The voyage of the Gesù, Maria, Giuseppe, Santa Anna

A shipment varied cargo that included barrels from Alicante, bales of leather, Provençal almonds, green fish, damasks, sails, ropes, wine, Spanish doubloons, and personal goods loaded in Marseille and intended for Nice and Genoa. The vessel departed Marseille on the evening of 27 October 1719 with eleven crew and four passengers and on 28 October it was forced to anchor offshore around midday due to contrary winds, where it remained until around 22:00 when conditions improved slightly. The following afternoon, on 29 October, the vessel reached Nice, where fifty bales of salted cod and additional goods, including bundles of wool, pewter, copper, and a passenger’s trunk, were unloaded. Departing Nice that evening, the vessel again faced headwinds and lack of fresh water, prompting a stop at Villefranche-sur-Mer, where it remained anchored until 1 November. That day, three men and a woman boarded with household goods and foodstuffs, and the vessel continued on to Monaco to pay customs duties before setting course for Genoa. The vessel then encountered a storm with heavy rains and strong south winds in the early hours of 3–4 November so the vessel anchored offshore to wait out the storm. The rain and stormy seas grew increasingly perilous throughout the night, soaking the crew and making it impossible to hoist the lateen yards, leading to fears that the vessel might founder or be destroyed against the rocks during the night. The patron decided to beach the vessel near the fortress of Castel Franco at Finale, seeking help from local residents to preserve the ship and salvage the cargo.