Gil Island (Canada)

[1] "Named in 1792 by Lieutenant Commander Jacinto Caamaño of the Spanish corvette Aranzazu, while searching along the coast under orders from the viceroy of Mexico for the mythical 'Rio de Reyes'.

This strait or river, supposed to connect the Pacific with the Atlantic, was claimed to have been discovered in 1640 by Admiral Pedro Bartolome de Fonti, in command of a fleet of 4 vessels, his flagship being named the Holy Ghost (Greenhow's Oregon, 1844, p.84.)

The ensign-bearer of the San Martin, flagship of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in the Spanish Armada, was named Juan Gil.

Caamaño sailed from Nootka 13 June 1792, steered northwards, and after examining Port Bucareli (Alaska) anchored in Dixon Entrance, probably under Rose Spit, on the 20 July.

Caamaño arrived at Nootka from his cruise 7 September 1972...."[2]Indian reserves on the island are under the jurisdiction of the Hartley Bay Indian Band, and are: The M/V Queen of the North was a Canadian RORO ferry operated by BC Ferries, which sank on March 22, 2006 after hitting Gil Island on a southbound voyage during the night.