25th March 1797. According to Mackenzie, who had a tendency to over dramatize Tom’s life, Tom was treated as a common sailor aboard the 'Ninfa' one of Spain’s treasure ships. I don’t know how much of a sailor Tom was by this stage but he couldn’t have been very strong after 4 months confined in goal. The ship was a month at sea escorted by a warship. It was, I imagine, similar to travelling on-board the ‘Surprize’. The journey took him through the Straits of Florida, up the east coast of America (still in Spanish and native American hands) until around Cape Canaveral before heading west on the Gulf Stream.
If you live close to this location and would like to help visualise this piece of Tom’s journey please contact me.