Physical description

Navy blue cloth cover with embossed golden lettering on the spine, and mustard dust jacket illustrated by original painting by Commander DGM Gardner. xvi, 176 p. : 16 plates, illus., maps, ports. ; 22 cm. Includes index.

Publication type

non-fiction

Inscriptions & markings

Stamp in black ink: CANCELLED and 71/Essendon Broadmeadows Region Library Service

Summary

From dust jacket:

This is the unique story of the sailing ships owned by Sir William Garthwaite between 1915 and 1929, which formed in fact the last sailing merchant fleet to trade under the British flag.
Captain A.G. Course, a Cape Horner himself, tells the story of this fleet whose vessels sailed so often past the awesome tip of South America, with a wealth of detail, happily marrying factual information and anecdote to produce a valuable historical record. Here are some of the last great characters of the age of sail, both men and ships, brought to life. The author's own close contact with the vessels and their crews allows him to capture the atmosphere most realistically.
The Garthwaite ships, for all the effort put into their operation, were fighting a last-ditch stand against the inevitable supremacy of steam. It is with a certain nostalgia that the author records the passing of a fine fleet and documents an important chapter in maritime history.