Drake Navigators Guild


The Drake Navigators Guild is the historical research group which has used multi-disciplinary methods to research Francis Drake’s visit to the west coast of North America in 1579 and related maritime explorations. Founded in 1949, the Guild’s research supports the long-standing conclusion that Drake’s “Nova Albion” is at Drakes Bay, California. The Guild's efforts build on the research of Professor George Davidson and others who have studied Drake's voyage. The Guild’s research has identified the specific careening site at Drake’s Cove within the Bay.

Founding

The Drake Navigators Guild began as an informal group of historians and mariners in 1949. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1954.

Officers

, Honorary Chairman
Robert D. Marshall, President
Adolph S. Oko, Jr., President
Raymond Aker, President
Edward Von der Porten, President
Steve Wright

Multi-disciplinary research

The Guild supports involving experts in all applicable disciplines who can help understand Drake's travels and landing sites. These include archaeology, botany, cartography, Chinese porcelains, ethnography, geology, hydrography, marine biology, marine expeditions, museology, Native American studies, nautical history, navigation, seamanship, ship construction, and zoology.

Archaeology

Following up on early archaeological work, the Guild conducted independent archaeological investigations of the Drakes Bay region from 1951 to 1961. Under the auspices of Santa Rosa Junior College, the Guild conducted archaeological excavations from 1961 into the 1980s. "It was recognized that it might yield corroborative evidence" related to Drake's landing site.

Biology

Biological references are included in the historical record. The Guild has investigated the mammals reported. These include the strange kind of Conies with the tail of a Rat, being of great length leading to its identification as the Botta Pocket Gopher and the elk.

Botany

The records of Drake's California landing include botanical references. These have been evaluated by the Guild, including the identification of the "Herbe Much Like Our Letcuce."

Cartography

The cartographic evidence related to Drake's landing have been evaluated in depth by the Guild. These include the Jodocus Hondius map and
the many more maps showing Drakes Bay.

Chinese ceramics

The Guild's extensive work on the porcelains of Drake and Cermeño along with those of other cargos from across the globe have firmly established that two different cargoes have been found at Drakes Bay native American sites.

Geology

The geology of the Pacific coast has been investigated by the Guild and its collaborators. The north-Pacific coast is dominated by the volcanic basalts and hardened sedimentary rock that produce sea mounts and other dangerous rocks. Moving south, a mariner finds a very different geology in Marin County, CA where the San Andreas fault has moved the white cliffs north 300 miles over one hundred million years.

Hydrography

The sands at Drake's Cove and the general hydrographic nature of the Pacific coast have been investigated by the Guild and its collaborators. The levels of the sea have not changed significantly since Drake's visit. The sand spit shown on the Hondius Broadside map have been evaluated and found to have a cyclical nature – which has been shown by the reappearance of the sand spit in 1952 and 2001.

Identification of the location of Drake's Cove

The Guild recognizes Matthew Dillingham's photographic work on November 22, 1952 as the key break which allowed the identification of the specific Drake landing site.

Marine expeditions

The Guild has sponsored or co-sponsored several ocean studies of the Drakes Bay site. Since the discovery of Drake's landing site was by sea, it is critical to evaluate the landing site the way Drake and his crew saw it. One 1970s visit was aboard the USS Wiltsie. The most recent expedition was co-sponsored by the Point Reyes National Seashore Association, Mother Lode Musical Theatre and the Guild on September 11, 2009.

Navigation

Drake traveled 1,500 miles north from Guatulco, Mexico seeking the Strait of Anian. Encountering bad weather, Drake headed east, finding land at Coos Bay, Oregon on June 5, 1579. The Guild has investigated the site. It took Drake 15 days to travel the 400 miles south to Nova Albion. The Guild has evaluated the navigation of this leg of his voyage.

Other investigations

The Guild has led or participated in the research on several other Drake-related matters including Drake's First Landfall, the Plate of Brass, "Drake's Cup," and Cermeño's 1595 wreck at Drake's Bay.

Drake's first landfall

The Guild has researched and identified Drake's North American landfall at Coos Bay, Oregon. The site was recognized as an Oregon landmark by the Oregon Historical Society and Oregon State Parks in 1977: it also recognizes that Drake later spent five weeks in California.

Drake's Plate of Brass

is described in contemporary accounts of Drake's California visit. The plate found in 1936 was accepted as authentic until 1977 when studies showed that it is a modern forgery. Research by the Guild identified the likely source of the forged plate.

“Drake’s Cup”

The so-called “Drake’s Cup” is a bronze mortar with the date 1570 inscribed in it. The mortar hung in a Marin County, California church for many years and was called “Drake’s Cup” for decades. In the early 1970s, the mortar was researched extensively by the Guild. While the mortar is an authentic sixteenth century item from Europe, no provenance associating it with Drake's California visit can be established.

Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeño

The Guild has also researched Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeño's anchorage and subsequent wreck in Drakes Bay in 1595. The Guild has been a cooperating group with the San Agustin Institute of Marine Archaeology.

Collaborators