Book Review: All Sail Set

Set in 1851, All Sails Set is the story of the record setting maiden voyage of the Flying Cloud. During the golden age of sailing ships in the United States, the innovations of design found in a clipper were scorned as "not seaworthy" by the old "salts." They predicted nothing but calamity and catastrophe for a ship whose bow was "turned inside out." 

The central figure of the story is young Enoch Thacher, whose father had died shortly after losing everything when a ship he invested in went down with all hands. Enoch and his mother were left with little to live on and so Enoch decided it was up to him to earn their support. Through his father's reputation, he was signed on in the shipyards of a famous designer and builder of clipper ships, Donald McKay. 

It was there that Enoch saw the model for the Flying Cloud and it was love at first sight. Though he had no experience with sailing, he somehow knew he would be part of her crew.

"Aye, as if it were yesterday, I remember that moment. Perhaps destiny, hovering above our heads, sweeps close enough sometimes for us to feel the brush of its wing. I knew that this ship and my life were to be bound up together, come what might."                                        (page 12)

During the months of her construction, he lovingly watched every detail. When her moorings were cast and she left the harbor to be transferred to the owners, a piece of his heart died. He felt part of him leave with her.

Wonder of wonders, the famous McKay stopped at Enoch's desk a few days later and sat down to talk. He asked Enoch what was wrong. The question was strictly rhetorical. He already knew the problem. And he had come to offer a solution. He told Enoch that he had made arrangements for him to ship out aboard the Flying Cloud as an apprentice, even receiving the blessing of Enoch's mother. 


And so the glorious day dawned, he was aboard and they were casting off on her maiden voyage. The trip from New York around the tip of South America to San Francisco was not for the faint of heart. And the initiation to life aboard a ship was grueling. As the lowest ranking members of the crew, abuse from others was common. And it wasn't long before Enoch had made an enemy. An older crew member named Sneed antagonized him until Enoch threw a punch. The second mate intervened and marched the two up on deck so that the fight would be a fair one. Although the older man had distinct advantages, it was Enoch who prevailed. Everyone there knew Sneed would seek an opportunity to exact his revenge. And so Enoch lived looking over his shoulder.


The captain, a wise and skilled man of the sea, needed to know what the ship was capable of and so he pressed her to a point of such extreme stress that many of the crew thought he was mad. An attempted mutiny followed, led by Sneed. The captain and officers quickly saved the day and put the mutineers in chains. But troubles were far from ended. 


As the ship came into the Roaring 40's a terrible gale broke loose. The crew, including the mutineers who were temporarily freeed, endured days of unending toil and fear. Many times it looked like the end had come. But somehow the ship always righted herself, through the skillful handling of her captain. One of Enoch's fellow apprentices was swept overboard, never to be seen again. All despaired of life. But after what seemed an eternity, they finally made it safely around the Cape and into the Pacific. It was clear sailing from there to California. Or so they thought.


One day Enoch was sent down to the rope locker to fetch a length of hemp. Little did he know his enemy, Sneed, had managed to saw through his chains and was ready to take his revenge. Who knows what went through his mind? Maybe he had gone mad being locked below deck for so long, but he had set the ship on fire! When Enoch came into the room and saw what was happening, Sneed attacked him. After overcoming Sneed for a second time, all he could think about was trying to save his beloved Cloud. He fought the fire until succumbing to the smoke. The next thing he remembered was lying atop the table in the dining saloon. He was in pain, but didn't know why. He couldn't put any of the confusing pieces of memory together in a way that made sense.


The crew carried him to a hospital in San Francisco where he spent uncounted days in a fog. When he finally became conscious, he was swathed in bandages over most of his body and one of his young friends from the ship was standing over him. He had turned a corner and would survive his burns, but the healing would be a long, slow process. 


The Flying Cloud had indeed set the record for the passage: 89 days and 21 hours. They were the talk of the town. Of the whole nation, in fact. Enoch knew the ship would have to leave for China, their next port of call, before he was able to sail. And so with a heavy heart, but one still filled with love and pride, he watched the ship sail out of San Francisco Bay. 


Now this was a well told tale. Armstrong Sperry, the author and illustrator first published the book in 1935. I would classify it as historical fiction because so many elements of the story are factual. Sperry's dexterity with words is joyful. After reading it, you feel as if you should walk with a rolling gait and be able to smell the salt in the air. As the illustrator too, Sperry's black and white engraving-like illustrations are the icing on the cake. I loved everything about this classic tale of the sea. 

Here's our "crew" on a tall masted ship on a cruise out of Traverse City, MI

On our trip to Michigan a few years ago, we went on an afternoon cruise on this ship. It was glorious. The ship is "a replica of an 1800’s “coasting” cargo schooner, similar to those that sailed the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean."

One of the crew members offered to take this shot for us. Scary!!!

#10 in the 52 in 52 challenge. I think I'm finally caught up!! Yipee!