20171223 Magellan Thread
497 years ago, on this day the Magellan expedition has embarked upon a three month voyage on the Pacific Ocean. This voyage will test the courage and stamina of the crew, and a number of crewmen will die due to scurvy, although lack of adequate food was the root problem.
Per Reference #1, page lxi
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28 November 1520: The fleet, consisting of Trinidad, Concepcion, and Victoria pass Cabo Pilar (which Magellan names Desaedo) on Desolation Island, and enters the Pacific Ocean: 'Wednesday, 28 November 1520, we debouched from that Strait, engulfing ourselves in the Pacific Sea'
End Quotation.
The quotation above is from the record given by Antonio Pigafetta.
In Reference #10, on page 80, Nancy Levinson reports:
Begin Quotation:
The fleet steered north along the coast and then headed westward into the open sea, with agreeable winds at their back.
End Quotation.
On page 81, Ms. Levinson provides a map, “Magellan's route across the Pacific Ocean.” from North Wind Picture Archives.
This post is for December 23th. The map shows an entry for December 22th, just below Latitude 30 degrees. In the period between the log entry of December 13th and the 22nd, Magellan altered the course significantly toward the West.
Google Earth shows Chiloe Island, and the city of Valdivia, which is located just below Latitude 40 degrees.
The weather report for Chiloe Island for December 27th of 2017 shows 59 degrees Fahrenheit. and winds of 16 miles per hour, with rain.
In a remarkable sequence of missed opportunities, Magellan's course took the fleet near but never within sighting distance of numerous islands. The first of these shown on the map provided on Page 81 of Ms. Levinson's book is: Isla Salas y Gomez.
Google Earth shows this island at 26 degrees 28 minutes 57.14 seconds South and 105 degrees 21 minutes 17.86 seconds West
Visitors to this island have kindly uploaded photographs. The terrain doesn't look particularly hospitable, but my guess would be that fish could have been found in the shoals off shore, and conceivably fresh water might have been found in the interior.
(th)