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THE LANDING SITES
The Cove
Drake was constantly being pursued by the Spanish Navy. When he entered the mouth of San Francisco Bay he was looking for a safe place to make repairs to the Golden Hinde before the long voyage across the Pacific Ocean. He located a secluded cove along the San Quentin Peninsula where he moored his ship, offloaded the cargo and set-up camp. He had the Miwok build the breakwater to help conceal and protect his ship. Captains of sailing vessels were aware that running aground in uncharted waters was an extremely risky maneuver and to do so could result in the loss of their ships and perhaps the lives of their crew. Since "The Cove" was not visible from the mouth of San Francisco Bay, Drake knew that the Spanish were unlikely to take such a chance. Several Inca artifacts were discovered at The Cove and a shown immediately below. These included a jade carving, an Ica stone and a conglomerate Stone tool bearing the image of the Inca Queen Nefertiti.
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Jade Carving
Ica Stone with Image of an Alien
Full View of the Conglomerate Stone Tool
Close-up of earring on conglomerate tool
Compare Nazca Peru Glyph #18 (left) to the design on the earlobe of the stone image of Nefertiti immediately above... THEY ARE IDENTICAL!
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The Corte Madera and San Rafael Marsh Areas
Adjacent to "The Cove" is the Corte Madera Marsh. Drake knew that if he attempted to sail across the Pacific with four ships, their profile would be easily visible from a great distance. The ships would have to be unloaded and the cargo sorted so that the most valuable items could fit in one ship for the remainder of the journey. The Golden Hinde was unloaded where it was moored and the other three ships were sent to sites on the Corte Madera and San Rafael Marsh where they were unloaded and disassembled. The parts from those ships were used to make repairs to the Golden Hinde and to construct crude carts that were required to move the cargo. When California became a State in the 1850's it was noted that many "wheelbarrows" were found at San Quentin!
The Corte Madera Marsh Area
The San Rafael Marsh Area
Carts similar to this image in the 1556 book Rue de Metallica
were made from parts taken from the disassembled ships.
Spanish Galleon Decking Nails
Several Spanish Galleon Decking Nails were discovered along the paths leading to/from The Corte Madera Marsh and The San Rafael Marsh where the ships were disassembled. Below is a photo of a 16th Century Spanish Nail discovered in North Carolina in 1994 and two of the nails discovered here!
Google Earth Image The Tallowing Site
Historical Sketch Tallowing The Golden Hind
The bay floor at the Tallowing Site during an
extreme low-tide.
Photo above (left) shows a close-up of one of the spikes recovered. Note that it is identical to those shown to the right of the Golden Hind in the Historical Sketch.
Locating "The Lost Harbor"
After the Golden Hind was repaired at "The Tallowing Site" it was moved to "The Lost Harbor" where it was moored and reloaded for the journey across the Pacific Ocean. "The Lost Harbor" was adjacent to the San Rafael Marsh where the water was deep enough to keep a ship afloat at low tide! The exact location was determined by taking the northernmost latitude reached and reported in "The World Encompassed" (38 degrees 30 minutes) and deducting Drake's constant number ...72.
38.30 -.72 = 37.58
Close-Up of San Rafael Marsh Calculated to be the
Location of The Lost Harbor
1880s Map of San Francisco Bay showing
Marsh area leading to/from The Lost Harbor
The Marsh was Reclaimed/Developed and The Lost Harbor
was located where Portsmouth Cove (red star) is today
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The Hillside
Crudely constructed carts moved along trails located on the lowest edges of the tidal marsh. In this manner, they would not be easily visible from a distance if a Spanish ship entered the bay in pursuit of Drake. Three separate trails were used for carts moving to/from The Cove, The Corte Madera Marsh and the San Rafael Marsh. When filled carts arrived at the base of The Hillside (indicated as Drake's Rock in the aerial photo above) cargo was sorted and reloaded into the carts going uphill to "The Treasure Site" or back to the Golden Hinde now moored at "The Lost Harbor". During the winter of 2000-2001 a weather-worn alabaster stone relief of an Aztec warrior became the first artifact discovered along one of the trails leading up "The Hillside" to "The Treasure Site" and was a prime motivation for continuing the search for the treasure.
View from the San Rafael Marsh to "The Treasure Site"
and the broken Aztec Stone Relief located on The Hillside.
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