On the night of October 25, Columbus anchored five leagues off the southern part of the Islas de Arena, where the water was still shallow enough for an anchor cable. (This is one of the reasons that we know that the Islas de Arena must have been the modern Ragged Islands: there is a bank of shallow water extending south from there for twenty miles or so. This feature is today called the Columbus Bank.)
The final important navigational clue in the log occurs on November 20, when Columbus has sailed north from the Cuban coast. He is apprehensive of sailing further, he says, because he is approaching the island of Isabela (Island IV), which he says is only 8 leagues from San Salvador (Island I).
| Previous clue | Next
clue |
Return to the landfall clues page.