"At Sagres lived the man . . . who first coaxed cautious Europe onto the broad highway of the sea."
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Vincent. The existing fort at Sagres Point is the product of incremental rebuilding of the original structure during the 1600s and 1700s. A short distance from Sagres Fortaleza is the Cape St. Vincent lighthouse, often referred to as "the light at the end of the world." Once the location of a convent, today 's working lighthouse looks out over the site of one of history's most famous sea battles, fought between the British and Spanish in 1797. During the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the British fleet, commanded by Admiral John Jervis, sought to engage a Spanish squadron. At a point when it seemed that the Spanish fleet would make good its escape, Nelson-contrary to his commander-in-chief's signals-left the British battle line to cut off the enemy's escape. Not only did Nelson make a decisive victory possible for the British, he succeeded in capturing two of the Spanish ships in an unusually courageous manner. Nelson maneuvered his badly damaged ship, the 74-gun Captain, alongside the 80-gun San Nicolas, and, after boarding and capturing her, used the San Nicolas to cross over and board the 112-gun San Josef-which had collided with the San Nicolas. In thi s unusual way, he captured both Spanish ships, each of which was more powerful than his own. The men in Jervis's fleet soon labeled the feat of seizing one ship to capture another "Nelson's patent bridge for boarding First Rates." Nelson's bold actions at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent made him a national hero and earned the special praise of Jervis , whose orders he had disobeyed. When one of Nelson's fellow captains complained to Jervis that Nelson had violated his orders, Jervis replied: "It certainly was so, and if ever you commit such a breach ... I will forgive you also." Sagres is one of those rare places where history is palpable. Standing on the Sagres Point promontory, one can hear the booming of cannon as Nelson fought his way to fameor is it just the surf below? One can feel the call, as explorers like Dias and Cabral must have, to learn what lies beyond the horizon-or is it just the wind on the cliff's jagged face? With all of its mystery, one thing about Sagres is sure-it will leave J, its mark on anyone who knows the sea.
Joseph Callo is a free-lance writer on naval, travel and business subjects and a rear admiral, USNR (ret). His stories on Nelson have appeared in Sea History 71and79.
The stark outline of the Chapel of Our Lady of Grace, dedicated in the 1400s, matches its environment (top) . The "wind rose" (above), believed to have been used by Prince Henry the Navigator, is a unique vestige of Sagres' s ancient sea history. A pousada, one of the Portuguese government's hotels (below), occupies the cliff-top site where many believe Prince Henry's school was located in the mid-1400s. (All photographs by the author)
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SEA HISTORY 80, WINTER 1996-97
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