Sailing

Close To The Wind: The Beaufort Scale

In 1810, a British naval officer and surveyor named Francis Beaufort developed a scale to give sailors a common language for describing the wind. From 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane), stunning artwork and jaunty prose show what life at sea must have been like for a young boy serving as a midshipman in the 1800s. As William sails from Naples to the Caribbean, we learn intriguing historical information and nautical terminology, and witness how the wind affected day-to-day life on a ship. Detailed illustrations show the wind at work, and readers will be engrossed and fascinated as they watch the storm develop in magnificent full-color paintings.

The Pirate Queen

Grania O’Malley was born with the mark of a sailor and the light of the sea in her eye. As she grew, tales of her courage and heroic deeds traveled across Ireland. But when she came up against a ruthless governor, even fearless Grania was stymied. So she turns to a woman more powerful than she in this heart-stopping tale that’s as big as the Irish Sea.

Grandpa Jack’s Tattoo Tales

Grandpa Jack has seen flying fish, giant octopuses, and mermaids. He’s sailed all the oceans of the world, and he has a host of stories to tell about his adventures – and a tattoo for each of them. So when a customer at Grandpa Jack’s diner asks about one of his tattoos, Chloe’s grandpa delivers a whale of a tale.

The Castaways

Tom Tin and his four convict companions are only too glad when they come upon a deserted ship. The boys clamber aboard, not knowing whether they’ve been saved or set on a course toward doom. But after rescuing two men stranded on a melting iceberg, Tom begins to suspect that these unsavory sailors are dangerous castaways from this very vessel. The more Tom questions the men, the more they dislike him. So, when Tom overhears them plotting to get rid of him, he knows they mean it. But the other boys don’t feel threatened – at least not until the sailors attempt to sell them as slaves, a decision that ends with death for some and with Tom sailing the ship home to England. Soon Tom discovers that he has to cast away every ill-intentioned companion from his voyage home before he can truly be free.

The adventure that began in The Convicts and continued in The Cannibals has its conclusion in The Castaway.

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim

Snipp, Snapp and Snurr were three little boys who lived in Sweden. They had blue eyes and yellow hair, and they looked very much alike.One summer, the boys went to the seashore with their nanny. Although they didn’t know how to swim, Snipp and Snapp decided to go ‘sailing’ in Nanny’s washtub. Luckily, Snurr ran and got help from their friend Nick. One thing was certain after that–it was time for the boys to learn to swim! It took many lessons and a lot of practice, but in time Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr proudly showed their parents their new skills–and then they even won a swimming contest!

The Mutiny On The Bounty

Life sailing with the Royal Navy in the 1780’s was particularly miserable: sailors slept in crowded hammocks, ate moldy cheese and maggoty bread, and were subject to very harsh discipline.  So when the HMS Bounty arrived in Tahiti after 11 months at sea, the crew of the Bounty thought it was heaven on earth. Living on the island paradise made them lazy and careless.  As the return journey began, Captain Bligh’s crew proved reluctant to leave. His temper began to flare, and his second-in-command and old friend Fletcher Christian suffered the worst of Bligh’s outbursts. His honor at stake and a longing to return to the island, Christian led a mutiny, then set Bligh and 18 loyal crew members adrift in a launch.   A daring escape by Christian and the mutineers, paired with Bligh’s amazing story of survival all make up one of history’s most rousing true maritime tales.  Patrick O’Brien’s 85 illustrations reach epic proportions of drama and realism.