1.   Sketch the coastline (picture of coastal sketch—line drawing)

2.   Draw coastal profile of harbors, inc. hills, dunes, mountains. Image from Duarte Pacheo Periera’s De Esmeraldo Situ Orbis

3.   Survey the length of coastline visible from ship (Basel BW illustration (woodcut) showing surveying from ship.

4.   Note all the hazards to ships including sandbars, submerged rocks, swamps. Side by side Iimages of hazards from Benincasa with modern nautical chart (US or Russian)

5.   Note all rivers of inlets visible from shipboard even if you do not land (potential future trading location)

6.   Note safe harbors (shelter from storms, sufficient depth)

7.   Compass angles for sailing (compass drawing from a map)

8.   Impact of rising sea levels on coast

Ship illustration will be a triple lateen and linked to the page on triple lateens from the “Ships of Exploration” page

Acquiring information for a coastal sketch required ability to draw—both the shore and the profile of the coast. It also demanded the ability to situate the navigational hazards, and river/lagoon entrances precisely. Surveying ability was required to measure the size of the stretch of coastline visible from the ship.