photo above take by Jason Talbot, while sailing the waters of Lake Superior just off of Grand Island. story here
Fine True Seafaring Tales, in historical order of when the events happened:
Batavia's Graveyard, by Dash. Well written account of the ill-fated ship and bloody mutiny of the Dutch East Indie's ship the Batavia in 1629 north of Australia. I have visited the wreck-remains at the museum in Freemantle Aus; worth the trip!
A Cruising Voyage Round the World, by Woodes Rogers. Very interesting historical reading of this 1708-1711 circumnavigation by the privateer Woodes Rogers. Great section on finding Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandez Island (upon which Robinson Crusoe is based).
The Speedwell Voyage, by Poolman. Story of the privateers that set out in 1718 to achieve the same success that Rogers did earlier. Mutiny, amazing seamanship, survival, remote shipbuilding; and this is the voyage which inspired sections of Coleridge's The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, including the true story of the man who shot the albatross around Tiera del Fuego.
If I Pirate I must be....., by Sanders. Story of Black Bart
The Prize of all the Oceans, by Glyn Williams. This is the true story of Anson's voyage around the world (1740-1744) and capture of the Spanish Manila Galleon. Quite a story of tragedy, perseverance, seamanship, and adventure on the far side of the world. "A quite remarkably erudite, and deeply informed book" says Patrick O'Brien of the Daily Telegraph.
Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt, by Richard Alsop, based on interviews with John Jewitt himself. True story of an English blacksmith (John Jewitt) who was spared, along with John Thompson the sailmaker, death at the hands of the local tribe in Nootka. They were kept captive by the native people on Vancouver Island after the natives killed the rest of the crew of the ship "Boston" that had stopped to trade there. The ship was accidentally burned by the tribe. (Note that the captain of the "Boston" shot an albatross while sailing north up the pacfic coast. Shooting the albatross just seems to be a bad idea...) The story details the 28 months of captivity (1803-1805), along with the customs of the natives. The brig "Lydia" arrived finally , and Jewitt and Thompson tricked their way out of captivity in order to get onboard, after which they sailed to China, and finally back to Boston. Jewitt wrote of his adventures and at least three books of the tale were written.
In the Heart of the Sea, by Philbrick. One of my favorites. The tragedy of the whaleship Essex. The seamanship and far reach of the Nantucket whalers. Set out for the Pacific in 1819 and they were rammed and sunk by a sperm whale. The story goes on to recount the 3000 mile small-boat voyage of the survivors back to the South American coast. This is the true story that inspired the demise of the Pequod in Moby Dick.
The Wreck of the Whaleship ESSEX, by Owen Chase, First Mate of the ESSEX. Same true story as the book "In the Heart of the Sea", but written in 1821 by Owen Chase the First Mate, and a survivor of the whole ordeal.
Island of the Lost, by Druett. Found this one at the bookstore in Australia. Great sailing and self-sufficiency-survival true story of shipwreck on a tiny island 300 miles south of New Zealand in 1864.
Weird and Tragic Shores, by Loomis. Arctic exploration in the late 1800's; story of Charles Francis Hall. An obsessed man, a driven man, who led a rare, unique, and sometime controversial life. C.F. Hall died , most likely as a result of arsenic poisoning by his crew. Regardless of all the twists and turns, the characters in this true tale experienced real adventure and exploration in the harshest of elements.
The Way of a Ship, by Lundy. Nice reconstruction of his ancestor's voyage around the horn; and a great illustration of life aboard a square rigger in the 1880's.
Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, by Shelak. Not a story or historical novel, but a book of shipwrecks with short descriptions of the events.
Mary Celeste, The Odyssey of an Abandoned Ship, by Charles Edey Fay. This is a true story of the mysterious abandonment of the half-brig Mary Celeste, which was found by the brigantine Dei Gratia between the Azores and Spain in 1872. The ship was found drifting in the open sea, and the Captain, his wife and child, and crew were never found. Upon finding the mystery ship, the some of the crew of the Dei Gratia sailed her to Gibraltar. There were numerous inquiries and theories as to how events transpired, and the reputations of the various participants were questioned and variously trampled-on. This appeared to me to be an objective record of the construction of the ship, the ownership and significant moments in the ship's history, the captain and crew, the voyage, and the aftermath. What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? We will never know.
Sailing Alone Around the World, by Slocum. Author recounts single-handing in 1895 from Boston around the world in a sloop.
Mighty Fitz, The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Michael Schumacher, A quick reading, objective retelling of the tragic sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Being from the great lakes area and having sailed on them, this has always been a fascinating and terrifying tale. This book is a page-turner, and includes interviews along with detailed references and notes. The sinking was memorialized in 1976 by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in his song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Some gripping verses are: "The good ship and crew were a bone to be chewed when the gales of November came early", and; "The legend lives from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gummee, Superior, they said, never gives up her dead, when the gales of November come early". Gitche Gummee was the Native American name for Lake Superior, and due the lake temperature and density, the drowned sink to the bottom to stay.
Fine True Seafaring Tales, in historical order of when the events happened:
Batavia's Graveyard, by Dash. Well written account of the ill-fated ship and bloody mutiny of the Dutch East Indie's ship the Batavia in 1629 north of Australia. I have visited the wreck-remains at the museum in Freemantle Aus; worth the trip!
A Cruising Voyage Round the World, by Woodes Rogers. Very interesting historical reading of this 1708-1711 circumnavigation by the privateer Woodes Rogers. Great section on finding Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandez Island (upon which Robinson Crusoe is based).
The Speedwell Voyage, by Poolman. Story of the privateers that set out in 1718 to achieve the same success that Rogers did earlier. Mutiny, amazing seamanship, survival, remote shipbuilding; and this is the voyage which inspired sections of Coleridge's The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, including the true story of the man who shot the albatross around Tiera del Fuego.
If I Pirate I must be....., by Sanders. Story of Black Bart
The Prize of all the Oceans, by Glyn Williams. This is the true story of Anson's voyage around the world (1740-1744) and capture of the Spanish Manila Galleon. Quite a story of tragedy, perseverance, seamanship, and adventure on the far side of the world. "A quite remarkably erudite, and deeply informed book" says Patrick O'Brien of the Daily Telegraph.
Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt, by Richard Alsop, based on interviews with John Jewitt himself. True story of an English blacksmith (John Jewitt) who was spared, along with John Thompson the sailmaker, death at the hands of the local tribe in Nootka. They were kept captive by the native people on Vancouver Island after the natives killed the rest of the crew of the ship "Boston" that had stopped to trade there. The ship was accidentally burned by the tribe. (Note that the captain of the "Boston" shot an albatross while sailing north up the pacfic coast. Shooting the albatross just seems to be a bad idea...) The story details the 28 months of captivity (1803-1805), along with the customs of the natives. The brig "Lydia" arrived finally , and Jewitt and Thompson tricked their way out of captivity in order to get onboard, after which they sailed to China, and finally back to Boston. Jewitt wrote of his adventures and at least three books of the tale were written.
In the Heart of the Sea, by Philbrick. One of my favorites. The tragedy of the whaleship Essex. The seamanship and far reach of the Nantucket whalers. Set out for the Pacific in 1819 and they were rammed and sunk by a sperm whale. The story goes on to recount the 3000 mile small-boat voyage of the survivors back to the South American coast. This is the true story that inspired the demise of the Pequod in Moby Dick.
The Wreck of the Whaleship ESSEX, by Owen Chase, First Mate of the ESSEX. Same true story as the book "In the Heart of the Sea", but written in 1821 by Owen Chase the First Mate, and a survivor of the whole ordeal.
Island of the Lost, by Druett. Found this one at the bookstore in Australia. Great sailing and self-sufficiency-survival true story of shipwreck on a tiny island 300 miles south of New Zealand in 1864.
Weird and Tragic Shores, by Loomis. Arctic exploration in the late 1800's; story of Charles Francis Hall. An obsessed man, a driven man, who led a rare, unique, and sometime controversial life. C.F. Hall died , most likely as a result of arsenic poisoning by his crew. Regardless of all the twists and turns, the characters in this true tale experienced real adventure and exploration in the harshest of elements.
The Way of a Ship, by Lundy. Nice reconstruction of his ancestor's voyage around the horn; and a great illustration of life aboard a square rigger in the 1880's.
Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, by Shelak. Not a story or historical novel, but a book of shipwrecks with short descriptions of the events.
Mary Celeste, The Odyssey of an Abandoned Ship, by Charles Edey Fay. This is a true story of the mysterious abandonment of the half-brig Mary Celeste, which was found by the brigantine Dei Gratia between the Azores and Spain in 1872. The ship was found drifting in the open sea, and the Captain, his wife and child, and crew were never found. Upon finding the mystery ship, the some of the crew of the Dei Gratia sailed her to Gibraltar. There were numerous inquiries and theories as to how events transpired, and the reputations of the various participants were questioned and variously trampled-on. This appeared to me to be an objective record of the construction of the ship, the ownership and significant moments in the ship's history, the captain and crew, the voyage, and the aftermath. What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? We will never know.
Sailing Alone Around the World, by Slocum. Author recounts single-handing in 1895 from Boston around the world in a sloop.
Mighty Fitz, The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Michael Schumacher, A quick reading, objective retelling of the tragic sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Being from the great lakes area and having sailed on them, this has always been a fascinating and terrifying tale. This book is a page-turner, and includes interviews along with detailed references and notes. The sinking was memorialized in 1976 by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in his song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Some gripping verses are: "The good ship and crew were a bone to be chewed when the gales of November came early", and; "The legend lives from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gummee, Superior, they said, never gives up her dead, when the gales of November come early". Gitche Gummee was the Native American name for Lake Superior, and due the lake temperature and density, the drowned sink to the bottom to stay.
A younger and skinnier me, sailing on Lac La Belle, Wisconsin years ago aboard my first sailboat, a Snipe. Looks like I should have tightened up that luff.