Speaking of books (after my recommendation yesterday of Bumfuzzle: Just Out Looking for Pirates)…
The Admiral recently got me a copy of The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told. I’m fairly certain I’ve read it before, a long time ago — but it does contain some pretty good stories, so I figured I’d read it again.
The longest piece in there is an excerpt from Ernest Shackleton’s book South, about the 1914 Antarctic expedition—or more to the point, about what happened once things went horribly awry.
After their ship, the Endurance was crushed by pack ice, and after several months of trying to camp on the pack ice and finally on Elephant Island—where nobody would ever be looking for them—Shackleton decided to to take a crew of six, including himself, almost 800 miles to South Georgia Island to seek help.
And did I mention they did this in a twenty-foot lifeboat? Across the Drake Passage, one of the most violent stretches of water on the planet? In late Autumn?
Six men in basically a twenty-foot rowboat with some canvas tacked over it to keep out the monstrous seas. They suffered from frostbite; chipped ice off the hull; and the off watch would craw under the canvas to sleep on the rocks they used as ballast.
And when they finally arrived at South Georgia Island, they had to land on the wrong side and Shackleton and two other men had to cross a glacier and mountain range…twenty miles…to reach the whaling station where they would arrange a rescue mission.
My biggest worry is whether there’s enough room in the cooler. Sir Ernest Shackleton managed to save his entire crew from a year-and-a-half Antarctic disaster.
Further Reading
The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told (Christopher Caswell, editor) – “Greatest” is always gonna be subjective…but definitely a good selection here. Many are excerpts of full-length books, so it’s a great way to see which authors and angles you like most.
South (Sir Ernest Shackleton) – A classic work in the exploration/adventure category. Shackleton’s understatement (like many a seasoned mariner) is exquisite at times.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing) – This one actually draws from extensive interviews and records from others in the crew, not just Shackleton. I haven’t read it yet (just discovered it), but I definitely plan on it.
Fallen Out: A Jesse McDermitt Novel (Wayne Stinnett) – And by all means, if you haven’t found Wayne’s Caribbean Adventure Series yet, here’s the one to get you hooked! (Not a “back in the day” history, but a series of nautical thrillers.)
