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Great read at a low priv.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Originally titled 'Round The Horn in a Windjammer', this important maritime account delivers an authentic observation of life on board a commercial enginel-less cargo ship - the Peking, now preserved in an altered state in the USA. The author and a friend used some influence to embark as paying passengers who volunteered to take part in the working of the ship, having had some experience in sailing craft. The detailed descriptions of the difficulties and privations are quite enthralling. The book opens with a harrowing account of the Peking's misfortunes at the start of her 1929 passage to the West Coast of South America, which included a westward rounding of Cape Horn. Johnson was a pioneer in latter day sail training and is aware of he privileged position he was in to be among the last of the commercial square-rigged sailing ships. This new edition is very welcome and part of the proceeds goes towards the preservation cost of the barque - takrn to America after years as a stationary school ship in the UK. Johnson also made a film of the passage, which is now available on DVD. The book is highly recommended for its enthusiastic celelbration of what was the ultimate development of the square-rigged sailing ship - that safely delivered bulk cargoes until the 1950's. This is also a lassic accounbt of a westwards passage around the Horn for a nitrate or guano cargo - a trade to be eclipsed soon with the use of artificial fertilisers.Read full review
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