The Anathemata
Middle-sea and Lear-sea (continued)
But Albion’s brume
begins to thin away, they’ve made a landfall yet they sight no Ictian baya and must go a compass.
West now her head
she stands scarce six points
off the wind
and will that veer?
David Jones notes
additional notes
a Bay of Ictis = Mount’s Bay, the island of Ictis being St. Michael’s Mount.
For a very lengthy discussion on Ictis and the historical background to this and similar voyages, see here.
comments
They cannot see the bay of Ictis because they have gone too far up-Channel. They must therefore turn round (‘go a compass’) and go west. But the wind is from the north-north-west and will then be at 67 degrees (six points) to the direction of travel, and the vessel will not be able to progress to Mount’s Bay, let alone get into it from the south, especially if the wind veers northwards.