I have had a Folio Society edition sitting in my TBR pile for some years, but have not got around to reading it until recently. I was prompted to pick it up and read by a very favourable review by David Ross of a new reprint that appeared in the Weekend Australian newspaper for the weekend of 21-22 May 2022.

The review is very fair and I agree with its conclusion: this is not a dry piece of travel writing but rather one written by (according to Ross) 'surely one of the best travel writers, with a flair for the foul, able to recount trips at length long after, and willing to poke fun at himself and everyone else.'

What I had not realised when I had originally purchased it, is that this is not Newby writing of this piece of history as a third party, but as a participant. And what I also did not realise was that these journeys by sail only vessels, conveying nearly 5000 t of grain from Australia to Europe continued up to the outbreak of WWII, the vessels having first sailed under ballast from Europe in the first place to South Australia.

That Newby participated in 1938- 39 starting as an 18 year old (he was not the only one, some younger) with no practical experience, as the only Englishman on a vessel occupied by many other nationalities, and with the 'official' language on the vessel being Swedish, makes it all the remarkable, as is that they did not lose anyone overboard or to other dangers.

I am not a sailor but the technical language is not a problem; nor is the almost pidgin used as between the 28 or so members of the crew. There are 2 (small) sections as to more technical information which Newby helpfully highlights may be skipped if of not of interest to particular readers, but they are short and easy to read - even if not easy to remember by a non sailor, and certainly not easily recalled by a novice when, on Newby's first day on board, is sent some 198 feet above the keel of the vessel, with only ropes, lines and slippery masts to cling to. That was when the vessel was moored alongside the pier whilst being prepared for its voyage to South Australia. It was much worse during the voyage, when such work was undertaken in high winds, with the vessel bucking around as large if not rogue waves did their best to throw bodies off into the abyss.

That Newby learns to realise (pg 70-71) ' Crossing the midships deck to the leeward of the Captain on our way aft to brace the yards, touching our forelocks to him as we went, we were no longer in the twentieth century at all. Being told to go aloft and make up that gasket on the mizzen royal and look alive, we were a hundred years out of our time.'

Much of the book is very amusing. The description of the food available (pg 79-82) cannot be true in all details! As are the depiction of the many misunderstandings between the members of the crew as to all and sundry.

Newby visited Adelaide and had some not very fond memories!.

Newby had already decided to not remain with the vessel (or similar) at the end of the voyage, but one wonders whether that was at least in part due to the outbreak of WWII and his almost immediate enlisting. Apparently there are other books by Newby which address these amongst other adventures. Based on this read alone I will be having a look at those further works.

In the interim, I recommend this volume to anyone with even a half interest in sailing or voyages in this period, or as to what the transition from one tradition to another looks like, or simply a humorous tale as to the interactions between a random group of people thrown together in difficult circumstances.

Big Ship

28 May 2022 ( )

EN INGLES. EL FIN COMERCIAL DE LOS GRANDES VELEROS EN LA RUTA DE AUSTRALIA ( )

The writing itself is reason enough to pick up this wonderful account. And that account records the end of an important maritime era, the age of working windjammers. The Lonely Planet edition I read seems to have been set from a prior edition using optical character recognition; there are a number of odd typographical errors. Only the original editions have photographs, so one gets additional pleasure reading this book alongside Newby's 1999 "Learning the Ropes", an album of photographs of the voyage and the crew, some of whom are identified. ( )

really? people did that? ( )

Outstanding coming of age tale from the last moments of the age of sail, just as the Second World War was about to break out. Newby signed up almost straight from school as an apprentice on a Baltic 4 masted sailing ship which travelled from Belfast out to Australia to bring back a harvest of grain. He describes an incredibly hard and dangerous life for the sailors as well as the isolation of the voyages that kept them months at sea. ( )