The Cruise of the Alerte
by E. F. Knight
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Finding that there were no suitable stones near this beach, we got in the boat again and rowed to West Bay, to see if we should have better luck there. Three islets-- as indicated in the plan of Trinidad-- lie off the east side of the Ness. We found that the narrow deep-water channel between these and the cape could be taken with safety on a fine day like this. As a rule, this channel is impracticable, for the ocean swell penetrating it produces a great commotion, the sea being dashed with show more violence from the cliffs on one side to those on the other, so that the entire channel presents the appearance of a boiling cauldron; and, even on this quiet day, we had to keep the boat carefully in the middle, for the waves leapt high up the rocky walls with a loud noise, which was repeated in manifold echoes by the crags above. When we were in the passage between the third islet and the shore the scene before us was most impressive. show lessTags
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Knight writes an engaging travelogue of his cruise from England to an island named Trinidad in 1889 in search of buried treasure. He starts the narrative in the Fall of 1888, leaves Southampton in late August 1889 and manages to return in February 1890 (whether successful or not, I won't disclose).
He includes all the important details for such a trip as this and one gets the impression that following his steps of preparation, his packing lists and his timeline, a successful voyage could be made today.
As a sailor, I particularly appreciate Knight's ability to depict the sea, the islands, his moorings and the various difficulties encountered and how their little yacht was handled through them.
While in the middle of this book, I was show more astounded by the similarities to [book: Peter Duck] and others from the [author: Ransome] series and will have more to say about that later.
I've rated this book two of five stars mostly because you've got to be a certain type of reader to get through Knight's writings. This is not an armchair expedition but a synopsis of the Alerte's logs and as a consequence, may be a bit dry to some readers. show less
He includes all the important details for such a trip as this and one gets the impression that following his steps of preparation, his packing lists and his timeline, a successful voyage could be made today.
As a sailor, I particularly appreciate Knight's ability to depict the sea, the islands, his moorings and the various difficulties encountered and how their little yacht was handled through them.
While in the middle of this book, I was show more astounded by the similarities to [book: Peter Duck] and others from the [author: Ransome] series and will have more to say about that later.
I've rated this book two of five stars mostly because you've got to be a certain type of reader to get through Knight's writings. This is not an armchair expedition but a synopsis of the Alerte's logs and as a consequence, may be a bit dry to some readers. show less
Fabulous story of real life treasure seeing in the late 1800's. E. F. Knight sails the cutter Alerte, with a crew of volunteers and paid hands, to dig for fabulous treasure. Descriptions of living off the land rather disconcerting to a 21st century environmentalist! Best read for the descriptions of this amazing South Atlantic Island, now know as Ilha da Trindade. The edition I read had an introduction by Arthur Ransome - this book was the inspiration for his novel "Peter Duck" and fans of that work will recognise much here! One for fans of adventure and sailing.
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Belongs to Publisher Series
The Mariners Library (21)
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1890
- Important places
- Trinidad, South Atlantic (not Caribbean)
- Dedication
- [None]
- First words
- In the course of a long cruise in the South Atlantic and up the South Amrican rivers, in the years 1880 and 1881, in my little yacht the 'Falcon,' I found myself, more by accident than intention, in the neighbourhood of the s... (show all)mall desert island of Trinidad.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Do you still believe in the existence of the treasure?" is a question that has been often put to me since my return. Knowing all I do, I have very little doubt that the story of the Russian Finn is substantially true - that the treasures of Lima were hidden on Trinidad; but whether they have been taken away, or whether they are still there and we failed to find them because we were not in possession of one link in the directions, I am unable to say.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 40
- Popularity
- 729,000
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 4
