Sep 9, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 11, 1792
Revised Sep 16 2021
Island O or Dungeness Island N68°W to S89°W 3 Miles Island P N5° to 10°W 4 or 5′ – Dungeness reef S62°E ¾ Mile, to the Wake of Turtle back Island which bears S77 to 80W 6 Leagues – A long flat Island over the reef S29 to S42°W 4 or 5 Miles – A woody Key S25°E 4 Leagues – the Brothers seen over O WbN – Shoal off the NE part of O extends 10° from the Island – A small distant Island S69°E 5 or 6 Leagues
1 pm: Fresh Breezes and fair Weather Boats and Assistant leading – Out 3rd reefs – ½ past Noon Brig made the Signal to prepare to anchor – at ½ past that denoting Danger – Hauled to the Wind on the Starboard Tack. 35′ past Wore Ship and hove to – The Assistant & Boats sounding to Leeward. At 20′ past 2 she made our Signal to follow without Danger and anchored. Bore up to her the whale Boat leading – Standing along Dungeness reef 1½′ distant we had 14 and 15 Fathom – At 20′ past 3 Brought up with the Small Bower in 17 Fathom hard Ground – Handed Sails and sent the Boats to sound to leeward – at 7 the Pinnace and Whale boat returned, the Cutter not able to pull up against the Tide – Struck Top Gallant Masts bent the Sheet Cable and got the Anchor over the side – Hoisted in the Boats and veered away to a whole Cable – Strong Breezes & Cloudy
11 pm: At ½ past 11 the Cutter returned Hoisted her in and as the Tide slacked hove in the half Cable Service
4 am: Veered away the whole Cable Service which the Lee tide made
5 am: At Day break Swayed up Top Gallant Masts and hoisted out the Boats
8 am: Cleaned below
10 am: Hove short – waiting for the Assistant to get under weigh
12 noon: At Noon she weighed, the Boats ahead of her leading – We heaving up our Anchor to stand after her – Several Indians waving to us from the Island and a Canoe coming towards us
O or Dungeness Island S89°W to N68°W September 10th at the
Place distant 3 Miles
This Island is rather larger than the generality of those woody Keys for they are very little better, being about 5 Miles in Circumference it is covered with almost impenetrable Wood and I dare say is well inhabited as we saw plenty of Canoes near it tho none upon it. Dungeness reef will supply it with plenty of Turtle and fish – its Latitude will be nearly 9°:48′ South and Longitude 142°:52′ East by the Time Keepers
P N5°W to N10°W September 10th at the
Place distant 5 Miles
This Island is the Western Extremtiy of a great reef, part of which we saw when at
off H and on which are several dry
sand Banks which in many Places have Trees upon them – this Island is small being not more than
2 or 2½ Miles round. we saw no Cocoa nutts upon it, any more than on the other Keys but we saw
a Number of Inhabitants upon it waiting I suppose to see the Event of the Attack their Canoes made upon
us, for they principally came from this Island Its Latitude is about 9°·45′ South
Longitude 142°·56′ East and about 4′ distant from O
Turtle Back Island S77°W to S80°W September 10th at the
Place – distant 4 or 5 Leagues
This Island was so called from its Shape. it is higher than most we have passed and may be called an Island.
we were not near enough to tell it particularly, its Circumference is nearly about that of O –
It will be nearly in Latitude 9°:52′ South and Longitude 142°:43′ East of Greenwich
by the Time Keepers
Sep 9, 1792 Home Flinders's Log Sep 11, 1792