At Sea, off the Coast of Brazil
Today we continued on our way to the New World – tomorrow is landfall day in Salvador, Bahia. We have been reminded in these last days of those who sailed these waters before us, especially Captain Robert Fitzroy, Master of the H.M.S. Beagle. In 1832, Fitzroy and his sailing companion, a young man named Charles Darwin, sailed as we have, from the Cape Verde Islands, passing SS. Peter and Paul Rocks, and the islands of Fernando de Noronha on their way to their landfall at Bahia. Fitzroy was a protégé of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, Hydrographer of the Admiralty, and a man bent on surveying the poorly charted coasts of the world. Beaufort is now remembered for his Beaufort Scale, used for reporting sea state, and Fitzroy was one of the first to receive the scale and instructions on its use from the Admiralty. Information collected on British ships of the line were reported back to the Admiralty, just as they are today. Some of this information on global winds and currents at sea was provided to Matthew Fontaine Maury, Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, who, in turn, used it to produce his famous Sailing Directions which gave charts of the winds and currents of the world ocean. One of the most important uses of the Sailing Directions in the 19th century was in choosing a course from New York to Rio de Janeiro for Yankee sailing ships making this difficult passage in which they had to sail east against the North Equatorial Current. The trick was to sail far enough east that if you were becalmed in the doldrums, you would still be able to clear Cabo Branco, north of Recife, and the easternmost point of Brazil, instead of being pushed north into the Caribbean.
All this history came together this afternoon as we raised the bark Europa, a tall ship from Holland, making her way from Canada to Salvador. She had packed on all the canvas she could carry and was making good at least 6 knots as she sailed on a beam reach in the 10-12 knot southeasterly trade winds. It was as though she were speaking to us of a time long past, but still well remembered by those of us who sail these waters.
Today we continued on our way to the New World – tomorrow is landfall day in Salvador, Bahia. We have been reminded in these last days of those who sailed these waters before us, especially Captain Robert Fitzroy, Master of the H.M.S. Beagle. In 1832, Fitzroy and his sailing companion, a young man named Charles Darwin, sailed as we have, from the Cape Verde Islands, passing SS. Peter and Paul Rocks, and the islands of Fernando de Noronha on their way to their landfall at Bahia. Fitzroy was a protégé of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, Hydrographer of the Admiralty, and a man bent on surveying the poorly charted coasts of the world. Beaufort is now remembered for his Beaufort Scale, used for reporting sea state, and Fitzroy was one of the first to receive the scale and instructions on its use from the Admiralty. Information collected on British ships of the line were reported back to the Admiralty, just as they are today. Some of this information on global winds and currents at sea was provided to Matthew Fontaine Maury, Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, who, in turn, used it to produce his famous Sailing Directions which gave charts of the winds and currents of the world ocean. One of the most important uses of the Sailing Directions in the 19th century was in choosing a course from New York to Rio de Janeiro for Yankee sailing ships making this difficult passage in which they had to sail east against the North Equatorial Current. The trick was to sail far enough east that if you were becalmed in the doldrums, you would still be able to clear Cabo Branco, north of Recife, and the easternmost point of Brazil, instead of being pushed north into the Caribbean.
All this history came together this afternoon as we raised the bark Europa, a tall ship from Holland, making her way from Canada to Salvador. She had packed on all the canvas she could carry and was making good at least 6 knots as she sailed on a beam reach in the 10-12 knot southeasterly trade winds. It was as though she were speaking to us of a time long past, but still well remembered by those of us who sail these waters.
