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Books Related to Seamanship in the Age of Sail John H. Harland - ISBN: 0851771793
Great but technical guide to sailing tall ships - Rated
I have really enjoyed this book and would recommed it to anybody with a serious interest in sailing / naval history.
However being wounderfully detailed its not one I would recommed as an introduction to the subject.
Don't miss this book - Rated
I first read parts of this book, when I sailed in the brig Astrid from Rouen to Southampton in 1989. Aboard this fine little ship the book was used as some sort of training manual. Back at home I decided to buy it myself, which was not that easy from the netherlands. The bulk of the book is about managing ships with very large crews (in our vision) and heavy hard to handle rigging with almost no mechanical help. Things were done very different from the rather wellknown methods of the steel and iron windjammers. The sources of the author Harland are extensively analysed and he is not afraid to discuss conflicting opinions. I was surprised to learn he also used many foreign sources, including Dutch. I often consult with the book even after twelve years.
Excellently researched and beautifully presented book. - Rated
Anybody with more than a passing interest in old sailing ships will love this book. It is both very detailed and easily accessible. The text is both thorough and very easy to follow. It focuses on the handling of square-rigged warships of Nelson's time and comprehensively covers everything the budding novelist, historian or naval wargamer could possibly want to know. Included are sections on terminology, crew organisation, anatomy and development of the sail plan, as well as an excellent chapter on the physics of shiphandling. The book then goes on to describe the seamanship such as reefing, furling, steering, tacking and wearing from a historical, rather than modern or theoretical perspective. The diagrams by Mr Myers are an essential part of the book and with the many photographs and paintings of the ships manage both clarify the text and show the beauty of the sailing ship. Anyone who has researched this period of history will realise how little information is easily available about the practical art of sailing these ships and how easily it is get misled by recent accounts of sailing the "modern" tall ships. Mr Harland has managed to find many original references and tie them together into an accurate and coherent account. While books on the battles and social history of Nelson's navy abound this one stands alone as the definitive guide to how the "wooden walls" were actually sailed. This book is a real tour de force of seamanship and exudes both a quality and thoroughness of research that is almost breathtaking.
