In September, after leaving Grenada, Amerigo's fleet went north along the Windward Islands, westward on Barbuda, and soon reached the Bahamas recorded by Columbus.
The subsequent voyage was relatively smooth, because there was a warm Gulf Stream on the east coast of North America, pushing the fleet all the way north. By the end of November, the fleet had arrived in Long Island, New York. After that, Amerigo continued to command the fleet to the northeast, and soon discovered Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard Island.
The reason why it went so smoothly is that Marin gave New York's latitude of 40 degrees and 43 minutes north latitude, and the longitude also gave an approximate value.
The exact longitude was not given because Marin did not follow the calculation method of Greenwich at 0 degrees, but also gave an approximate distance.
And New York is by the sea, and Marin also drew the outline of Long Island, New York. Therefore, Amerigo arrived in Long Island, New York very easily. Then, continue northeast and soon arrive at Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
After arriving at the two small islands, Amerigo did not land rashly. Because Marin once mentioned that the Indians in the Northern Wilderness (North American continent) are more fierce. Before, he was in Grenada, and he also saw the fierce side of the Indians. For example, if the Arawaks were defeated, their men would be killed by the invading Caribs, and even eaten as food.
Therefore, Amerigo is also worried that there are cannibal Indians on the two small islands. If you enter the jungle rashly, you will be easily killed by the opponent.
Therefore, Amerigo first took the fleet to the freshwater estuary on the land to replenish fresh water. Then, come back and start turning around the two small islands. While circling, Amerigo began to observe the two small islands with a telescope.
A few days later, Amerigo finally determined that there were no Indians living in Nantucket Island because it was far from the land. Because the Indians used canoes and could only land on some islands close to the land.
Because Martha's Vineyard is closer to the land, there are traces of Indian activities on the island. However, Amerigo found that Martha's Vineyard only had a row of thatched houses on a bay in the north. However, there was no one in the thatched hut.
Therefore, Amerigo concluded that this was a seasonal residence of Indian fishermen. Probably, in the spring and summer fishing seasons, there will be fishermen on the mainland landing on the island and using it as a harbor and base for fishing. But now it is the end of November, it is already winter, and those fishermen probably have returned to land for the winter.
After making a judgment, Amerigo carefully took 30 sailors with strong combat effectiveness, put on armor, and landed on Martha's Vineyard.
After more than a day of searching, no other Indian villages were found. Of course, they only searched the area to the north of the island. After all, they didn't bring horses.
Then, Amerigo took people to search Nantucket Island, but found no traces of human activities. Moreover, on the north side of Nantucket Island, there is a very good harbor, which is suitable as a port. Because this port is semi-closed, it is a very good safe haven.
Moreover, Amerigo believes that this island is not disturbed by Indians, so it is more suitable as a frontier base for colonization. As for Martha's Vineyard, because it is too close to the mainland, Indians can easily kill the island even by canoe.
Not only that, Nantucket Island is also big enough, and there are many animal and plant resources on the island, which is completely enough to support the lives of many people. While the fleet was cruising around the island, Amerigo also found that various fish frequently jumped out of the sea in the waters around the island. Obviously, the fishery resources here are very rich.
In addition, the island has fresh water resources. During the inspection on the island, Amerigo discovered that the western half of the island is rich in fresh water resources, and the terrain is flat, which is very suitable for farming. The terrain in the eastern region is a bit rough, but it is no problem to open up pastures.
Of course, before the reclamation, towering trees grew everywhere on the island, and many of them were oak trees suitable for shipbuilding. Others are cedar and pine. In short, if you build a colony on the island, there is absolutely no shortage of wood.
Likewise, on Martha's Vineyard, there are countless trees that could be felled. In short, in terms of timber, the two small islands are extremely rich in timber resources. Moreover, these trees grow extremely tall. Obviously, most of their trees are hundreds of years old...
Amerigo made a detailed survey on the two small islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, much more carefully than Grenada.
After all, Grenada is a tropical island. Although Marin has repeatedly assured that there are no poisonous insects on Grenada Island, Amerigo does not believe it. Because Marin himself has never been there. And Amerigo, as a navigator, knows that there are many poisonous snakes and poisonous insects on the tropical islands. Therefore, he did not dare to venture deep into the depths of Grenada Island.
But on the twin islands of North America, the situation is different. This is a temperate zone. Moreover, because it is winter, even if there are poisonous snakes and insects, they all hibernate. That's why Amerigo dared to explore everywhere.
After exploring the two islands in North America for about 10 days, Amerigo came to the conclusion that Nantucket Island is more suitable as the first stop for colonizing the North Wilderness (North America).
Even, a shipbuilding base can be established on Nantucket Island. Because, Nantucket Island is not small, and Bissel Island is much larger. With so much wood on the island, it seems that after drying enough, many boats can be made.
As a navigator, Amerigo was sensitive to the oak used in shipbuilding. On Nantucket Island, he saw hundreds of huge old oak trees with a height of more than 30 meters, which are very suitable as keels for ships. Other pine and fir can also be used to make masts, decks and other parts.
However, although these oak materials are very rich, the wood that can be used for shipbuilding needs to be cut down and then dried for one or two years before it is suitable for building ships. Therefore, in a short period of time, it is impossible to build ships on the island.
However, Amerigo knew that Marin was determined to colonize the Northern Wilderness. So, he didn't worry about the time issue. Because, in the future, Marin will definitely establish a permanent settlement on the island, and there is plenty of time to wait for the felled oak to dry.
Moreover, now Amerigo also believes in Marin's judgment. From the tree resources on the two small islands, he could infer that there would be many, many old oak trees suitable for shipbuilding on the Northern Wilderness Continent.
Just like on Nantucket Island, he found hundreds of old oak trees that are hundreds of years old. Such oak trees, in Europe, belong to the strategic resources of kings and nobles, and if sold, the price is very high.
Therefore, in terms of oak resources alone, it is not a loss to colonize the Northern Wilderness Continent. Amerigo also agrees with Marin's plan to build a shipyard here.
After all, it is too troublesome to transport those extra-large timbers with a length of more than 30 meters back to Europe. It is better to open a shipyard on the spot and build ships locally. After the ship is built, it can be directly driven back to Europe for use.
Before leaving, Amerigo recorded the coordinates of the two islands in detail for reference next time. Then, he began to sail, and according to the secret outline map given by Marin, he began to sail northeast, ready to return to Europe...