The men set to work building huts and fishing. The women collected palmetto leaves to thatch their new roofs and fallen wood for fires. Castaway William Strachey had once written that the islands were thought to be "no habitation for men but rather given over to devils and wicked spirits." They turned out "by experience to be as habitable and commodious as most countries of the same climate and situation." Overall, Bermuda was a pleasant surprise. They didn't have much time, for within a few days the Sea Venture finally sank. After a night on Bermuda, they rowed back to the wreck to salvage what they could of her cargo. At least 30 ships went down in the area prior to 1600, and survivors from at least four of these eventually found their way back to Europe or the Caribbean to tell their stories.įor Somers and his fellow castaways, land brought relief but no rest. The Sea Venture was by no means the first to be shipwrecked near Bermuda. So it was that the only people to spend any time on Bermuda were those marooned there. Sometime around then Bermuda became known as the "Isle of Devils," perhaps because of the reefs or the constant clamor of the sea birds. "In the selfsame peril and danger do men live in this mortal life wherein is no certain security, neither in high estate nor in low," wrote Oviedo. Oviedo described the endless battle between fish and birds, the former never safe from the hordes of the latter, which often forced them to jump out of the water where they were quickly eaten. Oviedo's unflattering account of Bermuda gave sailors no reason to stop on the island, nor did the frequent storms, the dangerous reefs, or the presence of pirates like Sir Francis Drake, as well as the French, with whom the Spanish were intermittently at war between 15. When they reached Bermuda, they would turn east toward home. They would take a southerly route to South America or Mexico, but they routinely returned by following the coast of Florida and the Gulf Stream north. But the winds prevented them from landing.īy 1511 the Spanish were using Bermuda as a waypoint. According to Oviedo, Bermudez approached the land with the idea of exploring it and leaving hogs there for future visitors. Gonzales Ferdinando de Oviedo accompanied Bermudez on some of his later trips and wrote a "History of the travel in the West and East Indies and other countries," which was translated into English and published in 1577. Bermudez probably landed there before 1505. The most likely claimant is Juan de Bermudez, after whom the island was named. Precisely who discovered Bermuda is something of a mystery to this day. He rammed into the reef, bringing the vessel to a stop three-quarters of a mile from the coast.īy nightfall, all 150 men, women and children were on the beach, along with the ship's dog. That would allow the crew and passengers to ferry ashore in small boats. Somers decided the best chance to avoid sinking was to wedge the Sea Venture into a V-shaped coral formation. Had the storm blown the ship another 20 miles south, Somers would never have seen the island and everyone would have been doomed. The Sea Venture was still a mile off the southeast shore. Bermuda was surrounded by coral reefs, and with the ship near sinking Somers had no time to search for a way around them.Īs he headed toward the island, the boatswain called out the depth: first 13 fathoms, then quickly 7 and then 4, the last a mere 24 feet. The passengers could make out the coast of Bermuda, but there was still the problem of how to get there. For three days and nights, the passengers desperately bailed water and plugged leaks, but it was clear the ship would sink. After seven weeks at sea, the ship was within 600 miles of Virginia when it encountered a fierce storm. George Somers, the ship Sea Venture set sail from England with supplies and settlers for the two-year-old Jamestown colony. The story so far: In 1609, under the command of Adm.
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