Sailing Directions
Here are Captain Cook's sailing directions for navigating on this part of the coast
Old Ferrolle Four miles to the Westward of the Bay St. Genevieve is the harbour of Old Ferrolle, which is a very good and safe harbour, formed by an island called Ferrolle-Island, lying parallel with the shore. The best passage into this harbour is at the S. W. end of the island, passing to the Southward of a small island in the entrance, which island is very bold to: when you are within this island you must haul up N. E. and anchor behind the S. W. end of Ferrolle Island in 8 and 9 fathoms of water, where you lie land-locked in good ground; you may also anchor any where along the inside of the said island, and find a good channel up to the N. E. end thereof, where there is an exceeding good place for fishing ships to lie in like a bason, in 5 and 6 fathoms of water, formed by three islands lying at the N. E. end of Ferrolle Island; there is also a narrow channel into this place from the sea of two fathoms at low-water, between the Northernmost of these islands and the main; here is convenient places for many fishing ships, and plenty of wood and water; on the outside of these islands are some ledges of rocks a small distance off. Dog Island From the S. W. end of Ferrolle Island to Dog Island is W. S. W. between 4 and 5 miles; Dog Island is only divided from the main at high water, is much higher than any land near it, which makes it appear when you are a good way to the Eastward to be some distance from the main. Bay of St. Margaret From Dog Island to Point Ferrolle is W. S. W. 3 miles; between them is the Bay of St. Margaret, which is large and spacious, with several arms and islands in the bottom of it, abounding with great plenty of timber of the spruce and fir kind, and watered by small rivers; it affords good anchorage in many parts of it, particularly on the West-side, which is the best place, as being the clearest of danger, and most convenient for wood and water. New Ferrolle Between St. Margaret’s Bay and Point Ferrolle, is a small bay, called New Ferrolle, which lies in S. S. W. about 1 mile and is quite flat all over, having not quite 3 fathoms in any part of it, and in some places not more than 2, and open to the N. E. winds; there is a stage on each side of the bay, and room for as many more. Point Ferrolle Point Ferrolle is situated in latitude 51 deg. 02 min. North, is 2 miles in length, of a moderate height, and joined to the main by a low neck of land, which divides New Ferrolle Bay from the Bay of St. John’s, which makes it appear like an island at a distance; all the North-side of the point is very bold to, having 20 fathoms of water very near it; but from the S. W. part stretches out a ledge of rocks into the Bay of St. John’s. This part of the coast may be easily known by a long table-mountain, in the country above the bay of St. John’s, the West-end of this mountain, from the middle of the Point Ferrolle, bears S. by E. and the East-end S. 59 deg. 30 min. E.
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Here are Pierres Detcheverry Dorre's sailing directions for navigating on this part of the coast Although Cook's chart of Old Ferrole Harbour to Point Ferrolle is the earliest known for this part of the coast, there was a description of the coast published in Basque a century earlier in the sailing directions of Pierres Detcheverry Dorre (1667) - . Here is a section of the Basque orginal and the map: