Watch and Wait
Bark (or Barque) · England · Lost 1635 · Cape Ann & the Gulf of Maine
A small colonial bark was smashed on the rocks off Cape Ann in New England's most powerful recorded hurricane, giving Thacher Island its name.
The Man from El Norte
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Watch and Wait carried the families of the Rev. John Avery and Anthony Thacher from Ipswich toward Marblehead when the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 struck. The vessel broke apart on rocks off Cape Ann on 24 August 1635. Nineteen of the twenty-one aboard drowned, including Avery's entire family; only Anthony Thacher and his wife survived, washing onto the island that now bears their name.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
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- Wood
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- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- August 24, 1635
- Storm
- Off Thacher Island, Cape Ann
- Atlantic Ocean
- Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony → Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay Colony
- Not established
- 21
- 19
- Not established
The Wreck Today
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Position
- 42.64° N 70.58° W
- Approximate position
- Rockport, Massachusetts
Position approximated to the rocks near Thacher Island where survivors came ashore.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)
Precise vessel dimensions and build details are not established in the sources reviewed; the account rests on Anthony Thacher's own colonial-era narrative.
New England Historical Society
Narrative of the voyage and wreck.
Historic Ipswich (Gordon Harris)
Detailed account drawing on Anthony Thacher's narrative.
