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CategoriesRecent EntriesHow'd you get here?Countdown to Pacific Marine ExpoThe burden of being menhadenFo'c'sle library (a classic)Bill may curb southeast sea ottersCod numbers reportedly take a turn for the worseFresh off the boatYou, too, on YouTubeHello, I must be going nowCreating a market for under-valued fishRecent CommentsMike Dolan on NOAA is all apologiesBrian on Introducing the iLobsterBen on Introducing the iLobsterBeringFisherman on Groundfish catch shares going bi-coastal Dick Allen on Jane, doh!National Fisherman on Jane, doh!Wreckfish on Jane, doh!Sierra Anderson on Facing factsken grimshaw on Tough loveJessica on Recovery in a snapArchivesNovember 2011October 2011September 2011August 2011July 2011June 2011May 2011April 2011March 2011February 2011« Bill may curb southeast sea otters |Main| The burden of being menhaden »November 11, 2011Fo'c'sle library (a classic)Tales about shipwrecks may not be very comforting as onboard reading, but if you like maritime adventure, the many stories by Edward Rowe Snow (1902-1982) are worth checking out. His collection of at least 17 books (that's how many my local library has) includes tales of pirates, shipwrecks, daring rescues, castaways and sometimes unexplainable mysteries.
Some of these stories are a bit of legend and lore, like the ghosts of sailors' widows forever gazing to sea watching for a husband who will never return. One story in Astounding Tales of the Sea tells of a sailor who jumped overboard after being driven mad by cruel treatment from his captain (it was around 1850). As the crew attempted to put down a boat to rescue the man, they saw a giant albatross swoop down into the waves. When they got the lifeboat down into the water they were astonished to see that the man was holding onto the bird's two legs, keeping him alive in time to be rescued.
The author is on-hand for the action in some of the more recent stories, personally searching for missing ships and diving to explore shipwrecks with his pretty wife. For 40 years Rowe was also known as the "Flying Santa" for flying a small plane to drop down Christmas gifts to lighthouse keepers and their families along the New England Coast.
For more about Edward Rowe Snow, check your local library or look for his books on Amazon, which has recently published "centennial editions" as well as used copies of older editions.
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