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Sarasota News Leader April 12, 2013 by sailing extremely close to shore, that the current could be avoided. This was a counterintuitive strategy for fragile wooden boats and thus one indication Aliminos knew what he was doing. Page 75 the island "Matanzas," the Spanish word for "slaughter." After nine days in the area, Ponce decided to return home. On the way, he came upon Las Tortugas (now called the Dry Tortugas, islands west of the Marquesses), which he named for the turtles he found there. After a brief passage due south, Ponce hugged the Cuban coastline and made for Puerto Rico. On April 2, Ponce anchored and went ashore at an undetermined point, probably in search of firewood and fresh water and to satisfy his curiosity about this new land. In landing, Ponce became the first European to set foot officially on North American soil. Aliminos made several very important disPonce's arrival was met with an attack of ar- coveries on this journey. He sketched a rough rows tipped with fish bone. Two Spaniards outline of the peninsula from Cape Canaveral were wounded. They captured one assailant to Sanibel; he found the furious Gulf Stream and sailed away. This was the first of many and escaped its grip by sailing extremely close skirmishes between the Spanish and the orig- to shore; and he confirmed the Florida Keys were not part of the mainland and avoided inal Floridians. (and probably noted) the treacherous reefs. Ponce's fleet continued to hug the shoreline to avoid the current, sailing south along the Additionally, he used the wide channel becoast and into Biscayne Bay (where a large tween the Marquessas and Tortugas to make a native town was noted), then further south passage from the Straits of Florida to the westand westward around the Florida Keys. Go- ern coast of the peninsula, then discovered a ing beyond the Marquesas (the islands west of good anchorage at San Carlos Bay. Heading Key West) — while staying clear of the treachhome, he located the Dry Tortugas (and the erous reefs — the little fleet then turned north. shallow banks which surround them). It was as if Aliminos had a chart, so exact was his navigation. After six months of exploration, the fleet returned to Puerto Rico. No ships were lost, Ponce's expedition is believed to have made landfall on San Carlos Bay at the mouth the and there is no record of anybody running Caloosahatchee River; the fleet anchored off aground. This is a stark contrast to other Spanthe southeastern tip of Sanibel Island. Calu- ish voyages of exploration during the same sas attacked the ships from canoes and cata- period, when ships commonly ran aground or marans, killing one European. Ponce named were lost. %