Category Archives: Mariners

Review of Pirates; The Pursuit and Captivity of Captain Jack Scarfield

It has been a long time since I read this kind of story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised at the outcome and stayed up late reading to see the characters through their battles.

There was no attempt to hide the gruesome nature of the time in history when pirates were the scourge of the American coastline. Robin Moore found the delicate balance of enough graphic description to not glorify the pirate and not so much that it was an overly bloody tale. There is an honesty in the rendering of the story to relate the fear of a pirate encounter and the risks of life at sea.

Moore’s writing exhibits a great deal of research into the ships of the pirate era, their manufacture, upkeep and battle damage and repair. The realism of early Philadelphia, Pennsylvania comes through in the wonderful descriptions of the characters home, streets and customs.

I highly recommend this as family read aloud, or for the young persons first dive into nautical adventure. Adults don’t turn your back on this quick, engaging read of pirate adventure and coming of age.

Ties to a Shipyard Story

Allen, that is a family name, my Paternal Grandmother was Pauline Allen Marshall. She was from Port Greville, Nova Scotia Canada.  Here she is as a young woman in Rye New Hampshire.   She came to the United States as a young teen to work in the Amoskeag Mills in Manchester, NH. Allen is an… Continue Reading

The Bosun’s Pipe A Calling

The Bosun’s Pipe A Calling

It was not so long ago when I was playing with a slide whistle that I remembered a great whistle. It was a shiny Bosun’s Whistle that had been in the family. I was not sure who it belonged to , but I do remember that I was entranced by it as a child. The… Continue Reading