Last of the Cape Horners : Firsthand Accounts from the Final Days of the Commercial Tall Ships [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

~ Spencer Apollonio (Author) "Manned the capstan at 4 A.M..." (more)
Key Phrases: girt line, cro jack, easting down, Cape Horn, Herzogin Cecilie, Alan Villiers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Square-riggers are usually perceived as vessels of the nineteenth century or earlier. Yet these graceful, multi-masted beauties actually sailed on into the 1950's before they disappeared from the sea forever. THE LAST OF THE CAPE HORNERS is an exciting anthology of the best-written and most-representative accounts of life aboard commercial square-rigged sailing ships in the final fifty years of their existence.

Veteran sailor Spencer Apollonio has drawn from many little-known sources for these accounts of life aboard the last of the American, English, Scottish, and Finnish "Cape Horners" that sailed around the fabled southern tip of South America. Written by officers, crewmen, and passengers, each provides a realistic picture of a maritime era the likes of which will never be seen again.

Arranged in the sequence of a voyage around the world, the accounts outline the general nature of commercial activities, routes, and ports of call, and the gradual decline of commercial sailing ships. Apollonio describes a full range of exciting and dangerous action, as well as everyday shipboard experiences. With clear explanations of the technical aspects of sailing these tall ships and with lively accounts of life on board, THE LAST OFTHE CAPE HORNERS tales readers along fora journey through the romance and adventure of the igh seas.

About the Author

Spencer Apollonio is a marine biologist who has sailed a traditional wooden gaff-rigged sloop along the coast of Maine for more than twenty years. Boothbay Harbor, Maine, is his homeport.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.; illustrated edition edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157488283X
• ISBN-13: 978-1574882834
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #874,854 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Detailed. Truly excellent Reading, March 18, 2001

By	Walter O. Koenig "Amoxtli" (San Diego, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had been looking for a good book describing what it was really like to sail on fully rigged Ships for a long time, and this may be the best book I have found so far. I have read everything from "Two Years before Mast" to the recently published "Flying Cloud", but this is really what I was looking for. It seems that most accounts of sailing the large Ships commercially were not written in the Age of the Clipper, but in the Age of the Windjammer, i.e. from the 1890's until the 1940's. The Book is exactly what the title says it is: First hand accounts by professional sailors, officers, passengers, apprentices and others, in the final days of Sail. These have been put together very well into the form of a Journey beginning at a Port in the U.S. or the U.K. and going first to Australia, then South America, and finally rounding Cape Horn for the return journey. The editing has been done by a Veteran Sailor who clearly knows his sources, and has done an excellent job in selecting them. There are also 21 good photographs, a glossary, and a Bibliography of the sources of the narratives and a list for further reading for those who need more.

If you like to read about this sort of thing, like I do, It's absolutely gripping reading, not only because of the subject-matter, but because it's all true. The hardships endured by the sailors, through storms, tough work, loneliness, bad pay, terrible food, etc. is incredible to read about, especially when you take into account their tone in which they write about their experiences. They do not whine, lament and complain. Instead, the tone is matter of fact, nostalgic, respectful, and often humorous. You really get a feel for what it was really like, and I suppose that most readers after reading this will be happy to do their sailing from an armchair, in front of the fire, book in hand.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Detailed. Truly excellent Reading, March 18, 2001

By	Walter O. Koenig "Amoxtli" (San Diego, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had been looking for a good book describing what it was really like to sail on fully rigged Ships for a long time, and this may be the best book I have found so far. I have read everything from "Two Years before Mast" to the recently published "Flying Cloud", but this is really what I was looking for. It seems that most accounts of sailing the large Ships commercially were not written in the Age of the Clipper, but in the Age of the Windjammer, i.e. from the 1890's until the 1940's. The Book is exactly what the title says it is: First hand accounts by professional sailors, officers, passengers, apprentices and others, in the final days of Sail. These have been put together very well into the form of a Journey beginning at a Port in the U.S. or the U.K. and going first to Australia, then South America, and finally rounding Cape Horn for the return journey. The editing has been done by a Veteran Sailor who clearly knows his sources, and has done an excellent job in selecting them. There are also 21 good photographs, a glossary, and a Bibliography of the sources of the narratives and a list for further reading for those who need more.

If you like to read about this sort of thing, like I do, It's absolutely gripping reading, not only because of the subject-matter, but because it's all true. The hardships endured by the sailors, through storms, tough work, loneliness, bad pay, terrible food, etc. is incredible to read about, especially when you take into account their tone in which they write about their experiences. They do not whine, lament and complain. Instead, the tone is matter of fact, nostalgic, respectful, and often humorous. You really get a feel for what it was really like, and I suppose that most readers after reading this will be happy to do their sailing from an armchair, in front of the fire, book in hand.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great read, March 12, 2007

By	Bob Fitzsimmons (New York City) - See all my reviews

This book is detailed and extremely informative. I also just picked up Sailing Ships of New England which is an equally great read. If you're interested in the historical importance of ships, I highly recommend it. It's full of great illustrations, and makes for an interesting follow-up to Last of the Cape Horners.