I tried searching and didn't see this video posted, but it is one of my favorites. For any of you who haven't seen it, the film's of Irving Johnson as a young man who grew up in Massachusetts, getting in shape, to enlist as a helper on the 4 masted ship Peking (the largest sailing ship in the world) in 1928, which he did. He took a (8mm?) movie camera and filmed much of his on board experience. Around 60 years later in 1980 the film was cleaned up, put together, remade, and Capitan Irving Johnson himself then in his 80's narrates this 25 minute film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLzBDhilDL0&t=11s

Watched the first couple minutes. That phone pole - HOLY CRAP!!!

That was fascinating. Thanks for posting. We today (and I include myself, not just the youngsters) have no idea how easy we have things.

On my bucket list is to visit all seven continents. The past year or so I've been looking at interesting ways to get to Antarctica. I've got my mind made up that I want to sail there on a tall ship, the Barque Europa. They let you participate as part of the crew. You can get as involved as you feel comfortable with.

Hopefully that ride will be a bit less eventful whenever I decide to pull that trigger.

Thanks for posting.
It reminds me of my Grandfather who would have been in his 20's then. What a different world.
I try to imagine those MEN listening to a WOKE advocate from this day and age.

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
That was fascinating. Thanks for posting. We today (and I include myself, not just the youngsters) have no idea how easy we have things.

I very much agree and often try to put this into perspective to my young and older friends alike. Imagine doing this back in the 1700's. Today's "stress and hardships" are NOTHING compared to what previous generations dealt with.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ridewv,

I got a good start on the film and will certainly watch all of it. I kept think of the classic book “Two Years Before the Mast” (Richard Henry Dana Jr.). The diary of an educated man who signed on as a common sailor, Boston to California in the 1830s. I’ve got the book somewhere in a box and I’m certainly going to try and locate it.

Back when I was actually sailing, I read both books and accounts and like others can't even imagine how hard it was back then....

That was fantastic!

Thank you for posting it!!

I saw that film for the first time at a Maritime museum in, I think, Yaqats, OR on a tandem bike tour.
Years later I found a DVD of it. The early days of film and the last days of sailing, the Western frontier, and the horse and buggy make for fascinating looks into how hard life was, and how people took that hard life for granted.