After leaving Havana, the Concepción’s pilots steered her into the Gulf Stream, which swept her east and then north. On the eighth day out the first winds from a hurricane raced in from the south. One freak wave, estimated to be 50 feet (15 meters) high, swept the decks of anchors, guns, provisions, and longboats. The ship, whose timbers were in dire need of caulking, began to take on water. When the water level in the hold reached 7 feet (2.1 meters), the mainmast was cut and eight cannon were thrown overboard to lighten the ship.