimes a fresh breeze and Squally, and sometimes little wind. Kept plying in the Straits until 1/2 past 4 p.m., at which time the Tide had made strong against us, and the wind not abating, bore away, intending to have hauled under Cape St. Diego, but was prevented by the force of the Tide, which carried us past that Cape with surprising rapidity, at the same time caused a very great sea. At 6, the weather being Clear, took 9, or 3 sets of Observations of the sun and moon in order to find the Longitude of the place. Perhaps the first Observations of this kind that were ever made so near to the Extremity of South America.

~ Captain James Cook aboard HMS Endeavour off the Strait of Le Maire, near the far southern tip of South America January 14, 1769

Header: Replica of HMS Endeavour at Cooktown Harbor c 2005 via Wikipedia