adrift at sea
April 8th 2007 07:29
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Huge storms and the giant waves of Cape Horn have often marooned sailors.
I think I mentioned during my blog on the adventures of Sir Francis Drake that some of his men were separated from the fleet from time to time in small boats and nothing was heard of them. One such man was Peter Carder. Along with seven or eight other sailors he was on an errand in a large rowboat when it was struck by a storm. Being good seamen they managed to survive the storm even though it was in the vicinity of Cape Horn. They were caught in the tidal flows and strong gusty winds of the Magellan Straight eventually and with no food, water or tools they had to land on whatever islands they could to kill seals and birds for meat and try to find water.
Mostly they managed to stay on the islands and procure their wants reasonably well. One expedition meant they had to try and feed themselves from the mainland. Here they were attacked by a large war party of natives and only four men escaped in the boat, the rest being hacked to death and eaten on the spot. The four that survived were all wounded but did manage to do some small amount of island hopping slowly heading north along the South American coast. Three men succumbed to their wounds and only Carder was left alive. He could not handle the huge row boat on his own so using a large log as a sort of keel he wrapped other floating debris around it and using an oar for a mast and one as a steering paddle set off for home.
England would have to wait many more years for him. He fell in with a friendly lot of cannibals that did not want to eat him but did insist he share in their good fortune when they captured their enemy. He lived with this tribe for some time and became a sort of warlord with them. He eventually managed to convince the chief that he should go to look for his own people and he was set free to travel with some guides. He fell in with a Portuguese farmer and after some time managed to get to a small town where he was promptly thrown in jail as an English spy. Managing to secure his release to work for the farmer he stole a small boat and ended up stowing away on a cutter due to make its way to France. It was known that he was one of Drake’s men so the Spanish navy (the king of Spain ruling Portugal at this time) was searching for him. His adventures across the Atlantic would make a good book at this stage but he did make it back to England over nine years after he departed. He was presented to Queen Elizabeth who gifted him twenty gold pieces. Not much is known of him after this but his remarkable travels and periodic marooning and castaway status will not be forgotten.
More tomorrow.[/SIZE]
Huge storms and the giant waves of Cape Horn have often marooned sailors.
I think I mentioned during my blog on the adventures of Sir Francis Drake that some of his men were separated from the fleet from time to time in small boats and nothing was heard of them. One such man was Peter Carder. Along with seven or eight other sailors he was on an errand in a large rowboat when it was struck by a storm. Being good seamen they managed to survive the storm even though it was in the vicinity of Cape Horn. They were caught in the tidal flows and strong gusty winds of the Magellan Straight eventually and with no food, water or tools they had to land on whatever islands they could to kill seals and birds for meat and try to find water.
Mostly they managed to stay on the islands and procure their wants reasonably well. One expedition meant they had to try and feed themselves from the mainland. Here they were attacked by a large war party of natives and only four men escaped in the boat, the rest being hacked to death and eaten on the spot. The four that survived were all wounded but did manage to do some small amount of island hopping slowly heading north along the South American coast. Three men succumbed to their wounds and only Carder was left alive. He could not handle the huge row boat on his own so using a large log as a sort of keel he wrapped other floating debris around it and using an oar for a mast and one as a steering paddle set off for home.
England would have to wait many more years for him. He fell in with a friendly lot of cannibals that did not want to eat him but did insist he share in their good fortune when they captured their enemy. He lived with this tribe for some time and became a sort of warlord with them. He eventually managed to convince the chief that he should go to look for his own people and he was set free to travel with some guides. He fell in with a Portuguese farmer and after some time managed to get to a small town where he was promptly thrown in jail as an English spy. Managing to secure his release to work for the farmer he stole a small boat and ended up stowing away on a cutter due to make its way to France. It was known that he was one of Drake’s men so the Spanish navy (the king of Spain ruling Portugal at this time) was searching for him. His adventures across the Atlantic would make a good book at this stage but he did make it back to England over nine years after he departed. He was presented to Queen Elizabeth who gifted him twenty gold pieces. Not much is known of him after this but his remarkable travels and periodic marooning and castaway status will not be forgotten.
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