The Winter 2015 edition of The Marine Quarterly arrived just before Christmas and it’s as good as ever.
Sam Jefferson tells the story of how a drunken argument between wealthy young men led to the first transatlantic race. The entrance fee and prize money were enormous, and the start date of the 11th December was wildly dangerous.
George Millar describes cruising from Malta to Falmouth in his usual lively and entertaining style. I do always wonder whether what he says is all true, but it’s certainly fun and adds a certain something to a sailing narrative…
G S Hewett writes about crossing the North Sea with his yachting father at the turn of the 20th century. Captain Colin Darch tells the story of how his ship was captured by pirates off Somalia. :
Jon Tucker sailed to Moruroa with the 1995 New Zealand Peace Flotilla – the protester’s idea was to sail to the area where the French were to test nuclear weaponry, and it involved a winter Southern Pacific voyage of some 3000 nautical miles…
Douglas Lindsay recalls his time as the sailing master of a trireme… It seems the oarsmen in the bottom of the vessels complained bitterly about the sweat, farts and general disrespect that rained down upon them from above.
There are spies in Fernando Poin 1941, the Kelvin marine engine arrives, there are cargo liners (the vessels that preceded today’s container ships), there’s an examination of the technology of developing power from waves and sea currents, and the gaffer Iron Bark sails the Atlantic and meets a hurricane.
Read a set of extracts here.