Action along the coast of Vinland

The Coastline as developed by the good ship Wave Cleaver

Here we identify the Pettaquamscutt River/Narrow River complex.  In truth, this shows the rather spectacular rift itself with the river actually a not overlarge stream within.  Because of itse heavy, but low, forestation, its steep walls are not readily visible and on the whole not so well traveled that even some local people have never been within the valley.  It is about 7 miles long.

According to Roger Williams Narragansett was a small and highly revered (by the Amerinds) island within one of the two waterways, the other western one being known as "Point Judith Pond).  The latter is as highly developed as a port as Pettaquamscutt is neglected by reason that Narrow River is a very restricted entry.  It can only be entered by any ship - sail or power - at high, slack water (tide).  This is what the Sagas imply for Leif's landing (he grounded out), and stipulate in precise language concerning the entry to Hop. .

The Rafn study of 1837 is a highly refined work resulting from a collaborative effort of the Dane and a number of New England historians who were investigating the runestones identified by Rafn as "inscription rocks".  Entirely scholastic, it is a large volume, in Latin, and was so well established in its day as to be part of the West Point curriculum of 1860.  It is now difficult to locate and this writer did not see it until our own program was under way for some ten years.  It is still respected in some scholastic circles, being re-printed with commentary in German by one Otto Zeller in 1963.

This development of the coast as we have re-defined it differs from the Rafn in only two respects: relocation of the target sites of Leifsbudir and Hop to Pettaquamscutt on the opposite side of Narragansett Bay, and; reduction of Keelness to a minor peninsula instead of the outer Cape entire..

The name Narragansett is somewhat controversial, there being no village or town of that name.  Roger Williams in 1643 identified it meticulously as a small island within one of the two estuaries noted, one being Pettaquamscutt and the other being Point Judith Pond.  I can show that according to Williams' description, it is truly the one at Pettaquamscutt - that small islet now known as "Gooseberry".

(C)Krossannes is a very powerful identifier as the description left by word of the deceased Thorvald Ericksson enable the analyst to not only identify the estuary but to locate the passages and coursed s of the ship itself to its landing site where "they put out the gangplank and went ashore".  This descrlbes a very steep shoreline and events thereafter describe a high and steep hill climbed the the adventurous party.  This landing site can be located within yards.

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