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Adventure: Queen of the Windjammers
Book by Garland, Joseph E., Sharp, Jim
Hardcover
First published December 31, 1985
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June 29, 2023
Today I want to share another favorite book and memories about a special ship, the fishing schooner “Adventure, Queen of the Windjammers.” By Joseph E. Garland, Down East Books, Camden, Maine, 1985.
Adventure is a fishing schooner blessed with good luck through a busy lifetime from her launch in 1926 to today. Many factors contributed; a magnificent design, executed by a skilled and respected Essex, Massachusetts, shipyard, captained by a succession of top captains and crew that helped this fishing boat become THE most successful fishing boat in Gloucester and Boston, Massachusetts. Adventure was a “highliner,” a top moneymaker even as other sailing schooners were replaced by steam, and then Diesel engined boats. But that lifetime of dory fishing did not last forever.
Adventure started a second career in 1953. Enterprising new captains and owners changed the business model. Adventure became a passenger carrier, filling the cabins with vacationers who recognized the history and beauty inherent in sailing ships. After years in the sailing cruise industry, a respected writer and historian, Joe Garland, wrote this appreciative biography of Adventure and the people that brought the schooner to life. Then in 1988, Captain Jim Sharp donated the historic schooner to Gloucester, the American seaport with the greatest connection to commercial fishing. More tremendous things happened after that. Grants and gifted preservation work poured in to save Adventure and keep sailing. That effort continues today.
I first saw Adventure in Gloucester in 1988. I was mesmerized. But it took several years to get on board. My job at the time was to research and write National Historic Landmark nominations for maritime properties like ships. Adventure’s history made her a likely prospect for national recognition.
When it came to research, I got a lot of help. The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office helped with suggestions and introductions. Historian Joe Garland opened his files and shared several delightful, educational days with me. The Cape Ann Museum and the city itself both guided me around. Professional fishers shared memories and explanations of their lives and profession. Best of all I was invited on board Adventure for a sail over to Boston from Gloucester and back. It was a glorious, breezy day, and I was privileged to take the wheel from the Boston Harbor Islands until we neared Ten Pound Island reentering the Harbor.
That trick at the wheel was a true and thoughtful gift that made a lifelong special memory. Afterward, the writing was easy, and the nomination passed review breezily. The Secretary of the Interior signed the designation on April 19, 1994. This beautiful book and Joe Garland, the author, helped that happen.
The book is fun to read, well-written, full of great photographs, and a pleasure to hold in your hand. It pulls you in, and it is indeed an Adventure.
Adventure is a fishing schooner blessed with good luck through a busy lifetime from her launch in 1926 to today. Many factors contributed; a magnificent design, executed by a skilled and respected Essex, Massachusetts, shipyard, captained by a succession of top captains and crew that helped this fishing boat become THE most successful fishing boat in Gloucester and Boston, Massachusetts. Adventure was a “highliner,” a top moneymaker even as other sailing schooners were replaced by steam, and then Diesel engined boats. But that lifetime of dory fishing did not last forever.
Adventure started a second career in 1953. Enterprising new captains and owners changed the business model. Adventure became a passenger carrier, filling the cabins with vacationers who recognized the history and beauty inherent in sailing ships. After years in the sailing cruise industry, a respected writer and historian, Joe Garland, wrote this appreciative biography of Adventure and the people that brought the schooner to life. Then in 1988, Captain Jim Sharp donated the historic schooner to Gloucester, the American seaport with the greatest connection to commercial fishing. More tremendous things happened after that. Grants and gifted preservation work poured in to save Adventure and keep sailing. That effort continues today.
I first saw Adventure in Gloucester in 1988. I was mesmerized. But it took several years to get on board. My job at the time was to research and write National Historic Landmark nominations for maritime properties like ships. Adventure’s history made her a likely prospect for national recognition.
When it came to research, I got a lot of help. The Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office helped with suggestions and introductions. Historian Joe Garland opened his files and shared several delightful, educational days with me. The Cape Ann Museum and the city itself both guided me around. Professional fishers shared memories and explanations of their lives and profession. Best of all I was invited on board Adventure for a sail over to Boston from Gloucester and back. It was a glorious, breezy day, and I was privileged to take the wheel from the Boston Harbor Islands until we neared Ten Pound Island reentering the Harbor.
That trick at the wheel was a true and thoughtful gift that made a lifelong special memory. Afterward, the writing was easy, and the nomination passed review breezily. The Secretary of the Interior signed the designation on April 19, 1994. This beautiful book and Joe Garland, the author, helped that happen.
The book is fun to read, well-written, full of great photographs, and a pleasure to hold in your hand. It pulls you in, and it is indeed an Adventure.
Displaying 1 of 1 review