Doubtless he grew up, as did all the seafarers of his generation, with the expectation that at any time some fortunate adventurer might find behind the coasts and islands now revealed to Europe in the western sea the half-fabled empires of Cipango and Cathay.

That, when a boy, he came into actual contact with sailors who had made the Atlantic voyage is not to be questioned.

We know that in 1507 the Pensee of Dieppe had crossed to the coast of Newfoundland and that this adventure was soon followed by the sailing of other Norman ships for the same goal.
We have, however, no record of Cartier and his actual doings until we find his name in an entry on the baptismal register of St Malo.

He stood as godfather to his nephew, Etienne Nouel, the son of his sister Jehanne.

Strangely enough, this proved to be only the first of a great many sacred ceremonies of this sort in which he took part.