Failed Dreams

I feel as though my life is wasting away before my very eyes. I was born somewhere between 1480 and 1485, and here I am, older then twenty years old , and already I have failed dreams. Though I was born to an established family and received an education that would rival some of the greatest geniuses of these times, my hopes of finding fame and fortune abroad have diminished greatly. Living near Florence, as I have since I was born, is fine, but I feel restless. I want to see the world, and discover new places. I especially yearn to see the New World and explore there, but how shall I do this?

Fulfilling my dreams

I know how I can fulfill my new dreams! I will become a sailor! Traveling before trying to succeed was always a pleasure; I loved the salty spray on my face, the crashing of the waves, and the work to be done on the ship. I never noticed it before, but these things did give me such great pleasure. And, I could see the world and explore new places; all with the possibility of become a well recognized explorer, of whom people will speak about for centuries! It is a perfect plan! Now, all that I must do is find funding and a crew. That will take a while, but I’m sure the wait will be worth it. Watch out, New World… You will not forget Giovanni da Verrazano any time soon!

I wish...

Italy is such a dull place, I wish that I could sail the sea and see the world, but what would an Italian boy do? In Italy, they already have enough sailors, they have no need for more, and the pay would not be sufficient. I have heard of men sailing for countries other than their homes, but which country would take me, the Italian boy who’s only sailing experience is just sailing on the open seas? Who will choose me? I have heard talk of Francis I from France about an expedition to the New World, and it is rumored that he has already chosen Antonio Gondi to finance the expedition, but has yet chosen a captain to lead the voyage to plant the French flag on the New World. Oh, if only that captain could be me!

Accomplishments

Just recently, I was on an expedition of privateers in the service of France. I captured two of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés's ships, of the galleon design. I really do hope that King Francis will hear of my accomplishments. Maybe then he will consider me to be the captain for this journey. Oh, what an achievement that would be! The news had just hit Europe about Ferdinand Magellan's route around the tip of South America to the Far East. I do hope that the king isn’t to impressed by that and chooses him instead of me. Well, I shall see where this ends up. All I know is that if I was chosen, I would rejoice with happiness.

An unexpected storm

I was recently summoned by King Francis to undergo a journey westward across the Atlantic Ocean in the hope of finding a sea passage through the Americas to Asia. A while back, I was sailing from Dieppe, being the captain of four ships. There was an unexpected storm that delayed my voyage. Luckily, I was able to set off on the adventure again a little while back. Right now, I am retrying the voyage. Now I only have one ship, The Dauphine, and I have a crew of 50 men. Much smaller than my last. Just the other day, there was another unexpected storm. My crew and I ended up extremely off-course, landing somewhere on the North American coast. I wonder what is in store for me next.

Native Indians

After my unforeseen landing, I came in contact with native Indians. They were very friendly. After I was finished communicating with them, I went back on my way. I headed southward in hope of finding a passage to the Pacific Ocean. The whole way, I feared coming close to the Spanish to the south, which caused me to think that it would be safer to turn northward. If I came in contact with the Spanish, there would be some trouble. I was praying that I would find this passage soon so I could be done and safe. Then, I was almost positive that I found the Western Ocean!

Block Island

Since I’ve written last, I have reached and anchored in The Narrows, a harbor point along the Hudson River. From this port, I explored the lower Hudson in a small boat. I made contact with more Indians along the way. My crew and I remained in this bay for two weeks until heading north up the coast. After I was sailing for a bit, I reached Block Island. A native Indian gave me assistance and guided me and my men towards the Narragansett Bay. During my exploration of this bay, I made a landing. I then headed up the coast, where I found a spot to trade with the Abenaki Indians. I do hope that good things are to come from all of my exploration.