Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Da..., John D. Whidden
Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Da..., John D. Whidden
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days
From Forecastle to Quarter-Deck

Author: John D. Whidden

Narrator: Tom Perkins

Unabridged: 9 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/19/2018


Synopsis

Orphaned at five, nothing held Whidden back from embarking on sea life seven years later. Serving as an apprentice, he quickly proved his worth, and earned himself a mate's position by his early twenties. Graduating to third, second, and first office, he ended his career in command of, and having part-ownership of his own vessel.

This memoir, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days, records a series of real events, from his childhood impressions of rough and ready seamen, to his thrilling and brutal experiences of war.

His travels saw him spanning the world, with stops at major ports such as Honolulu, Buenos Aires, Calcutta, and Liverpool.

His life spans the changes in the shipping industry over the nineteenth and into the twentieth century.

During the Civil War, Whidden was heavily involved in profitable island trading in the Bahamas to elude Confederate sailors. However, shortly after the close of the war, in 1870, Whidden left sailing as he found it being overtaken by foreign interests.

About John D. Whidden

John D. Whidden started out at sea in 1834, at the age of twelve, and did not retire until 1870. He is the author of Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dennis on April 24, 2018

This an absolute historical gem. It was written by Captain John D Whidden and first published in 1908 and is the story of the last days of the 'tramp' sailing ships that took their cargo to and from port and tried to pick up another cargo or went with ballast to another where they could get one. The......more

Goodreads review by C.E. on February 05, 2021

I was first attracted to this book by its name and what I thought would be in the insides of its pages -the "Ocean Life" with emphasis on "life" as I thought this would be a more personal book, but it oddly was not. With the exception of a few places where the author chose to provide more detail (th......more

Goodreads review by Michaela on September 22, 2018

Very well written. Great history of the commercial days of sail I would have rated this at 5 stars had it included the plates, mentioned by Captain Whidden, that were taken from the book that Mrs. Whidden was presented while in harbor in Brasil. Maps of the travels of Captain Whidden would have been......more

Goodreads review by Clyde Pharr on October 20, 2017

Sails of yore To the sea in ships! How lovely were the days of sailing ships, and all so well told by this former master of the seas. You can feel the winds and taste the salty waters as the experiences are so well recounted by this gentleman of the world, and what a delightful travelogue he does nar......more

Goodreads review by jim elliott on July 12, 2018

So,so,quite repetitive, Would of liked some clear definition s of some of the sailing vernacular early on. Guess I could have researched them myself, read like a slightly more refined ships log, but still an interesting reach back in time, worth the time, for someone with an adventurous soul.......more