13th April 1834

R. Santa Cruz
Dropped our anchor within the mouth of the river of Santa Cruz. Our passage has been a fortunate one, only six days, and this against the constant Westerly breezes. It blew very strong in the morning, and we could only just manage to fetch in. I have never seen His Majesty's vessel under a greater press of sail or much closer to a lee-shore. Tomorrow a place will be sought out to lay her aground to look at her bottom. Her top-masts & everything excepting main masts will be on deck & her guns, anchors &c on shore.

From “The Voyage of the Beagle”:
The Beagle anchored within the mouth of the Santa Cruz. This river is situated about sixty miles south of Port St. Julian. During the last voyage Captain Stokes proceeded thirty miles up it, but then, from the want of provisions, was obliged to return. Excepting what was discovered at that time, scarcely anything was known about this large river. Captain Fitz Roy now determined to follow its course as far as time would allow.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
On the 13th we anchored in the Santa Cruz, and immediately prepared to lay our vessel ashore for a tide, to ascertain how much injury had been caused by the rock at Port Desire, and to examine the copper previous to her employment in the Pacific Ocean, where worms soon eat their way through unprotected planks.