Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days Quotes

“In the morning light the scene was beyond compare. The mountains and the hills were bathed in the soft light of the coming day, and the glowing, richly tinted clouds that encircled them. The lighter green of the hillsides contrasted with the deeper shades of the valleys and the graceful foliage of the waving palms that extended around the beach. The groves of orange trees bending with their golden fruit, mingled with the breadfruit trees, and the banana with its great green leaves, while the morning breeze, laden with the breath of flowers, came from the shore, distilling a fragrance rarely inhaled in other lands.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“Moonlight on the water. Can anything be more beautiful than a ship on the water at night, under the soft light of a full moon, in the region of the trade winds? There is a fine, steady breeze filling every sail, with the canvas asleep and showing snow-white in its beams, each sail and spar and rope standing out in bold relief, and while a portion of the ship hidden from its rays makes of the whole a perfect picture of lights and shadows, the ship glides noiselessly on; no sound, save the striking of the bell that tells the passing hours of the night, and an occasional order from the officer of the deck. Many such nights we remained on deck till past the midnight hour when the scene was too beautiful for us to leave and go below.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“Hindoo religious festival was being held at Saugor Island, and the river was covered with boats decorated with flowers containing gaily dressed natives, male and female, all bound for the island to take part in the rites. These consisted, in part, of offering their female children to the immense crocodiles that swarmed in the waters of the Hoogly and especially around Saugor at this time. The cries and shrieks of the victims were drowned in the music and shouting of the multitude. This custom of sacrificing female children has since been done away with by the government.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“We sailed from Coquimbo with a strong northerly wind, and passed the latitude of Cape Horn in ten or twelve days from port, when, taking a strong, westerly gale, we scudded past under a close-reefed main topsail, and reefed foresail, with a fearful sea sweeping after, every wave having a most ominous look as it rose high above the taffrail, but our good barque seemed to realize the danger, and rose to each mountain of water as light and graceful as a bird. Squalls of snow and hail, beating fiercely upon us, followed each other in rapid succession, while two men at the wheel had all the work they could do to keep the barque before it, yet she was not a hard-steering craft.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“Deep in the wave is a coral grove, Where the purple mullet and gold fish rove, Where the sea flower spreads its leaves of blue That never are wet with the falling dew, But in bright and changeful beauty shine Far down in the deep and glassy brine.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“Tattooing was a fine art in these islands. In those days it was almost universal among sailors, to a greater or less extent. It was not long before the crew found an old native who was a past master in the art, and before the ship sailed I do not think there was a member of the crew upon whom he had not exercised his skill. The specimens of his work on my arms today, although nearly sixty years have elapsed, are as fresh and bright as when first put in.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“One fine morning the welcome cry of “Land, ho!” greeted our ears, and ere long Tahiti and Moorea were in plain sight. Beautiful Otaheite! well named the “Garden of the Pacific!” It would take a more able pen than mine to describe your charms!”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“I loved to steer the ship, and in a short time became an expert helmsman. What glorious weather one experiences within the limits of these trade winds! — a long swell that kept the “Ariel” gently rolling from side to side, the wind being nearly dead aft, steady trades, not varying a half-point day after day and week after week, no squalls, no sails to trim, only an occasional pull at the halliards to bowse everything taut, wind not over strong, but enough to bowl the ship along from seven to eight knots per hour, a cloudless sky o’erhead, with the exception of the light fleecy trade clouds that constantly hung around the horizon, and bright, warm sunshine every day, while the nights were resplendent with the brilliancy of the constellations of the southern hemisphere. This was indeed ideal sailing.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“With the words, “We commit the body to the deep,” the end of the plank was lifted, and the hammock, heavily weighted at the end, slid down, and, with a splash, the blue sea closed over all that remained of our shipmate, while the order to “Fill away the main topsail!” brought us back to a realization that all was over, and our messmate gone forever.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days

“About dusk the land breeze came off, sweeping over the ship, laden with the fragrance of tropical fruits and flowers so heavy with perfume as to almost intoxicate the senses. This, mingled with the fresh earthy smell, to which we had so long been strangers, was inhaled in deep draughts.”
― John D. Whidden, Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days