A FAIR AND GOOD BAY
Careening the Golden Hind in Drakes Estero
July, 1579

Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches


Drake entered the Pacific Ocean through the Straits of Magellan, and began raiding the unsuspecting Spanish settlements on the west coast. In Callao, the port for Lima, he learned that the NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA CONCEPCION, popularly known as the CACAFUEGO, had sailed thirteen days earlier with a cargo of twenty-six tons of silver bars, thirteen chests of silver coins, and eighty pounds of gold and jewels. Drake caught up to her two weeks later. The unsuspecting Spaniard allowed the GOLDEN HIND to sail right alongside, and a broadside of chain shot took out her mizzen, ending any resistance before it could begin. Drake transferred the treasure to the GOLDEN HIND and allowed the Spanish to go on their way.

At the end of this foray he was well north of Panama. It has been suggested he reached as far as 48 º north, but certainly as far as Oregon. It is possible he intended to sail home by the mythical Straits of Anian. Adverse winds, cold weather, a discontented crew and a foul and leaking ship forced him to turn back along the North American coast, seeking a protected bay to repair GOLDEN HIND. He finally found a suitable cove on the California coast just north of San Francisco. Although there are dissenting opinions, that place is almost certainly Drakes Estero. There he stayed for 36 days, built a small fortification, and careened the GOLDEN HIND.

Drakes Estero is a shallow estuary on the coast of Drakes Bay, California, protected by a shifting sand bar and with a navigable entrance channel that would have had a least depth of 16 1/2 feet in 1579. Drake spent five weeks there in June and July, cleaning the bottom and repairing leaks to the GOLDEN HIND. While careened she would have been completely vulnerable to both weather and enemy attack. The spit of sand hid the ships from sea and protected the bay from all Pacific storms. A small fortification was built on the spit to protect the cargo off-loaded from the GOLDEN HIND and to house the crew while the ship was careened.

The six foot tides on the California coast are insufficient to beach a vessel the size of the GOLDEN HIND. Drake had a small pinnace captured from the Spanish, and he would have used her to pull over the GOLDEN HIND. With the ship lightened and some of her ballast shifted, tackles from the pinnace, secured alongside, would have helped to heel her over and act as a steadying force in any swell.

The English were a source of great interest to the Coast Miwoks, the natives of the area. A peaceful people of hunters and gatherers, they were constantly around the encampment. Although neither side could understand the other, trust was established after elaborate gift exchanges, and friendly trade was conducted over the course of their stay. With their help, Drake was able to fully victual and water the ship. Before they left, Drake nailed a brass plate to a post engraved with the day and year of their arrival, and named the land Nova Albion because of the similarity to the cliffs facing the English Channel. This was the first act of possession by an Englishman on what would later become the United States.

Drake sailed, July 23 rd. on the evening tide, leaving a sorrowful host of natives watching from the hill tops.