The Northeast Passage #2

Journal 2: The Northeast Passage

- After three months I was ready to sail again, in the same ship, for the same company.
- This time I went looking for a Northeast Passage.
- I was employed by the Russia Company (also called the Muscovy Company).
- Dr. John Dee convinced me that heir is a sea passage, along with Sebastian Cabot, the founding governor of the Muscovy Company.
- I had been eight months since my last voyage.
- I sailed as a captain of the Hopewell, for the Muscovy Company before as well.
- This time the ship was strengthened with extra planks to help it make its way through icy waters.
- We also had Robert Juet aboard as the master seaman.
- This time we had a crew of 14 plus my son John.
- April
- 22: We left St. Katherine’s Docks, on the Thames, London, but Robert Juet started to get on your nerves.

- May
- We sailed northeast for a month, rounding the northern tip of Norway in late May, and then went on into the Barents Sea, but the only problem was that the ship’s carpenter fell ill.

- June
- 3: I sighted the North Cape at 71 degree N, and we also encountered ice, but were able to evade it.
- 8: I noted that the color of the sea changed near ice.
- 15: Thomas and Robert saw a mermaid at 75 degree 7 minutes N.
- 18: We reached the ice barrier to the port side.
- 22: At 74 degree 35 minutes N we sailed southeast, as we were surrounded by ice.
- 26: I sighted land at 72 degree 25 minutes N, which was 12-15 miles away.
- 27: We reached the islands of Novaya Zemlya, north of Russia but weren’t able to go further north because of the ice.
- 30: I sent some of my men to explore the land.


- July
- 1: The ice was nearing the ship, and then I ordered some of the crew to explore the sound and a river at the head of the bay.
- 2: I spotted a river while on the island, and decided to explore it.
- 4: I sailed 15-18 miles upriver but the water became too shallow to continue to about six feet, thus i sent Juet and five others in a boat to explore the river.
- 5: My crew returned after travelling another 18-24 miles upstream, saying it became too shallow to go further.
- 6: Then I ordered to set sail west and southwest, thus heading back where we came from.
- 11: I again noticed a green sea, which was pestered with ice.
- 26: The crew had to burn lights again at night because the midnight sun is no longer with them.
- 30: We were at Lofoten Islands, north of Norway.

- August
- 7: I had planed not to go home to England, the crew was at a near-munity, but I agreed with them.
- 26: Our ship returned to Gravesend, England, and because of my failure the English lost interest in this goal, But I got hired by the Dutch for a third voyage.










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