Sep 1, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 3, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
1 pm: Moderate Breezes & fair Weather with hazey Horizon
2 pm: People washing and mending Cloaths
3 pm: ⅓ past 3 Edged away the Assistant leading round the North end of the Shoal, barely discernable from the Mast head
4 pm: Saw Number of Birds
6 pm: At 6 the reef seen from the Top Gallant mast head bore South about three Leagues – Spoke the Assistant per Signal and hauled to the Wind on the Starboard Tack
8 pm: Fine clear Weather
10 pm: Made the Assistants Signal to Tack – Answered Tacked and stood after her
12 mid: Tacked Ship per signal
2 am: Tacked per Signal
4 am: Tacked Ship – Saw the Breakers bearing South about 2 Miles
6 am: At 6 Bore up the Assistant leading – Breakers from the Mast head South 5 or 6 Miles
8 am: At 8 Breakers SbyE to SEbS from Mast head
9 am: Fresh Breezes and fair Weather
Ships Company mustered in Divisions and Divine Service performed by the Captain
12 noon: At Noon Fresh Gales & hazey Weather Signal made by the Assistant for Breakers
and to steer between the South and West – Saw them bearing West from the Mastheads – Passed a Tree
with many Barnacles on it & a white Gull
The Assistant in Company ahead
In keeping to the Northward we had expected to have gone clear of the many rocks and Shoals, which extend out to some Distance all along the North East coast of New Holland. but it appears those from the South coast of New Guinea are equally troublesome and dangerous – For seven Days past we have concluded ourselves not far from Land by the the [sic] Numbers of Boobies and Noddies that have been constantly about the Ship – which Land can be no other than New Guinea or Louisiade that seen on the 30th in the Morning must be some where between
Supposiing those to be Shoals off the New Guinea Coast, we thought to have gone clear of them by steering
to the Southward as yesterday Morning, but still seeing them nearly South of us we hied to the Northward
in hopes they might be some detached Shoals, independant of the Coast, but here again we find ouselves
hemmed in so that our situation appears to be rather doubtfull, should they extend all along to Endeavour
Straits, thro' which our Passage lies, the Prospect before us is not the most desirable. in such Case
the only remedy would be to Stand to the Southward till we thought ourselves sufficiently clear before
we bore away perhaps as far as 10 or 11 Degrees South, but we trust the Abilities of our Captain, which
I believe we may safely rely upon will extricate us from all Difficulties and bring us safe thro' the Strait
in which Case we should consider all the Dangers of our Voyage at an End
Sep 1, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 3, 1792