Sunday, February 26, 2017

The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss. A Review








The Venturesome Voyages of Captain VossThe Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss by John Claus Voss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Captain Voss was an early and enthusiastic exponent of the use of sea anchors, particularly for small boats on very big voyages. This book contains several of these ground-breaking small boat voyages, narrated with panache and an eye not only for weather and sail trimming detail, but some acute observations of humanity in his descriptions of crew under pressure.
Written at the very start of the 20th Century, the book reveals aspects of the world that are now so utterly different- as are his very Euro-centric views about the peoples of the places he visited, but he was a generous man very much of his time.

Highly recommended for 'armchair' and other sailors, this is very readable. There are several editions about, mine was a hardcover lent to me which had an interesting introduction by Richard Hughes. Published by Rupert Hart-Davis, London in 1955. There are more recent editions.


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