Timeline of Drake’s Circumnavigating Voyage

1577 (Old Style)

15 November With Francis Drake in command, the expedition leaves Plymouth, England with the Pelican, Elizabeth, Marigold, Swan, and Benedict.  The 164 men and boys aboard the ships are a mixture of sailors and gentlemen adventurers.  The mix of classes will prove troublesome.  The crews believes they are on a trading journey to Alexandria.

Francis Fletcher, who is Drake’s chaplain, will keep a detailed record of the journey.  John Drake, the young cousin of Francis, accompanies the journey.  Later, as an adult, John’s deposition given to the Spaniards when he is their captive, gives invaluable information to modern day readers.

13 December 1577    After being forced back by weather and damaged ships, Drake leaves Plymouth with his repaired fleet. He sails to Africa, then Brazil and Argentina. The Swan and Benedict are abandoned before entering the Strait of Magellan.

25–31 December    At Mogador Island, Morocco, the crew realizes that the trading journey was a ruse.  While a detachment of men are ashore, crewman John Fry is kidnapped.  He eventually finds his way back to England via an English trading vessel.

15 January    While off the coast at Cape Barbas, Morocco, the Marigold seizes a caravel.

16­–21 January    Off Cape Blanc, Mauritania, Spaniards flee their ship which the English crew takes.  The local inhabitants try to sell Drake a woman, a transaction he declines.  Local inhabitants also try to buy water.  Rather than sell it, the Englishmen simply give it to them.

28­–30 January   The crew lands at Maio, Cape Verde.  They proceed inland in search of water.

31 January–2 February    Drake takes a ship, Santa Maria, off the Cape Verde island of Santiago.  Drake changes the name of the ship to Mary, and impresses the pilot, Nuño da Silva.  Da Silva will ably serve Drake for over a year.  His charts and knowledge of the South American coast are invaluable to Drake.  Da Silva, when taken captive by the Spaniards in Mexico, will provide his log and testimony which are critical to modern historians. Drake places Doughty in command of Mary.  Doughty’s command is so troubled that Drake relieves him of his duties.  Drake takes over command of the ship.

End of February   Various records conflict when the expedition first reached the coast of Brazil. Da Silva’s first mention of Brazil is when the expedition arrived Fernando de Noronha.  He records the date with a vague entry: End of February.

10 March   When the expedition arrives at Todos los Santos, da Silva’s presence proves critical.  When he warns against entering the port due to the presence of armed galleys, Drake sails on.

6 April   At an unspecified latitude along the southern coast of Brazil, the expedition encounters a storm that separates the Christopher from the rest of the fleet.

14 April–8 May   Drake enters the large estuary separating Argentina and Uruguay, the Christopher rejoins the fleet.  Drake commemorates the occasion by naming the cape, Cape Joy.  Drake anchors here and sends his crew in search of fresh water.  This is their first anchorage since crossing the Atlantic. 

Shortly after the expedition sets sail from the area, both the Swan and Mary are separated from the fleet by a storm.

12–15 May   The crew anchors on the seaward side of banks known as Banco Byron and is reunited with the Swan.  Rough conditions threaten the ships and the sail for open water.  When the conditions allow, Drake returns with his ship and lights fires to signal his other ships who eventually sail in.  Drake names the cape, Cape Hope.  The Mary is still absent.

May 17–3 June   At present day Nodales Bay, Drake anchors, lands, and names the location Seal Bay.  Here, they have friendly interactions with the indigenous people.   Drake has the badly damaged Swan burned after salvaging everything useful.

As sailors work and gentlemen watch, tensions between the two groups grow.  Adding to this is insubordinate behavior from Thomas Doughty.

19 June–17 August    Drake anchors the fleet and lands at Port San Julian, Argentina.  Ferdinand Magellan had previously used this port.  The Englishmen find the remains of a spruce gibbet on the ground.  Also there are the skeletons of mutineers which Magellan had executed.

The Mary, which is seriously battered, rejoins the fleet here.  She is salvaged for useful material and burned.

Drake’s crew has a tragic encounter with the indigenous people who suddenly and unexpectedly turn deadly-violent in the midst of what had been a friendly visit.  They kill a gentleman, Robert Winterhey, and sailor named Oliver.  Drake is able to fire an arquebus and slay the offending attacker.  The Englishmen retreat to an island in the bay where they camp.

Drake brings Thomas Doughty to trial.  Drake prosecutes and Doughty defends in front of a jury.  They jury finds Doughty guilty.  He is beheaded and buried next to Winterhey and Oliver.

20 August–6 September  At the entrance to the Straits of Magellan, Drake lingers to wait for favorable winds for his remaining ships.  Here he re-names the Pelican to the Golden Drake enters the Strait of Magellan after re-naming the Pelican to the Golden Hind. He also gives a sermon to the crew telling them that there will no longer be class distinctions.  This fleet—the Golden Hind, Elizabeth, and Marigold, becomes the first English expedition to sail into the Straits.  Not even Nuño da Silva has been here.

24 August   Drake claims Elizabeth Island for his Queen, which is the first territorial claim on this journey.  Their 14-day passage proves the maritime excellence of the crew:  it is the fastest passage through the strait in the 16th century.

6 September–6 October    In the Pacific off the southern coast of Chile, Drake takes the fleet 70 nautical miles when the fleet is lashed by a storm that destroys the Marigold and relentlessly drives them southward.

7–23 October   The fleet continues to be lashed by storms and driven southward.  The Elizabeth abandons the expedition, heads for the Straits of Magellan, and begins the journey home.  The Golden Hind crew perseveres despite the dire conditions.

24–28 October   At modern day Horn Island, Drake is able to finally anchor and safely land.  He claims the land by naming it Elizabeth, the second time he used the name.  At this point, the crew has made the most significant discovery of their voyage.  While conventional wisdom dictated that the land south of the Straits of Magellan connected to a large continental landmass, they see it is actually a series of islands. Today the water mass between the two oceans is known as Drake’s Passage.

After 50 days of nearly continuously battering storms, the crew sets sail for the west coast of South America.  Drake is unaware of the fate of his two other ships.

7 September 1578   The expedition’s three remaining ships pass through the Strait of Magellan. Sight is lost of the Elizabeth when the ships are hammered by storms in the Pacific. She abandons the journey and returns to England.

8 September 1578   After entering the Pacific, the ships are blown southeast toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Marigold sinks with all 29 hands. Drake discovers open water to south of Strait of Magellan which is now known as Drake Passage.

25-26 November   Drake’s crew sends a detachment to gather water at Mocha Island, Chile.  Here the people mistake them for hated Spaniards and ambush the Englishmen.  Two men are killed before the detachment gains safety back aboard the Golden Hind.  Despite the admonitions to fire on the people, Drake declines.  He explains that islanders made an honest mistake.  He seeks a legacy better than the Spaniards.

5-8 December   Drake purloins a modest amount at treasure at Valparaiso, the first target of his raids against Spanish colonial assets in the Pacific.

18–19 December    While a watering detachment was ashore at La Herradura, Chile, a mixture of Spanish and indigenous people attack the men.  Richard Minivy is killed before Drake is able to affect a rescue.  From this point forward, Drake will temporarily impress Spanish pilots to avoid episodes such as this in the future.

December 19   While entering the narrow channel at Pájaros Rocks, Chile, the Golden Hind hits rocks and suffers damage.  The resulting leak will afflict the ship until she is fully repaired at New Albion.

About 22 December-19 January 1579   The arrival date at Madio Cove at Salada Bay, Chile, is uncertain.  The crew lingers while the Golden Hind is careened.  The crew catches copious amounts of fish at this abundant anchorage.