The voyage of the Nostra Signora de Belvidere y Sant Juan Baptista

A shipment of mixed cargo that included 140 dozen linen bolts, 68 bundles of flax thread, a half-milliar of esparto, 60 arrobas of anise seed, crates of books, and a barrel of tar, loaded in Barcelona and Alicante and destined for Genoa. The vessel loaded in Barcelona first and then Alicante, where it departed on 20 October 1718 with fair weather. After approximately eight days at sea, and nearing the coast of Sardinia, the crew sought shelter, anticipating worsening conditions. On 29 October, a powerful gale from the north-west struck while the ship was off Port Agra, making entry to the nearly port of Alghero impossible. Forced to anchor offshore at Capo Galera, the crew cut the bower anchor as the sea continued to build dangerously, and ran north toward Porto Conte, where they anchored mid-bay using all remaining anchors and lines. But around midnight a cross-wind from the north-east (greco) intensified the stormy seas, and anchor cable parted and another was torn loose by the force of the sea, and as the barca swung broadside, the crew abandoned ship in the skiff and reached shore. The next day the vessel was found wrecked and shattered against the shoals. Among the losses were one anchor left behind and another destroyed, two large hawsers broken, one gaff-topsail yard cut away, and substantial water damage to about 10 quintals of anise and parts of the book shipment. The hull and skiff were later sold on the beach, while the salvageable cargo—including the linens, flax, and esparto—was delivered to the local Genoese factor Marchese Vivaldi.