Sutil (ship)

Sutil (right, leading) and Mexicana (left, following) during the 1792 voyage around Vancouver Island, drawn by José Cardero. Galiano's pennant flies from the mainmast of Sutil. Mexicana is spilling the wind from her sails to slow the ship. Mount Baker is in the background.[1]
History
Spain
Name	Sutil
Ordered	1791
Builder	Manuel Bastarrachea, San Blas shipyard, New Spain
Cost	8,967 pesos (1791)[2]
Laid down	23 September 1791
Launched	8 March 1792
General characteristics
Type	goleta (schooner, rigged as a brig)
Tons burthen	33 toneladas
Length	14 m (46 ft)
Beam	3.69 m (12.1 ft)
Draft	1.58 m (5.2 ft) forward 1.72 m (5.6 ft) aft[3]
Depth of hold	2.32 m (7.6 ft)
Propulsion	Sails, oars
Sail plan	Brig rigged on two masts; main and fore courses, topsails, topgallants, staysails, studding sails; spanker, jib, and flying jib
Complement	20 officers, crew, and servant

Sutil was a brig-rigged schooner (Spanish goleta) built in 1791 by the Spanish Navy at San Blas, New Spain. It was nearly identical to Mexicana, also built at San Blas in 1791. Both vessels were built for exploring the newly discovered Strait of Georgia, carried out in 1792 under Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, on Sutil, and Cayetano Valdés y Flores, on Mexicana. During this voyage the two Spanish vessels encountered the two British vessels under George Vancouver, HMS Discovery and HMS Chatham, which were also engaged in exploring the Strait of Georgia. The two expeditions cooperated in surveying the complex channels between the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Strait, in the process proving the insularity of Vancouver Island. After this first voyage Sutil continued to serve the San Blas Naval Department, making various voyages to Alta California and the Pacific Northwest coast.