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[Paddy54]

First I like to thank all of you who enjoyed this post. I like to thank "Regandon" for the nomination. I feel now that I need to finish this story because I received so many good comps. on it . I hope you will enjoy.

The first mention of the Johanna going to the far east was in 1673 when under Capt. Bendall she sailed to St. Helena and Bantam in the spice islands.She made another trip to the east in 1679 traveling to Surat before her last fateful voyage.
This voyage was the first for Capt. Robert Brown when he left the Downs,east Kent and sheltered by the Goodwin Sands on the 24 th February 1682. She was destined to Surat on the west coast of India where the Englishheld a shaky alliance with the Dutch to trade jointly after the
portugues were ousted by the English in 1612.

The Johanna left the Downs in the accompany of four other English ships, the Williamson, Nathaniel, Welvaart, and Samson, alll except for the Johannawere bound for Bengal.

The Johanna and the Welvaart approached the southern most tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas in the early hours of the morning on the 29 th May1682.There was a shift of the wind from south east to eastsouth east and there were heavy cross winds.

The Johanna changed course slightly and ran into one of the most dangerous areas of the South African coast. She struck hard and fast and almost immediately started breaking up. The welvaart also nearly met her fate yhat night but was able to throw anchor and wait the few hours till morning and escape the jaws of the rocky S.A. coast. The Welvaart did not sto[p and attemp to save the crew of the Johanna.

It was hopeless situation for the Johanna. She was virtually surrounded by jaggered reefs and she was breaking up fast. The crew were able to make rafts and slowly crossed the one dilometer stretch of water to shore. Ten did not make it.

The survivors, totally destitute started the long trek west wards to Cape town castle. They were shown the way and helped along by friendly natives,who accordind to the English statement had not helped, the English would have certainly persihed.