Description of Island III
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Size
Before arriving at Island III, Columbus wrote that the island "may be"
28 leagues in length. After arriving at the island (but before actually
exploring any of it) Columbus wrote that "I have seen quite 20 leagues
of it and it does not end there."
Coastlines and the Movements of Columbus
The first coastline Columbus saw at Island III ran NNW-SSE. He sailed
NNW along this coast until he came to a harbor (see below). He says
that the harbor is two leagues from the end of the island, but he does
not say from which end. When he left the harbor, his course along the
island changed to NW. At some point thereafter, Columbus came to a
coast that ran east-west. This is as far northward as he explored; at
sunset on the night of October 17th, Columbus turned ESE under bad
weather. The following morning, he continued trying to circumnavigate
the island to the southward. He anchored that night at an unspecified
place, but did not go ashore.
The Harbor
Columbus saw a "marvelous" harbor two leagues from the end of Island
III, "with one entrance, or you might say two, because there is an
isleo [small island] in its mouth. And both entrances are very narrow."
Columbus at first thought the harbor was a river mouth, and sent boats
into the harbor to look for fresh water. The harbor was not a river,
and turned out to be too shallow to be very useful as a port.
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