mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-049

– 99 –

At about nine o'clock, we reached the entrance of the bay,
but finding it clogged with ice could not enter. Hoping that
during the night the ice would be carried out with the current,
we lay to until morning, but we were deceived; the ice remained
as before, and we were obliged to go on because of lack of
time.

A course taken toward the west end of St. Lawrence Island
brought us in sight of this island on the 11th. On that day
Captain Vasilev, ordered our captain by telegraph to continue
surveying the island and to join him later at Unalashka. The
sloop "Discovery" departed for exploration of the American
shore between Norton Sound and Bristol Bay. Following that
direction, it soon disappeared from our sight. Because it
was too late that day to start surveying, we tacked and withdrew
farther from the shore for the night where we hove to
under least sail.

The night was very dark. We lay close-hauled on a port
tack having only the reefed topsails, foresails, staysails,
and mizzens. According to our calculations we were more to
the north, almost opposite the middle of the strait between
the island and the continent of Asia; therefore, a tack to
starboard was proposed only at midnight. At about 11 o'clock
the boatswain on watch came from the forecastle to report that
from leeward the sound of breakers was heard. The lieutenant
on duty, knowing that we were more than 30 miles from both
shores at eight o'clock, and having no more than three knots
speed--in three hours we made only nine miles--did not want