13th January 1769

[Map: the track of Darwin's voyage 65 years later, showing Cape San Diego]


Tierra del Fuego

The greatest part of this day little wind and Cloudy. At 8 p.m., Cape St. Diego, at the west entrance of Straits La Maire, East, distance about 5 leagues. Keept under an easey Sail until daylight, at which time we were abreast of Cape St. Diego, and then put into the Straits, but the Tide soon turned against us and obliged us to haul under the Cape again and wait until 9 a.m. when it shifted in our favour. Put into the Straits again with a Moderate breeze at South-West, which soon grew Boisterous with very heavy Squalls, with rain and hail, and obliged us to Close reef our Topsails. Wind North-East by East, West-South-West, South-West; latitude 54 degrees 39 minutes South; at noon, Cape St. Diego North 2 leagues.

Joseph Banks Journal

This morn at day break we were at the streights mouth and stood in a little way, but the tide turning against us soon set us out again; at ½ past 8 tide again turnd in our favour but soon after wind came foul so were forcd to turn to windward; the wind soon freshning made us pitch most violently, so much that our Gib netting was quite under water. At 12 today Lat: 54:42. Staten land is much more craggy than Terra del Fuego tho the view of it in Ld Ansons Voyage is exaggerated. About 4 it blew very hard and the tide turning against us quickly drove us out of the streights the second time. At night less wind tho still South West, stood into the Streights the third time and had another violent pitching bout, the tide turnd against us before we are half through so in the morning.