Thanks for all the input !!!
The title of the plan in the Indes Archives is: "Plano de una galeota construída para guardacostas de Cuba".
I believe this is more or less a typical small Spanish Guarda Costa vessel...sometimes used to chase pirates/ privateers, sometimes used by the Spanish themselves as a piratical/ privateering vessel. It is the latter use that interests me, as several of these were used on an illegal raid into English territory in the late 17th century under the direction of the Governor of Florida and one was lost in a storm and unable to return to St. Augustine and Havana.
I think Frank and Don Jose are on the right track, as there are 39.37 inches to a modern meter. I think the "22 pulgadas" mentioned on the legend must mean a "codos" of 22 inches or thereabouts...I am not looking for exactness, just ballpark figures for the length, beam and draught of the vessel. I will reproduce Frank's link to some historical ship measurements (one can clearly see codos used as, apparently, a standard unit of length):
Quilla, definitely translates to "keel" so I am going to go with the following approximate dimensions for a "typical" Spanish Guarda Costa galeota:
LOA: 62'
Beam: 15'
Draught: 11'
The advantages of a vessel such as this as a privateer are obvious: she could probably make 10 knots or better with favorable winds, she could be moved smartly by sweeps in calm weather and she could creep into shallow water larger ships would not dare enter.
They must have been fairly sea-worthy as well, as they routinely made the trek from Havana to St. Augustine and points farther north.
