Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0351
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 351]
247.
August 1770 Saild into the Opening
of the wishd for opening & found to our surprize what had with the little breeze been the real cause of our Escape a thing that we had not before dreamt of The tide of flood it was that had hurried us so unacountably fast towards the reef in the near neighbourhood of which we arrivd just at high water consequently its ceasing to drive us any farther gave us the opportunity we had of getting off
now however the tide of Ebb made strong & gushd out of our little opening like a mill stream so that it was impossible to get in of this stream however we took the advantage as much as possible & it Carried us out near a quarter of a mile from the reef we well knew that we were to take all the advantage possible of the Ebb so continued towing with all our might & with all our boats the Pinnance being now repaird till we had gott an offing of 1 1/2 or 2 miles by this time the tide began to turn & our suspence began again as we had gaind so little while the ebb was in our favour we had some reason to imagine that the flood would hurry us back upon the reef in spite of our utmost endeavours