Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 179: Tracking
On April 1631, 4, three Spanish armed merchant ships flying the Burgundy Cross flag successively passed through a narrow strait (the Golden Gate Strait) and entered the San Francisco Bay. They then stopped at a sheltered cape, lowered their sails and anchored for a short rest.

A small boat was launched, and soon more than ten sailors rowed the boat towards the coast. In addition to replenishing fresh water, they also took the opportunity to explore the situation on the shore.

"I remember we came here two years ago?" Torres Manuel Fernandez, the first mate of the San Jose, couldn't help but remind the captain in a low voice when he saw him looking at the forested coast in the distance.

"I know," Captain Plutarco Elias Calles nodded and said, "I'm thinking this bay has a great location. It's long and narrow. If we could establish a fortress here, we could definitely control a large area of ​​the northern territory. Even if we can't find the pirates, just having such a stronghold would at least have a deterrent and warning effect."

"Captain, several years ago, someone proposed establishing an immigrant settlement in San Diego Bay, closer to Mexico, to serve as a shield for northern Mexico." Fernandez shook his head. "But we all know the final outcome: after some discussion, the idea was shelved, and no one mentioned it again."

Then, establishing a stronghold and building a fort farther away on the coast of San Francisco would be even less likely to be recognized by the colonial authorities.

Because it will cost more.

"Yes, establishing an immigration settlement and building a fort in San Diego Bay would cost a fortune," Captain Calles said with a wry smile. "And our colonial authorities are unable to spare the extra funds to support this plan, so they have to shelve it temporarily. ...Oh, shelving it is actually the same as giving up."

"In the eyes of those powerful figures, the north poses no threat. Even if a pirate group does exist, it wouldn't cause catastrophic damage to Mexico and Peru. The main reason they continually dispatch exploratory fleets north to investigate pirate hideouts is probably due to their pride and the need to uphold the honor of the Kingdom of Spain."

"Captain, do you think those pirates will pose a fatal threat to Mexico?"

"Haha, of course not." Captain Calles couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "They're just a bunch of pirates, their strength should be quite limited. Aside from sneaking around and looting some property and people, they wouldn't dare to confront us head-on. They're certainly not a lethal threat, but they're like a swarm of annoying flies, annoying and disgusting to us."

"The price we pay to get rid of these flies is often very high, which seems extremely disproportionate to us. I am just curious why this group of pirates did not stay away from us after the looting, but instead repeatedly provoked our Kingdom of Spain and constantly irritated our sensitive nerves."

"So, we must find them and send them all to the gallows!" Fernandez said hatefully, "Oh, these damn pirates are really like a group of annoying flies."

"Well, let's hope our luck is good this time," Captain Calles said. "We're going to cross the Columbia River, which we explored last year, and search as far north as possible."

"Captain..." Fernandez suddenly had an idea. "Do you think these pirates have called it a day and left America for somewhere else? We haven't heard any news about them since last year, and there haven't been any reports of attacks along the Pacific coast."

"..." Captain Calles was stunned when he heard this. After a moment, he smiled. "If things are really as you imagine, it might be good news for all of us. You know, this group of pirates is not simple and is quite threatening."

"Two years ago, they escaped unscathed from a siege by five armed ships, and even rammed and sank the Ocotal, tragically killing dozens. If our St. Vincent had been in that situation, it would most likely have been unscathed."

"That ship also has incredible speed and maneuverability. If any of our ships were to face it, we probably wouldn't stand a chance of success."

"Yes, if that pirate ship wants to escape our pursuit, it can easily get rid of us with its amazing speed." Captain Calles nodded and said, "So, if they really have established a stronghold and settled somewhere in the north, that would be the best. That way, we can gather a powerful fleet and attack their lair directly, solving this problem once and for all!"

"..." Fernandez's mouth twitched. This captain must be feeling very conflicted, right?
On the one hand, they hoped that these pirates would leave the Pacific coast of America and avoid encountering them, which would lead to fierce armed conflict and cause unnecessary losses.

On the other hand, he also hoped that the pirates would settle down somewhere and not move, waiting for us Spaniards to "turn" them out and finally catch them all in one fell swoop.

So, what is their situation?
-
The Spanish exploration fleet did not linger in St. Francis Bay for too long. After spending more than 20 days roughly searching the coastal areas of the bay, it left the area.

After leaving the strait, the fleet turned around and headed north.

On May 5, the fleet passed the mouth of the Columbia River, rested for a day, replenished fresh water, and then continued on its journey.

On May 5, the fleet arrived at a wide strait (now the Strait of Juan de Fuca) and without stopping, slowly sailed into it along the right coastline of the continent.

It was early summer at this time, but there were frequent strong winds in the strait and the tides were extremely complicated. Outside the capes and shallows near the coast, there were often broken waves caused by the meeting of tides from different directions, making it very difficult for ships to move forward not long after entering.

In order to explore this sea area more efficiently, after a brief discussion, Fleet Commander Calles divided the fleet into two again. He led the "San Jose" and "St. Vincent" to search the left bank, while the "Lady of Charcas" searched along the right bank.

The two parties agreed that regardless of whether the final exploration yielded any results, they would meet here one month later.

If one party missed the deadline, the next rendezvous point was designated at the mouth of the Columbia River.

"According to the information we have compiled, more than 30 years ago, our Viceroyalty of New Spain sent an expedition ship to the north to search for the northern passage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean." Fernandez reported to Captain Calles excitedly, holding the copied logbook in his hand.

"That expedition ship discovered a large gap in the American continent near 1 degrees north latitude. Well, the captain at the time, Juan de Fuca, believed that this area of ​​water was the legendary Yanian Strait (Note ), the entrance to the Northwest Passage. So, Captain, I believe that the large gap is most likely this sea area."

"Haha, so even if we can't find the pirates' location, we might still be able to discover the legendary Northwest Passage?"

"Yes, Captain," Fernandez said, "if we can enter the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean through this waterway, we will make a great geographical discovery."

"Okay, then let's try to find this waterway," Captain Calles said with a smile. "Of course, it would be best if we could find the pirates' hidden base along the way."

　Note 1: The Anian Strait is actually a "theoretical" strait included on early world maps. When world maps were first drawn, knowledge of the northern part of the American continent was very limited, so cartographers relied on imagination to create their maps. However, one world map included a strait between Asia and North America, connecting the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. This strait was also included on the famous Mercator world map published in the 1560s. We now know that such a strait does exist, but it is called the Bering Strait and was first discovered by the Russians. Later, when the "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu" (Complete Map of the World) compiled during the Ming Dynasty was introduced to Japan, the strait between Asia and North America was also labeled the Anian Strait.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)