1497 Voyage | Age of Exploration | Life on Board | Navigation | About John Cabot

1497 Voyage

What route did Cabot take?

Our evidence for his journey comes from three historical sources:

La Cosa's map

It suggests Cabot landed further south on the North American mainland than is generally accepted.

John Day's Letter

A letter written by a mysterious man known as John Day who seems to have been a double-agent. Day wrote a letter to Christopher Columbus. This letter suggests that Cabot went ashore on the Canadian mainland and then sailed in a north-easterly direction up the coastline before sailing past Newfoundland on the way home.

Soncino's Letter

A letter written by Raimondo Soncino to the Duke of Milan in Italy. This letter states that Cabot sailed passed Ireland, turned north, and, after a few days, headed west.

Whilst cruising off the Newfoundland shore, Cabot and his crew saw tall pine trees good enough to be used for ships' masts. They did not meet any people on the mainland, but they did find evidence where a fire had been made there.

Cabot's return journey took only 15 days before land was sighted at Brittany in France.