Navigation and Port Soundings

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Which wishes to treat of the soundings of every major port, safe harbour and set of shoals from Novadom along to Destiny; with other necessary matters for those that occupy or travel amongst sandbanks.

It is very necessary for every Navigator to collect soundings of the major channels and ports to which they may be assigned. And while these soundings are mere features of the seas, and available to any to discover, it is customary not to record them in a Ship's log and instead for the soundings to be held in memory, for there are many dangerous places that a Master or Navigator must travel, and such a record is considered in some places as Spying, the punishment of which is death or similar treatment. And whereas my patrons and their nautical allies have advised that the publishing of soundings into their ports may be encouraging to their enemies, and whereas I which neither to offend neutral ports nor to provoke their enemies, I will not record my soundings of channels and havens collected along the length of the Baronies, but encourage you to do likewise, bearing in mind the offence this can cause port reeves in times of conflict.

An Example Course of Soundings

However, it seems that an example course of soundings to approach an unnamed port, and clearly stopping short of the port itself, should not violate any wishes; for those that recognise the course will already have the soundings, and learn nothing except perhaps a useful way to record such information, and those who do not, cannot apply it without risking their vessel and their very life by steering the given course in the wrong channel. The names of isles, channels, and headlands have also been changed to prevent revealing the destination

1. Follow this course when your soundings find a bottom at 100 or 90 fathoms, for you are near the start of the seams.
2. The seam starts at 80 fathoms where you shall find cockle shells and dents in the tallow of the lead, and in this sounding hold your course to the North until you change sounding.
   1. If you rise to 60 or 64 fathoms you shall find fine sands and shifting ground, and shall be near the coast of Ushant.
   2. And if you have time and spare daylight, go seek the coast in the Northeast, and you will be about 25 miles from the Isle.
   3. If you set your course around Basefreed, you shall find coarse red and brown sand, and soundings at 40 fathoms.
   4. If you are towards the banks of Scilly, you shall have soundings at 86 or 90 fathoms, and when you find stony ground in the tallow you are well shot towards the banks of Scilly.
   5. When you are at 80 fathoms you shall find small black sand, and are well towards the Lizard.
   6. When you are at 60 or 64 fathoms you shall find white sand and white soft worms, and are very close to the Lizard.
3. Between the coast of Samwell and Ushant in the middle of the channel you will find 70 fathoms, or near enough.
4. Between Dodman and the Forn in the channel you will have 40 or 50 fathoms.
5. When you are athwart of Eastleigh or Start Point, you shall find shifting ground and dents in the tallow, at soundings of 41 or 42 fathoms.
6. As you approach Sidmouth you shall have 35 fathoms and small shingle.
7. And when you are near to Sidmouth, 30 fathoms and stones like beans, and this sounding will last until south Aldam, when in the soundings you will find white stones like broken awls, and then you are between South Aldam and the Isle of Wraiths.
   1. A few miles from the Isle of Wraiths you shall find 25 fathoms, with dents and clefts in the tallow like small threads.
   2. On the other side, a few miles from the Aldam Caskets you shall find 40 fathoms and big, ragged black stones.
   3. Between the Isle of Wraiths and Ventnor the deepest point is 35 or 40 fathoms.
   4. Between the Isle of Wraiths and Lanterngate the deepest point is only 25 or 30 fathoms.
   5. Between the beaches and the Isle of Wraiths, a league from the land you shall find 38 fathoms, and pebbles as big as beans - go no closer to the beach.
8. Between Fairly and the waters of Summer the deepest channel is but 25 fathoms.
9. Between the People's Stone and Boulogne is a bank called the Ripper which breaks in low water, and it lies in the middle of the channel between the two nations, and hard to its West is a channel that is 26 or 27 fathoms.
10. In the straits of Calico is 30 fathoms, and in the roads or Calico it is 16 fathoms, and along the coast past our destination port is but 20 fathoms at the deepest.

Landmarks in Channels

And furthermore, those who are channellers and occupiers of sandbanks, small isles, and such like must have consideration of the following things. First, if you know how a channel lies right between any two shoals, you must view the land to take some leading marks for it. And you should do it thus: look straight down the channel for something that stands far inland which is easily recognisable, such as a crag, spire or steeple; then take another mark near to the waterside, so that the two are in line when you are in the middle of the channel. And then, if you know these two marks well, they will be leading marks for you to keep the channel for ever.

And then if it so happens that the channel turns or changes course, or else some danger lies in the way, you must find a thwart or side mark to know either when you must change course into the next channel and in what direction, or when you are clear of any danger. And that you should do as declared before, to take some mark within the land, and another near to the water, to be your twart marks when you align them.

And it is specially to be noted that the marks are to be preferred when they are far distant from each other, as those close together change more slowly and require some sailing distance to align, which can lead to misjudgements.

Soundings in Channels

And furthermore, as the weather is not always clear, but may be foggy or fouled by heavy rain or shadowed in twilight, when you have occasion to regularly pass through channels, it is good to sound the channels thoroughly, so as to know by the depth and tallow what side of the channel you are upon, and also how far you are into the channel. And also in like manner to know by the soundings anywhere in the channel, whether you are near any of the shoals, sandbanks, or dangers, and what breadth of warning there is. For some sands or shoals can be travelled easily and with pleasure by taking fair or good soundings, and these will warn you of danger in plenty of time. But there are some dangers that give no warning by soundings, as the water is deep right up to the sand or rock, and these are very dangerous shoals for any ship to come near, for they will be in deep water, and suddenly be aground.

And finally it is very good for channellers to know which way the tide flows at every time of the tides, for many times is happens that when the sands are under the water, the tide is flowing across the channel onto the sands, which is a dangerous matter if it is not known of by the Master or Pilot.