Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
But the demon of the Straits played him false with a vengeance.
Bougainville took fifty-two days to reach the Pacific. Although
dwarfed by Carteret's mammoth 119 days his passage from ocean to
ocean is still one of the longest on record. Even Magellan's tiny ships
took two weeks less for the journey than the Boudeuse and the Étoile.
But it was not only the strong currents and unpredictable winds
which delayed the Frenchmen. Bougainville was a captain who took
no chances. He preferred to keep within sight of land, even though
this meant taking constant soundings and reducing sail every time
the wind veered to an unfavourable quarter. He anchored frequently
and sought out suitable havens in which to rest his ships and men.
He took every opportunity to go ashore for fresh food and water.
It was, in fact, his desire to ensure the health of his crew which
was Bougainville's chief and most convincing justification for his
slow passage through the Straits. The fear of scurvy was very real
and the captain wanted his men to be as fit as possible before the
long Pacific crossing ahead. In this respect his caution paid di-
vidends:
... there will be some obstacles in passing the straits, but this re-
tardment is not entirely time lost. There is water, wood and shells [i.e.
shellfish] in abundance. Sometimes there are likewise very good fish;
and I make no doubt but the scurvy would make more havoc among a
crew who should come into the South Seas by way of Cape Horn, than
among those who should enter the same seas through the Straits of
Magellan. When we left it we had no sick person on board. 4
Once in the Pacific, Bougainville's most pressing concern was
maintaining the health of his crew. He intended to 'island hop', mak-
ing landfalls as often as possible. Ironically, it was good fortune
which prevented him making his first projected stop at Juan Fernan-
dez. It being midsummer, the south-east trades were at their south-
 
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