The Cruise Of The Alerte

The Mariners Library #21

by Edward Frederick Knight

The Cruise of the Alerte is a thrilling adventure novel by E.F. Knight. The story follows the journey of the Alerte, a small sailing vessel, as it sets out on a voyage to explore the coast of Brittany. The crew, led by the narrator, encounter a series of exciting and dangerous situations as they navigate treacherous waters, battle fierce storms, and face off against pirates and smugglers. Along the way, they also encounter a range of fascinating characters, including a mysterious woman who joins them on board and a group of eccentric artists living on a remote island. As the voyage progresses, tensions rise and secrets are revealed, leading to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion. With vivid descriptions of the sea and the rugged coastline of Brittany, The Cruise of the Alerte is a gripping tale of adventure, danger, and discovery.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 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.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

168 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1984

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 astounded by the similarities to Peter Duck and others from the 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.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on the plane to and from home for Thanksgiving and oh gosh it put travel into perspective. I found it a thrilling piece of adventure writing, yet I wouldn't recommend it as there is not much of plot besides the hunt for treasure. It was more of a captains log turned pseudo-narrative, which I appreciated.

[Erik Empson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure delight for a treasure seeking landlubber born in the wrong century.