In this place contrary winds detained us till 10 o’clock in the morning of Saturday the 14th, when we weighed, and in half an hour the current set the ship towards Bachelor’s River:  We then put her in stays, and while she was coming about, which she was long in doing, we drove over a shoal where we had little more than sixteen feet water with rocky ground; so that our danger was very great, for the ship drew sixteen feet nine inches aft, and fifteen feet one inch forward:  As soon as the ship gathered way, we happily deepened into three fathom; within two cables’ length we had five, and in a very short time we got into deep water.  We continued plying to windward till four o’clock in the afternoon, and then finding that we had lost ground, we returned to our station, and again anchored in York Road.

Here we remained till five o’clock in the morning of the 17th, when we weighed, and towed out of the road.  At nine, though we had a fine breeze at west, the ship was carried with great violence by a current towards the south shore:  The boats were all towing a-head, and the sails asleep, yet we drove so close to the rock, that the oars of the boats were entangled in the weeds.  In this manner we were hurried along near three quarters of an hour, expecting every moment to be dashed to pieces against the cliff, from which we were seldom farther than a ship’s length, and very often not half so much.  We sounded on both sides, and found that next the shore we had from fourteen to twenty fathom, and on the other side of the ship no bottom:  As all our efforts were ineffectual, we resigned ourselves to our fate, and waited the event in a state of suspense very little different from despair.  At length, however, we opened Saint David’s Sound, and a current that rushed out of it set us into the mid-channel.  During all this time the Swallow was on the north shore, and consequently could know nothing of our danger till it was past.  We now sent the boats out to look for an anchoring-place; and at noon Cape Quod bore N.N.E. and Saint David’s head S.E.

About one o’clock the boats returned, having found an anchoring-place in a small bay, to which we gave the name of Butler’s Bay, it having been discovered by Mr Butler, one of the mates.  It lies to the west of Rider’s Bay on the south shore of the streight, which is here about two miles wide.  We ran in with the tide which set fast to the westward, and anchored in sixteen fathom water.  The extremes of the bay from W. by N. to N.1/2 W. are about a quarter of a mile asunder; a small rivulet, at the distance of somewhat less than two cables’ length, bore S.1/2 W. and Cape Quod N. at the distance of four miles.  At this time the Swallow was at anchor in Island Bay on the north shore, at about six miles distance.

I now sent all the boats out to sound round the ship and in the neighbouring bays; and they returned with an account that they could find no place fit to receive the ship, neither could any such place be found between Cape Quod and Cape Notch.