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. 327

[Page 327]
Passage from Endeavour Strait to New Guinea

Aug 1770 which is that there is only one high tide in 24 Hours & that is the night Tide, on the spring tides the difference  between the perpendicular rise of the Night & day Tides is not less than 3 feet which is a great deal where the Tides are so inconsiderable as they are here, this inequality of the Tide I did not believe till we run ashore perhaps it is much more so to the Northward than to the Southward, after we had got within the Reefs the second time we found the Tides more considerable than at any time before except in the Bay of Inlets it May be owing  to the water being confin'd in Channels between the shoals here the flood always sets to the NW to the extremity of New Whales from thence Wt & SWt.into the India Sea.
Friday 24th In the PM had light airs from the SSWt with which after leaving Booby Island as before mentioned we steer'd WNWt until 5 o'clock when it fell Calm & the Tide of Ebb which sits to the NEt soon after making we anchored in 8 fam soft sandy bottom, Booby Island bearing So50ºE distant 5 Miles. Prince of Wales Isles extending from NEbN to S55ºEt there appeared to be an open clear passage between these Islands extending from Nº64Et to EbN at ½ past 5 in the morning in purchased the Anchor the cable parted about 8 or 10 fam from the Anchor I immediately order'd another Anchor to be let go which brot the ship up before she had drove a Cables length from the buoy, after this we carried out a Kedge & warped the ship nearer to it, & then endeavoured to sweep the Anchor with a hawser but missed it & broke away the buoy ropes and made several attempts afterwards, but did not succeed. while the Boats were thus employ'd we hove up the Kedge Anchor it being of no more use, At Noon Latd observed 10º:30'Sº winds at NEt a fair breeze the Flood Tide here comes from the same Quarter.
Saturday 25th Winds at NEt & ENEt a Gentle breeze being resolv'd not to leave the Anchor behind while there remained the least probability of getting of it After dinner Isent the Boats again to sweep for it first with aSsmall line which succeeded & now we know'd where it lay, we found it no very hard matter to sweep it with a Hawser, this done we hove the ship up to it by the same Hawser but just as it was almost up & down the Hawser slip'd & left us all to do over again, by this time it was Dark & obliged us to leave off until day light in the morning when we sweep'd it again & hove it up to the buoy & by 8 o'clock weigh'd the other anchor, got under sail & stood away NW having a fresh breeze at ENEt at Noon we were by Observation in the Latde of 10º:18'So & Longde 219º:39'Wt having no land in sight but abt 2 miles to the Shouthwd of us lay a shoal on which the Sea broke & I believe part of it dry at low water it [?] NW & SEt might be abt 4 or 5 leags in Circuit, depth of water at this time