Here you can relive the excitements of an apprentice sailor. The ship was captured and decommissioned by the Germans shortly after it's arrival back home. I love Eric Newby. However, life becomes easier with the return of the Trades but then Moshulu becomes becalmed. Absolutely brilliant. As the ship waits in port, he spends his time chipping away at the rust on the ship's hull but also befriends John Sömmarström, the ship's sailmaker, 58 years old, 43 of which have been at sea, who explains all the technicalities of a square rig to the young greenhorn. March 1st 1999 I'm going to learn to sail through a course and official channels and i'm considered half mad for taking a year out to do this. The Last Grain Race (Picador Books): Amazon.co.uk: Newby, Eric: 9780330318853: Books Aug 17, 2011 - Description: In the early 20th century sailing ships would compete to be the first to bring a grain cargo from Australia to the UK. Written in the mid 1950’s about a voyage which took place in 1939 and – due to the imminent WW2 and the introduction of new technologies (ships with engines) – was one of the last such journeys to take place. Of such stuff discipline is made. I'll lay my cards on the table. Its cargo of wheat was … Here you can relive the excitements of an apprentice sailor. While 1939 was arguably the last Grain race worthy of the name, as it was followed by World War II and the consequent near-total interruption of commercial shipping, commercial sailing ships still sailed the route after the war for two more years in 1948 and 1949.[1]. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In 1938, at the age of 17, Eric newby signed on as an apprentice seaman on the Moshulu, one of the last of the commercial sailing ships. the horrible living and working conditions, disgusting food, fights, bullying etc, are vividly described, but also you get a sense of how exciting it was to be on a great sailing ship, and there are many humorous incidents. Eric Newby has done so much, and has been so many places that it boggles the mind. In 1938 an eighteen-year-old boy signed on for the round trip from Europe to Australia in the last commercial sailing fleet to make that formidable journey. The only difference is that they are at sea and risking their life most of the time. I read my father's paperback. A lively reminiscence of a bygone age when sailing ships were the top commercial transports. I remembered seeing the book lying in the small heated office as mom and I would bring him his supper as she always did when he was on "duty" hours into the night. She was carrying 59,000 sacks of grain. Tension rises as weather conditions worsen, and Newby finally fights Hermansonn, whom Newby is able to smash after ten minutes. Apparently he was not important enough to sack. In 1939, a young Eric Newby – later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent – set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Refresh and try again. The Last Grain Race is a 1956 book by Eric Newby, a travel writer, about his time spent on the four-masted steel barque Moshulu during the vessel's last voyage in the Australian grain trade. In one period of twenty-four hours when the Pampero (a wind off the east coast of South America) was blowing, the port and starboard watches, eight men to a watch, took in, re-set, took and re-set again twenty-eight sails, the heaviest of which weighed 11/2 tons - a total of 112 operations. I don't like to spend too much time thinking about how wonderful the past was because we'll never know it but I envy Newby's carefree manner and how he went sailing because his advertising job folded. The Last Grain Race goes into great detail describing the operation of a sailing ship, complete with obscure jargon names for the sails and rigging. On the 34th day, Moshulu crosses the Equator and, along with a bottle of Akvavit from the captain, the new crewmen undergo the initiation ceremony – their heads are covered in tar and red lead. the horrible living and working conditions, disgusting food, fights, bullying etc, are vividly described, but also you get a sense of how exciting it was to be on a great sa. This is a fascinating look at a way of life that was about to vanish forever. It is at this stage that Newby almost kills himself by not attaching his bosun's chair correctly. I read it twice. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. An engaging and informative first-hand account of the last ‘grain race’ of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby. In 1939, a young Eric Newby - later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent - set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Newby is an extremely self-effacing and likeable narrator and the book is a joy from start to finish. He also has to undertake horrific jobs like cleaning the heads (the lavatories) and doing backstern—washing up for the 20 occupants of the three forecastles. Th Moshulu set a record of 396 miles in one day on her trip and won the last grain race against 12 other ships. I knew then that I would never see sailing like this again. The era of commercial sailing vessels finally died the death in the years just before WWII, and Eric Newby was aboard the last ship, or nearly the last ship, for the occasion. An engaging and informative first-hand account of the last ‘grain race’ of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby.In 1939, a young Eric Newby – later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent – set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. In 1939, a young Eric Newby – later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent – set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Item Price. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The Last Grain Race. The writing has great humour and pace and we learn about what made the callow teenager a man. Eric Newby beautifully describes his life as an apprentice on "Moshulu". Add to Cart Buy Now Add to Wishlist. On 27 June, the ship is warped with difficulty into Queen's Dock, Glasgow. Eric Newby was a cracking travel writer, I have enjoyed a lot of his books but this was a favourite. By the 1930s, the grain trade from South Australia to Europe was the last enterprise in which square-riggers could engage with any real hope of profit, and then only if the owner had a keen interest in reducing running costs. Let me start by saying I know nothing really about sailing or sailing ships and had no particular interest in them. In 1939, a young Eric Newby - later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent - set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. This book chronicles the beginning of his life as a true adventurer, when on the eve of WWII, he shipped out as a complete novice seaman on one of the largest sailing vessels ever built, bound for Australia and back. In 1939, a young Eric Newby – later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent – set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Being a crew member on Mushulu or another commercial ship before the second world war is comparable to work in a penal colony. As she approaches Fastnet, the ship is approached by five men in a rowing boat to whom they give presents and they also receive some lobsters from a smack. No_Favorite. In 1938, at the age of 17, Eric newby signed on as an apprentice seaman on the Moshulu, one of the last of the commercial sailing ships. I was ready to drive from Seattle to San Francisco when I stopped at the library for some road music and a book on tape. EMBED. The Last Grain Race is a 1956 book by Eric Newby, a travel writer, about his time spent on the four masted steel barque Moshulu's last voyage in the Australian grain … An engaging and informative first-hand account of the last ‘grain race’ of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby. The Last Grain Race is an enormously entertaining book about an extraordinary adventure at the end of the era of sail. At the age of nineteen he got his first command in the North Sea, and after that spent six years in deep-water sail as a mate. I read my father's paperback. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The work of handling large acreages of sail was very heavy, even for men and boys with strong constitutions. So he left anyway and signed on as an apprentice on a windjammer for a round-the-world voyage. The Last Grain Race. There are lots of technical sailing terms but you don't need to understand them to appreciate the book. Robert Barclay of Glasgow, founded an engineering & ship building company in … This particular day, I found a jewel by one of the greats, Eric Newby's "The Last Grain Race". The four-masted barque. When it lost an account, many of his colleagues were sacked. The Last Grain Race is an enormously entertaining book about an extraordinary adventure at the end of the era of sail. An engaging and informative first-hand account of the last ‘grain race’ of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby. A portrait from the last days of the age of sail. The Last Grain Race is Eric Newby's spell-binding account of his time spent on the Moshulu's last voyage in the Australian grain trade. See what your friends thought of this book is about to vanish forever I have enjoyed lot... About the last grain race '' Good Hope trip with lots of danger and but. In the North Sea timber trade Want to read seems to have been working too hard the... 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