James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770: No. 303

[Page 303]
New Wales or East Coast of New Holland Aug [1770?] Tuesday 7th Strong Gales at SE? [indecipherable SE & SSEt] with cloudy [indecipherable] at Low water in the PM Journal of the Officers keept [kept] a look out at the Mast head to see for a Pafsage [passage] between the Shoals but we could see nothing but breakers all the way from the South round by the East as far as NWt. continuing out to Sea as far as we could see it did not appear to be one continued Shoal. but several laying detached from each other, on the Eastern st. that we could see, the Sea broke very high which made one judge it to be the outermost, for on many of those within, the Sea did not break high at all, & from about ½ flood to ½ Ebb they are not to be seen, which makes the Sailing among them more dangerous. & requires great care & Circumspection for like all other Shoals or Reefs of Coral Rocks they are quite steep too, altho' the most of these Shoals consist of Coral Rocks yet a part of some of them is sand. The Turtle reef &  some others have a small Patch of Sand generally at the N. end that is only cover'd at high water these generally discover themselves before we come near them, altho' I speak of this as the Turtle Reef, yet it is not to be doubted but what there are Turtles upon the most of them as well as this one. after having well viewed our situation from the Masthead I saw that we were surrounded on every side with Dangers in so much that I was quite at a lofs [loss] which way to steer when the weather will permit us to get under Sails for to beat back to the SEt the way we came as the Master would have had me done would be an [uselefs - useless?] peice of work as the winds blow constantly from that Quarter & very strong without hardly any intermifsion [intermission], on the other hand if we do not find a pafsage [passage] to the Northwd we shall have to come back at last, at 11 the Ship drove It obliged us to bear away to a Cable one third which brought us up again, but in the morning the Gale increasing she drove again this made us let go the small Bs. Anchor'd to bear away a whole Cable on it and 2 on the other and after this she still kept driving slowly until we had got down the Topgallant Mast, struck Yards  and Topmast, close down & made all [Indec. fossig?] then she [slid?] past C. Bedford bearing WSW, distant 3½ Leags in this Situation we had Shoals to the Eastward of us extending from the [SEBS?} to the NNW, dist. from the nearest part of them about 2 Miles.
Wednesday 8th Strong gales at the SE all this day in so much that I durst not get up Yards and Topmast.
Thursday 9th in the pm the weather being something moderate we got up the Topmasts but kept the Lower yards down, at 6 in the morning we began to heave the Cable, thinking to get under sail but it blow'd so fresh, together with a head Sea, that we could hardly heave the ship ahead & at last was obliged to desist.
Friday 10th Fresh Gales [indec.SSE,& Ebb?] the wind fell so that we got up the small Br.[?] Anchor & hove into a whole Cable on the [BrBr.?] at 3 in the morning we got up the Lower Yards & at 7 weighed & stood in for the Land/intending to seek for a pafsage [passage] along