Life Aboard a British Privateer: The First Hand Account of a Famous Privateer Captain at War with the Spanish During the Reign of Queen Anne 1707-1711

by Robert C. Leslie, Woodes Rogers

Woodes Rogers-the man who rescued 'Robinson Crusoe' In the history of the British at sea, the names of many of its greatest men have long been familiar to almost everyone. For many, however, the name Woodes Rogers may not be foremost among them. Yet in the time of Queen Anne this master mariner, sailing from Bristol, circumnavigated the globe in a momentous two and a half year odyssey with his two ships-Duke and Duchess. He was an English privateer of some repute and was successful against the Spanish, taking several prizes in the Pacific on his epic voyage. It was he who rescued the 'real' marooned hero of Daniel Defoe's adventure Robinson Crusoe-Alexander Selkirk-from Juan Fernandez Island and promptly made him captain of one of his own prize ships the Increase. This astonishing man went on to be the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas, held the post twice, beat off Spanish attempts to gain influence in the region and substantially cleared the Caribbean seas of pirates. This fascinating book combines the research of historian Robert Leslie with Woodes Rogers own journals to make a vital account of an extraordinary mariner from the great age of sail. Through its pages the reader may trace Rogers' career and voyages of the early eighteenth century which inevitably are full of incident and interest. Available in softcover and hardcover with dust jacket.

Genres: Pirates, History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1970

Reviews

[Daniel Cradler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read account of Woodes Rogers’ voyage around the world

This book quotes heavily from Rogers’ own book as well as providing a wealth of background information. One interesting bit is a recounting of the rescue of Alexander Selkirk, whose story served as the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

[Gort · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eveniet deleniti et eius recusandae. Est incidunt fugit. Quidem numquam non fuga nihil ab dolores.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

On 1 August 1708, Captain Woodes Rogers sailed out of Bristol on what would become a three-year voyage around the world. The expedition was composed of two frigates, the Duke and the Duchess, and its primary purpose was not to explore but to make money as privateers: essentially, they were government-sanctioned pirate ships that could attack countries England was at war with but not the ships of neutral or friendly countries.

The Duke and Duchess were after Spanish ships and the place to find them was the Pacific. Privateer is basically composed of extracts from the book Captain Woodes Rogers wrote of his voyage, with brief explanatory notes by the editor and, as such, it does an excellent job of bringing the world of early-18th century seamanship to life. Captain Rogers has to deal with mutinies, outbreaks of scurvy when the ships run out of limes (Rogers was unusual at the time for realising that scurvy was caused by a lack of fresh food and took limes with him on the voyage but a long period at sea led to their supplies running out), sailing further south than anyone had done before, capturing a rich Spanish prize, being shot in the mouth in the capture, enduring surgery to remove the trapped musket ball, and eventually returning home with both ships and most of his original crew. It was a personal triumph for Rogers but he probably lost money on the venture.

Perhaps the most noteworthy episode in his voyage was landing on the isolated Juan Fernandez Island to find a shipwrecked sailor, Alexander Selkirk, there. Selkirk had been marooned on the island for four years. Among the many people to read Rogers’ account of Selkirk’s rescue was Daniel Defoe, who used Selkirk as the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

It’s a short book but it packs a lot of incident into brief length.

[Darrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about British privateer, Woodes Rogers circumnavigation of the world between 1708 and 1711. I recommend to any history and/or sailing buffs.

[Adhoc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A matter of fact account of a privateer cruise in the early 1700s. This book is in the same vein as 'The Cruise of the "Cachalot": Around the Word After Sperm Whales', certainly not for everyone.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs..

[Neil Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insight

Life aboard ship, a good feel for the long periods of daily grind interrupted by brief periods of action. I would have liked more depth but worth the read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting