The voyage of the San Nicolò di Barri e Santa Ferma

A shipment of various merchandise from Termini Imerse and Palermo for Genoa and Livorno. The vessel began its voyage from Termini Imerese on the evening of 12 January 1719, after loading 400 salme of grain bound for Genoa. Shortly after departure, the vessel encountered stormy winds, forcing it to divert to Palermo, where it arrived around 01:00 on 13 January and remained for eight days due to continued bad weather. On 21 January, with improved conditions, the ship resumed its voyage, taking on additional cargo in Palermo: six cases of manna, one bale of silk, one cask of pistachios, and three small packages of rabbit fur, the latter owned by Antonio Parodi of Genoa, who also boarded as a passenger. The ship made slow progress that day, covering only 35 km due to calm seas. On 22 January, the voyage continued slowly toward Ustica, and by that evening the vessel lay about 35 km north of the island. On the evening of 23 January, the weather deteriorated sharply: skies darkened with strong north/north-west winds, soon veering to violent east/north-east winds accompanied by torrential rain and hail. Facing increasingly stormy seas, te captain ordered the main sail and fore-trysail struck, but the situation worsened, prompting a formal consultation with crew and passengers around 19:00. They unanimously agreed to jettison cargo and equipment to save lives and the vessel. That night, the crew threw overboard approximately 120 salme of grain, along with various fittings and personal effects, including the galley stove, 1½ spars, two deck parapets, a hatch cover, bedding, a capstan bar, and 1½ water casks. In the early hours of 24 January, the fore-trysail was torn apart by the violent winds and the crew replaced it with the main topsail to maintain headway, and the captain estimated they were then about 185 km off the coast of Barbary near Bizerte. Later that morning, the wind shifted to south/south-east, allowing the vessel to steer toward Sardinia. At approximately 11:00 on 26 January, the crew sighted Capo Carbonara and continued sailing northward. On 28 January, the vessel anchored at Tavolara, where it found calm conditions and temporary shelter. The voyage resumed in fair weather, and on the evening of 2 February, the vessel safely reached Bastia. The next day, on 3 February, the captain and witnesses appeared before the governor of Corsica to give formal testimony for damages.