Learning the Ropes: a seaman's apprenticeship

by Julie Stone

learning the a seaman's apprenticeship follows the exciting journey of Frederick William Butterworth, the author's grandfather, through his four year apprenticeship aboard Welsh-owned cargo carrier, the Penrhyn Castle, from 1890-1894. The tale of adventure and adversity begins in Bristol Harbour with the building of the steel-hulled Penrhyn Castle, and sixteen year old Fred's dream to run away to sea. It then takes the reader through the four return trips that Fred made around the treacherous Cape Horn route in order to complete his apprenticeship and become an Able Seaman. The book is crammed with factual information and a minutiae of detail that brings the story alive and satisfies even the most exacting historian. A selection of diagrams and photographs further enrich the tale. Readers learn about the wages that Fred and his fellow seaman earned, the poor food they ate and the weather conditions they had to contend with. Throughout, readers become aware of in-depth details about the ins and outs of sailing at the end of the nineteenth century and also about the places in which the Penrhyn Castle was docked. The book concludes with a summary of Fred's life following his time at sea, and the unsolved, mysterious disappearance of the Penrhyn Castle. learning the a seaman's apprenticeship is fast paced and a pleasure to read - whether on the level of an historical account or a seafaring adventure.

92 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2000

About the author

Julie Stone was born a child of the seventies complete with rainbow shirts, bell bottoms and a belief in unicorns. All that whim and whimsey ushered her into the wonderful world of being a teenager in the eighties, something she has a hard time letting go of most days. I mean, the styles, the music, the movies? It was a playground for the creative mind she was growing.

Alas, she had to leave all that behind and become an adult. Graduating with a degree in English from the University of Iowa (go Hawks!) where along with a degree she also earned herself a husband. She embarked on all of the regular, boring grown up things that come with age. Until the magical world of motherhood brought along a new chapter of joy, terror and sleepless nights.  But also, nap time. Suddenly there was time to go back to her creative calling and write. Through raising two boys, several moves around the midwest, those stories and that keyboard kept her company and kept her, relatively sane. (Depending on who you ask.)

Currently settled in Iowa, she continues to pursue her love of the written word, her cats and sMothering the three boys in her life to the best of her abilities. She is the Author of three books, These Darn Heels, Deja Who? and Try, Try Again.