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Off the Deep End: A History of Madness at Sea
Confined in a small space for months on end, subject to ship's discipline and living on limited food supplies, many sailors of old lost their minds--and no wonder. Many still do.
The result in some instances was bloodthirsty mutinies, such as the whaleboat Sharon whose captain was butchered and fed to the ship's pigs in a crazed attack in the Pacific. Or mob violence, such as the 147 survivors on the raft of the Medusa, who slaughtered each other in a two-week orgy of violence. So serious was the problem that the Royal Navy's own physician claimed sailors were seven times more likely to go mad than the rest of the population.
Historic figures such as Christopher Columbus, George Vancouver, Fletcher Christian (leader of the munity of the Bounty), and Robert FitzRoy (founder of the Met Office) have all had their sanity questioned.
More recently, sailors in today's round-the-world races often experience disturbing hallucinations, including seeing elephants floating in the sea and strangers taking the helm, or suffer complete psychological breakdown, like Donald Crowhurst. Others become hypnotized by the sea and jump to their deaths.
Off the Deep End looks at the sea's physical character, how it confuses our senses and makes rational thought difficult. It explores the long history of madness at sea and how that is echoed in many of today's yacht races. It looks at the often-marginal behavior of sailors living both figuratively and literally outside society's usual rules. And it also looks at the sea's power to heal, as well as cause, madness.
The result in some instances was bloodthirsty mutinies, such as the whaleboat Sharon whose captain was butchered and fed to the ship's pigs in a crazed attack in the Pacific. Or mob violence, such as the 147 survivors on the raft of the Medusa, who slaughtered each other in a two-week orgy of violence. So serious was the problem that the Royal Navy's own physician claimed sailors were seven times more likely to go mad than the rest of the population.
Historic figures such as Christopher Columbus, George Vancouver, Fletcher Christian (leader of the munity of the Bounty), and Robert FitzRoy (founder of the Met Office) have all had their sanity questioned.
More recently, sailors in today's round-the-world races often experience disturbing hallucinations, including seeing elephants floating in the sea and strangers taking the helm, or suffer complete psychological breakdown, like Donald Crowhurst. Others become hypnotized by the sea and jump to their deaths.
Off the Deep End looks at the sea's physical character, how it confuses our senses and makes rational thought difficult. It explores the long history of madness at sea and how that is echoed in many of today's yacht races. It looks at the often-marginal behavior of sailors living both figuratively and literally outside society's usual rules. And it also looks at the sea's power to heal, as well as cause, madness.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2017
19 people are currently reading
848 people want to read
About the author
Nic Compton
33 books24 followersNic Compton is a writer/photographer specialising in sailing - but with a keen interest in environmental issues. After an idyllic childhood on boats in the Mediterranean, he returned to the UK at age 14 to complete his formal education, including in a degree in English with American & Commonwealth Arts at Exeter University. After a decade or so working as a journeyman shipwright, he studied Journalism at City University, eventually fetching up at the offices of Classic Boat in land-locked Croydon. He was deputy editor and then editor of the magazine from 1994 to 2000. That was when he gave up the security of the monthly pay packet for the vagaries of freelance life. Since then he has travelled the world as a writer/photographer, contributing to a variety of magazines, and has written 15 books mostly about boats. He recently completed an MA in Global Political Economy at Sussex University, and co-wrote two books about economics. He currently lives by the River Dart in Devon, UK, from where he sails a Romilly 22 called Ramona. More information at www.niccompton.co.uk.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 2, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the premise for this; Off The Deep End scrutinises the effects of the sea on mental health- whether that be to seamen, navigators, or modern day sailors. Nic Compton manages to include a vast number of conditions that could negatively impact mental health, as well as covering a broad timescale from the dawn of ships, to the explorations of 'uncharted waters' and beyond.
The early chapters are easily the best. I loved the explanations on the optical illusions known as 'Fata Morgana' and how this may have led sailors to interpret the phenomenon as The Flying Dutchman - leading to superstitions and religious fervor. From this point we are then introduced to Darwin, and his doomed captain and navigator aboard the Beagle, with suicide and madness. Then we jump to shipwrecks, whales with grudges, and cannibalism. It was certainly interesting - and after reading I can certainly see why seamen have such a high proportion of mental illness rates. It would seem everything is set against them - including even the rations and living quarters!
Everything is well researched and goes into some detail about various voyages and navigational terms. I appreciated this to some respect, as it's clear the author has spent a great deal of time carefully getting all the facts to help construct his arguments, but it also made the text heavy going at some points. It wasn't a light read, and I found myself dipping in and out of it in between other books. The text, as you might imagine, is also quite dark at times. There don't seem to be many happy endings for sailors.
I didn't enjoy the more contemporary chapters as interesting. I'm a history nerd at heart, and these just didn't hold my attention as much. Because of this, I found myself wishing there were more chapters on British naval history, and the stigmas attached to sailors of this time rather than now. However, I do understand that it's an important subject to broach, as the struggle against mental illness continues. I'm all for raising awareness.
An interesting topic.
I loved the premise for this; Off The Deep End scrutinises the effects of the sea on mental health- whether that be to seamen, navigators, or modern day sailors. Nic Compton manages to include a vast number of conditions that could negatively impact mental health, as well as covering a broad timescale from the dawn of ships, to the explorations of 'uncharted waters' and beyond.
The early chapters are easily the best. I loved the explanations on the optical illusions known as 'Fata Morgana' and how this may have led sailors to interpret the phenomenon as The Flying Dutchman - leading to superstitions and religious fervor. From this point we are then introduced to Darwin, and his doomed captain and navigator aboard the Beagle, with suicide and madness. Then we jump to shipwrecks, whales with grudges, and cannibalism. It was certainly interesting - and after reading I can certainly see why seamen have such a high proportion of mental illness rates. It would seem everything is set against them - including even the rations and living quarters!
Everything is well researched and goes into some detail about various voyages and navigational terms. I appreciated this to some respect, as it's clear the author has spent a great deal of time carefully getting all the facts to help construct his arguments, but it also made the text heavy going at some points. It wasn't a light read, and I found myself dipping in and out of it in between other books. The text, as you might imagine, is also quite dark at times. There don't seem to be many happy endings for sailors.
I didn't enjoy the more contemporary chapters as interesting. I'm a history nerd at heart, and these just didn't hold my attention as much. Because of this, I found myself wishing there were more chapters on British naval history, and the stigmas attached to sailors of this time rather than now. However, I do understand that it's an important subject to broach, as the struggle against mental illness continues. I'm all for raising awareness.
An interesting topic.
October 26, 2019
We all have the capacity to go "off the deep end" but it seems to happen more often when one is at sea, whether as a crewperson on a ship or a tourist on a cruise or as naval personnel. We come from the oceans and those waters seem committed to luring us back into the fathoms, whether we want to or not. In this sometimes fascinating volume about various maritime afflictions, author Nic Compton relates a history of what can go wrong when one becomes too involved with the waves.
Drinking sea water is not a good thing to do. Although the human body needs a certain amount of salt to survive, too much can overwhelm our kidneys. Delirium will set in and the person who drank the sea water will grow quieter. But then the craziness starts and froth appears on the lips. Quiet becomes violence and in most cases, the sea-drinking victim will jump over the side or simply swim off in search of mirages.
Another seaborne malady is calenture. This occurs when folks used to living in cold and/or temperate climates suddenly find themselves on boats in the torrid zones, where the heat can make one delirious. Trees seem to appear on the water which makes the feverish patient happy, so happy in fact, that they'll do anything they can to embrace those trees. Then there is paranoia which becomes deadly when it's the captain or other crew members who believe others are out to get them. They can cause ships to be wrecked or set on fire, leading to yet more tragedy.
While reading this, I first thought of the Magellan voyage and the fear those men must have felt in not knowing if the next wave would bring danger or insanity or scurvy. It's not as though you can pull a cord and just step on to a safe platform. It's that element of danger that makes the oceans so mighty. I felt some of that fear while reading this as there are stories of cannibalism, lost ships, and human nature at its most evil. Sometimes it goes off a bit and I became lost in paragraphs that took me in another direction, but all in all it's a good read about an interesting subject.
Book Season = Winter (isolation and loneliness)
Drinking sea water is not a good thing to do. Although the human body needs a certain amount of salt to survive, too much can overwhelm our kidneys. Delirium will set in and the person who drank the sea water will grow quieter. But then the craziness starts and froth appears on the lips. Quiet becomes violence and in most cases, the sea-drinking victim will jump over the side or simply swim off in search of mirages.
Another seaborne malady is calenture. This occurs when folks used to living in cold and/or temperate climates suddenly find themselves on boats in the torrid zones, where the heat can make one delirious. Trees seem to appear on the water which makes the feverish patient happy, so happy in fact, that they'll do anything they can to embrace those trees. Then there is paranoia which becomes deadly when it's the captain or other crew members who believe others are out to get them. They can cause ships to be wrecked or set on fire, leading to yet more tragedy.
While reading this, I first thought of the Magellan voyage and the fear those men must have felt in not knowing if the next wave would bring danger or insanity or scurvy. It's not as though you can pull a cord and just step on to a safe platform. It's that element of danger that makes the oceans so mighty. I felt some of that fear while reading this as there are stories of cannibalism, lost ships, and human nature at its most evil. Sometimes it goes off a bit and I became lost in paragraphs that took me in another direction, but all in all it's a good read about an interesting subject.
Book Season = Winter (isolation and loneliness)
December 13, 2017
Important things I have learned from this book: Do not go to sea. Do not drink salt water no matter how thirsty you are. Do not go to sea. Do not spend all your time at sea getting drunk. Do not go to sea. Do not assume everything is just fine if there is a walking talking alligator giving you navigational advice at the helm. Do not go to sea. Check before you get rescued to see if there are other survivors on the ship instead of just leaving them and moving on. Do not go to sea. Do not believe the images you see on the horizon - many are optical illusions. Do not go to sea. Do not pick the short straw when deciding which of you will be killed so the rest can eat you. And if you do make it back safely, for the love of god, do not go back out to sea.
January 4, 2019
Bij het zien van de schitterende cover van Het Noorden verloren van Nic Compton krijg je een vredig gevoel, je wilt naar het strand om naar de zee te kijken, om lekker uit te waaien. De titel maakt je een beetje bang, maar ook nieuwsgierig, je wilt weten wat ermee bedoeld wordt.
Het Noorden verloren van Nic Compton is een taboe doorbrekend, huiveringwekkend boek dat laat zien dat niet alle verhalen over vermisten op zee, waarom ze vermist zijn, waar zijn, dat er vaak meer achter zit, maar dat dat verzwegen wordt en vaak een ander verhaal wordt opgehangen. Waarom dat verzwegen wordt, dat kan je lezen in het boek. Het is een boek dat je aan het denken zet, anders naar de zee laat kijken.
Een ieder die een zeevaart wil maken, alleen of met anderen, zou dit boek moeten lezen en zich daarna moeten afvragen of hij dat daarna nog wil. Het boek laat zien dat het niet alleen maar leuk is op zee, maar dat het ook zijn nare kanten heeft. Het laat zien wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een schipbreuk meemaken, wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een lange tijd met weing eten en drinken op zee zijn, het verschil tussen vroeger en nu, hoe zwaar het psychologisch kan zijn als je een lange tijd alleen maar op zee zit zonder land te zien, wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een lange tijd met anderen op een kleine oppervlakte moeten werken en leven, hoeveel zelfmoorden er op zee zijn gepleegd, hoeveel verdachte gevallen van zelfmoorden er op de grote- en kleine vaart zijn en wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een solozeereis om de wereld maken.
Lees verder op https://surfingann.blogspot.com/2019/....
Het Noorden verloren van Nic Compton is een taboe doorbrekend, huiveringwekkend boek dat laat zien dat niet alle verhalen over vermisten op zee, waarom ze vermist zijn, waar zijn, dat er vaak meer achter zit, maar dat dat verzwegen wordt en vaak een ander verhaal wordt opgehangen. Waarom dat verzwegen wordt, dat kan je lezen in het boek. Het is een boek dat je aan het denken zet, anders naar de zee laat kijken.
Een ieder die een zeevaart wil maken, alleen of met anderen, zou dit boek moeten lezen en zich daarna moeten afvragen of hij dat daarna nog wil. Het boek laat zien dat het niet alleen maar leuk is op zee, maar dat het ook zijn nare kanten heeft. Het laat zien wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een schipbreuk meemaken, wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een lange tijd met weing eten en drinken op zee zijn, het verschil tussen vroeger en nu, hoe zwaar het psychologisch kan zijn als je een lange tijd alleen maar op zee zit zonder land te zien, wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een lange tijd met anderen op een kleine oppervlakte moeten werken en leven, hoeveel zelfmoorden er op zee zijn gepleegd, hoeveel verdachte gevallen van zelfmoorden er op de grote- en kleine vaart zijn en wat het met mensen kan doen als ze een solozeereis om de wereld maken.
Lees verder op https://surfingann.blogspot.com/2019/....
December 2, 2017
After reading the opening to this book, in which the author shares the story of his father’s psychological scars as a result of surviving a German U-boat attack in 1941, I was struck by the similarity of my father-in-law’s reticence to talk about what he experienced when he helped liberate Dachau concentration camp. It also compelled me to delve deeper into Off the Deep End to learn more about a subject that is sometimes alluded to, but rarely discussed in detail in the many maritime histories I have read. Equally astonishing is the fact that while non-fiction has skirted the subject, it has long been a central theme in literary works such as The Odyssey, Moby Dick, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Caine Mutiny.
Within the twenty-three chapters of this book, Compton examines madness and mental illness both in the past and the present. He explores a plethora of phenomena – seasickness, mirages and optical illusions, and hearing voices – that on the surface don’t seem to fall under this umbrella, but when explored in greater depth actually do. And he accomplishes this using everyday language that any reader will understand, rather than relying on scientific or medical jargon. Through first-person accounts or contemporary examples he showcases mood swings, stress, depression, obsessive behavior, calenture (feverish delirium and a desire to throw oneself into the sea), scurvy, psychoneurosis, and insanity. External factors – warfare, climate, syphilis, shipwreck, mutiny, piracy, and cannibalism – are also explored. Compton looks at both the effects on the sufferers and the impact on the crews. Some historical examples focus on events aboard HMS Beagle (before and during Charles Darwin’s voyage) and the whaleship Essex, as well as such individuals as Christopher Columbus, Captain Bligh, and Fletcher Christian. The book also examines how changes in ship technology and the stress of round-the-world sailing and solo voyages affect sailors.
Rather than end on a dismal note, Compton elects to show how the sea and sailing can also help to heal a person’s mind and body. He begins with the Reverend John Ashley, whose ministry to fishermen led to the establishment of missions that help sailors around the world, and progresses to such life-changing seafaring programs as Outward Bound and Turn to Starboard. One particularly heartwarming story that he shares resulted from a twelve-day voyage that helped to alter the millennium-long divide between two boys, one Israeli and the other Palestinian.
Some interesting artwork appears under the chapter titles. The endnotes provide additional information that doesn’t fit neatly into the narrative, as well as full bibliographic citations. Although no list of the organizations mentioned is included, this information can be found by hunting through the endnotes. Space was reserved for an index, which was not included in the e-galley I read.
Readers might wonder whether this is the best book to read in only a few sittings, but it never brought me down or left me feeling depressed. Instead, I experienced a sense of wonder and amazement that this topic has been ignored in other maritime books. I also had a few “aha” moments (example: Compton’s explanation of the Flying Dutchman). I highly recommend Off the Deep End, as it is not only a fascinating book but is also one that helps “to stimulate discussion of these issues and encourages a broader acceptance of the lows as well as the highs of life at sea,” which was Compton’s goal in writing this book. (261)
Within the twenty-three chapters of this book, Compton examines madness and mental illness both in the past and the present. He explores a plethora of phenomena – seasickness, mirages and optical illusions, and hearing voices – that on the surface don’t seem to fall under this umbrella, but when explored in greater depth actually do. And he accomplishes this using everyday language that any reader will understand, rather than relying on scientific or medical jargon. Through first-person accounts or contemporary examples he showcases mood swings, stress, depression, obsessive behavior, calenture (feverish delirium and a desire to throw oneself into the sea), scurvy, psychoneurosis, and insanity. External factors – warfare, climate, syphilis, shipwreck, mutiny, piracy, and cannibalism – are also explored. Compton looks at both the effects on the sufferers and the impact on the crews. Some historical examples focus on events aboard HMS Beagle (before and during Charles Darwin’s voyage) and the whaleship Essex, as well as such individuals as Christopher Columbus, Captain Bligh, and Fletcher Christian. The book also examines how changes in ship technology and the stress of round-the-world sailing and solo voyages affect sailors.
Rather than end on a dismal note, Compton elects to show how the sea and sailing can also help to heal a person’s mind and body. He begins with the Reverend John Ashley, whose ministry to fishermen led to the establishment of missions that help sailors around the world, and progresses to such life-changing seafaring programs as Outward Bound and Turn to Starboard. One particularly heartwarming story that he shares resulted from a twelve-day voyage that helped to alter the millennium-long divide between two boys, one Israeli and the other Palestinian.
Some interesting artwork appears under the chapter titles. The endnotes provide additional information that doesn’t fit neatly into the narrative, as well as full bibliographic citations. Although no list of the organizations mentioned is included, this information can be found by hunting through the endnotes. Space was reserved for an index, which was not included in the e-galley I read.
Readers might wonder whether this is the best book to read in only a few sittings, but it never brought me down or left me feeling depressed. Instead, I experienced a sense of wonder and amazement that this topic has been ignored in other maritime books. I also had a few “aha” moments (example: Compton’s explanation of the Flying Dutchman). I highly recommend Off the Deep End, as it is not only a fascinating book but is also one that helps “to stimulate discussion of these issues and encourages a broader acceptance of the lows as well as the highs of life at sea,” which was Compton’s goal in writing this book. (261)
August 13, 2017
I was super excited to read Off the Deep End, I love a good survival or tragedy at sea story. I sped through the first half of the book. The writing was flowing and the scenes were well written. Then the modern day ship stuff was boring, weighted down and just not as interesting. The author repeated several research points over and over again. Read the book for the first half.
November 3, 2018
This book has an interesting take on the experiences people have at sea. It can get repetitive, but overall I really enjoyed it. The stories are interesting and the subject matter is presented in a way that is thoughtful. Some of the stories kind of feel like ghost stories.
June 23, 2018
The first half of the book was brilliant and for that alone I would recommend reading this book but the second half, the modern times let this book down in my opinion and because of that sadly I didn't finish this book.
May 27, 2023
2.5 Stars.
I love reading about misadventures and madness at sea, so I was looking forward to reading this one. Overall, it was okay. I liked the idea of having each chapter tell the story of different types and causes of madness, but things mostly just blended together, and there was some repetition of earlier stories as well.
I appreciated the images in the book, although I wish there was a map for some of the core locations, as I was getting a bit mixed up. There's some interesting history in this book, including things like insane asylums, and mental health awareness after the world wars. I enjoyed the sections about the mirages and ghost ships.
This is definitely a book for people who already have an interest in ocean-based survival stories, but it's not quite as good as it could have been.
I love reading about misadventures and madness at sea, so I was looking forward to reading this one. Overall, it was okay. I liked the idea of having each chapter tell the story of different types and causes of madness, but things mostly just blended together, and there was some repetition of earlier stories as well.
I appreciated the images in the book, although I wish there was a map for some of the core locations, as I was getting a bit mixed up. There's some interesting history in this book, including things like insane asylums, and mental health awareness after the world wars. I enjoyed the sections about the mirages and ghost ships.
This is definitely a book for people who already have an interest in ocean-based survival stories, but it's not quite as good as it could have been.
July 22, 2022
This is fine, but it hasn't really hit the spot for me. There were a number parts where I found myself thinking "Ohh that's interesting!", and then the chapter ended and something less interesting replaced it, and I thought "Damn I should have just found a whole book about topic-of-previous-chapter". e.g. Solo round the world sailor experience, the experience of immigration in the days of sail.
April 10, 2024
I am endless drawn to all aspects of nautical history and this a nice walk through how humans have interacted with the sea and what effects it can have on their minds.
Prolonged sea travel can cause serious neurological problems leading to insanity and suicidal ideation, there is so much in this book that is interesting it is hard to put down. Highly recommended.
Prolonged sea travel can cause serious neurological problems leading to insanity and suicidal ideation, there is so much in this book that is interesting it is hard to put down. Highly recommended.
December 28, 2024
A nice little read although it does become a bit of a list of stories part way through which made it a bit of a tiresome struggle for me. The last few chapters then seemed more coherently written to finish it off nicely.
December 29, 2019
Very good narrative, on a dismissed problem at sea
January 8, 2022
Full of interesting anecdotes, which is what I wanted. Also had many fascinating facts, like about the rates of scurvy deaths, and the ancestors of the Bounty mutineers.
September 14, 2025
great book. got slower near the end but still well written.
June 8, 2019
I read half of this book, but it seemed to drag on and I haven't got the energy to read on. It was okay, but nothing amazing.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews