What he chose to do was abandon her.

The timing appears to have been sometime around June of 1542, during the crossing or in the early stages of the approach to the Gulf of St.

Lawrence.

The exact location of the island where she was left has been debated by historians for centuries without definitive resolution.

The Gulf of St.

Lawrence has numerous islands, and the one that was later called the “Isle of Demons” on some maps has been identified as various candidates — including some of the islands off the northeastern coast of Quebec, some off Labrador, or possibly the island of Quirpon at the northern tip of Newfoundland.

What all accounts agree on is that the island was uninhabited by Europeans, that it was in a region of cold climate and limited resources, and that being left there with limited supplies was not a comfortable or safe situation.