THE LANDING SITES
The Cove
Drake was 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. Captains of sailing vessels knew the perils of running aground in uncharted waters. Doing so could result in the loss of their ship and perhaps the lives of their crew.
Drake spotted a secluded cove ten miles north of the mouth of the Bay along the San Quentin Peninsula.
"The Cove" was not visible from the mouth of the Bay, and he knew that the Spanish were unlikely to continue their pursuit beyond the mouth of the Bay due to the potential consequences.
After maneuvering slowly northward with all four ships, he arrived at his destination. There, they offloaded the cargo and set up camp. He had the Miwok build the breakwater in the cove to help conceal his ship.
Several Inca artifacts were discovered at The Cove and are shown immediately below. These included a jade carving, an Ica stone, and a conglomerate Stone tool bearing the image of the Inca with an elongated head. Elongation of the skull was a practice reserved for Inca royalty.
Jade Carving
Ica Stone with Image of an Alien
Full View of the Conglomerate Stone Tool
Close-up of the earring on the conglomerate tool
Compare Nazca Peru Glyph #18 (left) to the earring shown immediately above... THEY ARE IDENTICAL!
The Corte Madera and San Rafael Marsh Areas
Adjacent to "The Cove" is the Corte Madera Marsh. Drake realized 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 and to construct crude carts that they needed 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.
Google Earth Image The Tallowing Site
Note the arrow that Drake had the Miwok build on the Marsh. This arrow was intended to fool the Spanish and lead them away from Nova Albion!
Historical Sketch Tallowing The Golden Hinde
The bay floor at the exact spot shown in the historical sketch above during an extreme low-tide.
Spikes that remained from the repairs made to the Golden Hinde during the tallowing process were found on the bay floor at this extreme low tide.
Close-up of one of the spikes recovered. Note that it is identical to those shown to the right of the Golden Hinde in the Historical Sketch.
Locating "The Lost Harbor"
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
After the Golden Hinde 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 and the water was deep enough to keep his ship afloat at low tide!
Close-Up of the San Rafael Marsh on an 1880s Map of San Francisco Bay. This is the location calculated to be The Lost Harbor.
The Marsh was Reclaimed/Developed and The Lost Harbor was located where Portsmouth Cove (red star) is today
The Hillside
The crudely constructed carts moved along trails on the tidal marsh's lowest edges. 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 picture on the Location and Coordinates of Nova Albion page), the 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 and broken alabaster stone relief taken from an Aztec temple became the first artifact discovered along trails leading up the Hillside to the Treasure Site.
This find motivated me to intensify my search for the treasure.
View from the San Rafael Marsh to "The Treasure Site"
