Ocean Life in the Old Sailing-Ship Days

By: Captain John Whidden

Narrated by: Zachary Cowan

Captain John Whidden was an American merchant sailor who sailed all over the world. He wrote this work in 1908, partly as a memoir, but also to offer a snippet of the “old sailing ship days” before major changes occurred. It is a story of a boy from New England and his various roles on ships from the age of 12 to 37. He documents the changes in the shipping industry over the 19th and into the 20th century.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks

Superb writing. Mediocre narration.

Excellent Chronicle of ocean life in the mid 1800s. Narrator: monotone and frequent mispronunciation of place names.

Enlightening

I was able to travel the world from my headphones. I learned much about ships, sailing and ports of call around the world. I enjoyed learning of the Captain’s life from boy to Captain and learned many terms as I looked them up. I expected repetition but was pleasantly surprised by the lack thereof. Easy, enjoyable and informative for me.

Awesome story for any Maritime History Enthusiasts

I enjoyed the story and found it enjoyable! Highly reccomend it to others who want to hear a good account of a life out at sea!

worth listening to

if you are a history buff or someone who has an interest in sailing, this book is definitely worth a listen. the story is pretty repetitious with him discussing passage around the globe from port to port but the overall story very much gives a flavor of what it was like in those days to travel the world by sea. it was very interesting to hear about all of these obscure foreign ports. it's hard to comprehend that back in the 1800s these men were literally stopping at every Port City around the globe. even in modern times it's very striking to travel to foreign cities and seeing foreign peoples in their cultures. I Can Only Imagine that roughly 200 years ago how jarring that must have been.

interesting history

it was very interesting and I enjoyed listening go it. I am an 83 year old woman .