The voyage of the ---

A shipment of a mixed cargo of bales of tobacco, cotton, wool, leather, hemp, as well as pine nuts, peas, and various other goods consigned by Livornese merchants to their correspondents in Genoa. The vessel departed Livorno on 5 November 1718 and reached Lerici the next day in rainy weather. Proceeding along the Ligurian coast, it arrived at Sestri  Levante in similarly poor conditions and, about three days later, stopped at Portofino. On 10 November, the vessel left Portofino in company with other vessels bound for Genoa, but that night the weather worsened drastically. Strong north/north-east winds intensified, creating rough seas and making it impossible to reach land. The crew attempted to anchor for safety by lowering the mainsail, but the storm grew so violent that it tore away the foremast sail, damaged part of the mainsail, broke the foremast yard. A barrel of wine and an additional part of the sail system were also damaged. The vessel held its anchor through the night, but the hawser snapped under the strain of the winds, and the anchor was lost. Seawater entered the hold throughout the night, and the crew bailed continuously, though waves continued washing over the deck. By the morning of 11 November, the vessel had drifted as far west as Capo Mele, about 45 km from their intended route, and the crew followed the coast in search of safe harbor. On 12 November, the vessel reached Monaco, the first suitable port encountered, where the captain appeared before the local podestà, Giacomo Antonio Milo, to record his testimony and request official verification of the events and damages suffered.