Good one, PJ! Macapuno for you. Drake's Cove in Drake's Estero is the correct answer for where Drake and crew set up camp and careened their ship, and yes, the map (painting really) is aligned so north is towards the bottom and south up, confusing most everyone, including myself. And thanks to DAZZLER for revealing the facts to me. Tom and Sue have stood on the exact spot Hondius's map was painted, overlooking Drake's Cove.
. ~sleddog
11/05/21 This morning was a grand time for a circumnavigation in my 8' kayak yacht PADDLIN' MADELINE. The sun was up in a clear, blue sky, the dogs had been walked on Seabright Beach, the Harbor was quiet with zero activity, partially because the Entrance was closing out on big swells that were coming over the west breakwater. What was there to circumnavigate? With the high tide, there is narrow passage around the entire Upper Harbor between the marina docks and the riprap seawall, the only hazard being pipes under the gangways. It was so pleasant, I circumnavigated twice in an hour, observing all sorts of things I hadn't seen, including a flotilla of small boats berthed on the inside end ties. One of them in particularly poor condition was a 16' outboard fishing boat named CRISIS EVERY HOUR. That name certainly beat the 40 foot powerboat named A-FISHY-A-KNOTTO. Try saying that over VHF 16 to the Coasties.
A week ago, on the spur of the moment, I decided to attempt a visit to Drake's Cove to get myself out of the rabbit hole I had unanticipatedly entered several months previously in search of Francis Drake's careening spot for his ship GOLDEN HIND during 36 days in June and July, 1579. The search had taken me figuratively, and sometimes literally, from Vancouver Island to Cape Flattery and the Straits of Juan de Fuca, down the WA, Oregon Coast, and California Coasts as far as San Francisco Bay There was something to be said for every anchorage, and some had small industries, monuments, and chamber of commerce and academic advocates based on their cove being Drake's landing spot including Whale Cove, Cape Arago, Bodega, Tomales, Drakes Bay, Bolinas, and San Francisco Bay.
Along the way I encountered many characters, as well as the infamous hoax of the "Plate of Brass" Drake left behind, claiming the country for England. This hoax, created in 1933 by Professor Herbert Bolton and friends and proven false in 1979, is celebrated to this day by the display of Bolton's fake Plate of Brass at Bancroft Library, U.C, Berkeley, where Bolton was head of the history department.
Francis Drake arrived by sea and left by sea, and though I parked in the new visitors lot at Drakes Beach on Pt. Reyes, the only way to visit Drakes Cove inside Drakes Estero is either by kayak via a wind, weather and tide dependent 8 mile round trip paddle. Or on foot hiking northeast along a white sand beach for 2 miles. I chose the later and here is the report entered in my log, though it must be noted the whole area is closed from March 1 to June 30th for Harbor Seal pupping.
"The hills, even after only 4 days since our recent Atmospheric River bomb cyclone, were already green. Tomales was fogged in, but sunny overhead. Drakes Beach Visitor Center had fog, sunny breaks, with largish swell of 3-6 feet. I hiked the beach northeastwards along the White Cliffs, noticing considerable rockfall, some still active, along the cliff base. Halfway, a rock ledge blocking the beach was encountered. The tide was falling, and at about +4 feet, there was no way forward except to climb over a notch in a muddy outcropping, with a 5 foot drop on the north side. It took about 5 minutes to negotiate this obstacle before resuming the beach hike. After 1 hour, 15 minutes, at noon, I was at the end of the spit gazing across the sole entrance into Drake's Estero and across at Limantour Spit, 200 yards distance. I gave respectful distance to a flock of 2-3 dozen white pelicans at the spit tip, where the current looked to be ebbing at 2-3 knots.
On the north side of the spit, in Drakes Cove proper, was smooth water with 10 knots of WNW wind. I hiked past where Drake's encampment would have been, and along the beach. Just back of the beach the terrain was pretty difficult due to vegetation. 3/4's of the way along the 300 yard beach I came to a Monument to Drake, which is not visible from the beach and about 25 yards inland. Though once visited by master mariner and author Alan Villiers in 1972, the Monument looks like in a few years it will be almost invisible if you didn't know it was there.
Hondius Map, created in 1789 by Jodocus Hondius, a Dutch cartographer and close friend of Drake.
At the north end of the beach I searched for a way up onto the bluff overlooking the Cove from where the Hondius map, above, was originally sketched (remember, south, not north, is up.) I did find evidence of a possible one time wharf with rusty iron spikes and planks on the beach, probably from local schooners whose crews loaded highly prized cheese from Pt. Reyes dairies during the Gold Rush. But now there was no way up due to heavy growth of coyote brush and poison oak beginning just inland of the beach. I could see above where the old ranch road once descended, but it is now inaccessible and collapsed. There was a small grove of medium sized pines just inland at the north end of the beach, but even getting to them was not possible.
After a picnic on the beach, and watching harbor seals congregate on a sandbar 100 yards offshore, I headed back to the car. It was nearing low tide, and I was able to negotiate the rocky outcropping by climbing over slippery rocks. using my walking pole to good effect. Note, the beach was in its "winter configuration,' and according to a local surfer, had lost several feet of height in last week's 'Atmospheric River' storm. Total walking time from parking lot at Patrick Visitor center to the Monument and back following the beach would be 3-4 hours, the only hazard being the rocky outcropping and occasional stones coming off the cliffs. This alone would stop many potential visitors, especially at high tide, making kayaking the only alternative. There is no other access from above (the "D" ranch buildings), and the locked gate is marked 'no access, official vehicles only.'" 10/29/21
