The San Agustín : Shipwrecked off the Point Reyes Coast, 1595 (2014)

by George Thelen

In November 1595, a Spanish galleon named San Agustín sank in the waters off Point Reyes, California. It is the oldest known shipwreck on the U.S. West Coast.

The ship had been commissioned to explore the North American coast for a suitable port or harbor to provide shelter for the galleons on their annual journeys from the Philippines back to New Spain (Mexico). Under the fearless guidance of Captain Sebastian Rodriquez Cermeño, nearly 70 survivors of the San Agustín shipwreck built a small launch and sailed from Point Reyes on to New Spain (Mexico). From first hand accountsof the expedition we know of their desperate battles with the elements, sickness and near starvation.

Mysteriously, as detailed as Captain Cermeño was with his written account of the journey there is no description of the sinking itself, nor a manifest of the ship’s cargo. Conditions made it nearly impossible to salvage much from the sunken galleon making the wreck site a virtual time capsule of 16th century Spanish exploration.

The journey of the San Agustín is a true tale of perseverance, courage and luckand The San Agustín: California Shipwreck is the first documentary dedicated to telling the little-known story of this important 16th Century expedition.

Featuring archival materials and interviews with site archeologists, this documentary introduces audiences to a fascinating story of ambition and survival.

WATCH IT on KQED-TV, Channel 9 in JANUARY, 2014:
Wednesday January 22 at 11 pm & Sunday January 26, 2014 at 3 pm

LOCAL HISTORY LECTURE SERIES in MARCH 2014:
Thursday March 6, 2014 at noon: Join producer George Thelen at the Marin County Civic Center, Room 330, for a special screening of the documentary, introduced by a Powerpoint and followed by a Q & A.

Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.