Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers [Hardcover]

Eric Newby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 1999

In 1938, Eric Newby signed on as an apprentice on the Finnish four-masted barque Moshulu for a 'round-the-world' voyage transiting between Europe and Australia. It was the toughest imaginable introduction to the sailor's life. Few of the crew spoke English, and he was ordered atop the rigging -- 200 feet above deck -- before he could get out of his best jacket and shoes. More extraordinary still, between his shifts he managed to photograph day-to-day life aboard the antique vessel, and on others like her in various ports of call. Though he did not realize it then, these pictures soon became historic, for with a world war brewing, there would never again be a cavalcade of square riggers such as made the circuit that year. Remarkably, the Moshulu is still afloat and is now a restaurant ship, moored in Philadelphia.  

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In 1938, Eric Newby signed on as an apprentice on the Finnish four-masted barque Moshulu for a 'round-the-world' voyage transiting between Europe and Australia. It was the toughest imaginable introduction to the sailor's life. Few of the crew spoke English, and he was ordered atop the rigging -- 200 feet above deck -- before he could get out of his best jacket and shoes. More extraordinary still, between his shifts he managed to photograph day-to-day life aboard the antique vessel, and on others like her in various ports of call. Though he did not realize it then, these pictures soon became historic, for with a world war brewing, there would never again be a cavalcade of square riggers such as made the circuit that year. Remarkably, the Moshulu is still afloat and is now a restaurant ship, moored in Philadelphia.  

About the Author

Eric Newby is the author of fifteen other adventure classics, including The Last Grain Race, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, Love and War in the Apennines, and What the Traveler Saw. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Times Books Random House; 1st US Edition edition (September 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812932528
• ISBN-13: 978-0812932522
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #673,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful history of a wonderful vessel, March 6, 2000

By 

Brian Drumbore (Wilmington, Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers (Hardcover)

Living close to Philly, I often wander by the Moshulu, wondering what she must have been like before she was a floating restaurant. This book answers that question. As an amateur sailor, I can't get enough of books on the topic and this one is fabulous. The black and white photography is of the utmost quality and the commentary that accompanies the pictures is neither academically boring nor overly loose.

This book is most akin to the print version of the film "Around Cape Horn" narrated by Captain Irving Johnson. While the Moshulu is a different boat with a different purpose than the Peking, if you liked that particular movie, you'll like this book.

I was pleased to find this book and have given it to my other "sailor" friends as gifts. I highly reccommend it to anyone with a love of the sea or its history.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful piece of maritime history, November 30, 2002

By 

gregory l. carlson (rohnert park, ca. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers (Hardcover)

Mr. Newby has captured a way of life that for good or bad, no longer exists. His style of writing (along with many hair raising
photographs), depicts life aboard a square rigger the way it truly was; few amenities, almost ceaseless toil, and the ever
present dangers of falling from aloft or being washed overboard.
In this day of high tech everything, it might seem incredible
that many men would willingly endure such hardships. Yet ironically, most of these sailors frowned upon steamship crewmen
as being too soft!
To all of those "arm chair sailors" who may think that a seamens life
was carefree and romantic, I strongly urge them read this book
and dispell any such myths!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Read Only One Book This Year: Get Them Both, September 24, 2001

By 

allan bachman (austin, tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers (Hardcover)

Unfortunately the unappealingly named "The Last Great Grain Race" might be left on the bookshelf if it were not for its companion volume of photographs more appropriately titled "Learning The Ropes; An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers," both by Eric Newby. Oddly these volumes were issued over forty years apart, Grain Race in 1956 and Ropes in 1999. (A recent volume of Grain Race was reissued in 1999, possibly to take advantage of the pictorial release.)

After a brief stint as an office clerk, Newby at eighteen signed on as an apprentice seaman for an around the world cargo voyage, with no nautical experience or skills other than a careful eye and superb memory for detail. "The Last Great Grain Race" is the story of one of the last four-masted barques, which in 1938 sailed from Ireland to Australia to pick up a cargo of grain and return to Ireland, a voyage which would take nine months. Ultimately it was to become the last voyage in such a vessel, as the impending war would change the world forever. We are fortunate that Newby was along to document the voyage. We are equally appreciative of his thoughtfulness in bringing his camera, as "Learning the Ropes" is the superb photo essay of this journey.

Newby apparently was a very skilled photographer. Oddly, he only briefly mentions his possession of a camera in "The Last Great Grain Race." He never lets on that his is so actively chronicling events and shipmates throughout the voyage. Though Newby does an excellent job describing what is like to climb aloft in all kinds of weather, the black and white photographs take the reader aloft as well and provide the narrative even with more impact and grace.

The crew is as varied and colorful as one might expect the conditions are harsh and oftentimes dangerous; the work is unrelenting, demanding and dangerous in its own right. Newby works alongside seasoned veterans and never shirks.

Grain Race however does have its limitations. There is a tremendous amount of technical detail that can often leave the reader literally at sea. For example "There were still the sheets of the topmast staysails to be shifted over the stays and sheeted home, the main and mizzen courses to be reset, and the yards trimmed to the Mate's satisfaction with the brace whips." Newby does provide a graphic of the sail plan and running rigging (79 reference points), but these are only of marginal assistance.

Another shortcoming is the language barrier Newby faces. This is a Finnish crew and commands are rarely given in English. Newby and the reader often have to work out the language; if the reader misses the first context or explanation then subsequent uses of the terminology will be lost, a glossary might have helped here. Newby does faithfully record dialects especially when he is being spoken to in occasionally recognizable English and these dialogues are often amusingly recounted.

Eric Newby should seriously consider issuing both in a single volume and one has to wonder why this wasn't done when Grain Race was first issued or at least when "Learning the Ropes" was released a couple of years ago. It is interesting to speculate on the length of time between the original release of Grain Race and the very vivid and informative photographs. Regardless it was worth the wait.

Grain Race the narrative and Grain Race the photographs make for an enjoyable double read.