Wooden Sailing Ships

Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian

The Voyage of HMS Leopard

This is the path taken by HMS Leopard in the book Desolation Island written by Patrick O'Brian and starring Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. At the beginning Jack is enjoying domestic bliss with his beloved wife Sophie and his harridan penny-pinching mother-in-law. It involves a trip to Botany Bay to rescue Governor Bligh and some skullduggery with a beautiful Yankee spy. The map shows some of the events of the voyage and the letters encode some of the events of the voyage that occurred during the voyage. Once again Patrick O'Brian delivers a masterful world of adventure in this book.

The voyage of HMS Leopard

A - Start of voyage, embark from Portsmouth
B - Stuck in the Bay of Biscay with a howling gale ( a Nor'wester ?) that keeps them there for days, worrying that they might get smashed into the Spanish Coast.
C - Tuesday 22nd, 12 leagues off Cape Finisterre at 42d40'N, 10d11'W
D - 37d31'N, 14d41'W
E - Madeira is on the starboard beam at 32d 17'N, 15d 27'W
F - Pass the Dry Salvages , then the Canaries , they see the Peak of Tenerife
G - Porto Prayo, St Jago, Cape Verdes. The see the volcano Fogo smoking off in the distance while they are in port.
H - At 12d 30'N they lose the North east trades and are becalmed in the doldrums for 32 days. They have many crew suffer a plague and have to head to Brazil to get medicine and drop off the sick
I - Pass Cape St Roque at approx 35d W, then call in at Recife, Brazil at approx 8d S, 35d W.
J - They are about two thirds the way to the Southern tip of Africa. They sight the Dutch ship Waakzaamheid, which chases them firing on them.
K - South of 40d S
L - They bury the marine Holland at 41d 15'S, 15d 17'E
M - at 43d 40'S, 42d 45'E
N - Hits iceberg at 46d 30'S, 49d 45E
O - Miss the Crozet Islands because of damaged rudder
P - reach Desolation Island at 49d44'S, 69d E

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Golden Ocean


Mauritius Command

Desolation Island

Fortune Of War

Ionian Mission

Treasons Harbour

Far Side of World

Reverse of Medal

Letter of Marque

13 Gun Salute

Nutmeg of Consolation

Clarissa Oakes

Wine-Dark Sea

The Commodore