The voyage of the Granby

A shipment of sugar loaded in Lisbon and intended (most likely) for Genoa. The vessel departed from Lisbon in April 1721 with a cargo that included at least eleven chests of sugar. Around 19:00 on 24 April, the vessel sailed Cabo de Santa Maria on the southern coast of Portugal, steering between south?east and east/south?east. During the night, the ship encountered a heavy ocean swell combined with very little wind, which significantly reduced maneuverability, driving the ship aground about 03:00 on 25 April near Matalascañas. In an effort to refloat the vessel, the crew was forced to throw overboard various ship’s stores and to break open the water casks. When these measures proved insufficient, they jettisoned eleven chests of sugar to lighten the load. The vessel then made port in Gibraltar on 27 April where the master made a formal protest of damages.