by the harbor

I can't forget photos from our last day in San Diego. My dad had spied 'pirate-looking' sails in the distance when we were on our way to the Fish Market. Before we left to return home we had to take a look and so we did. The sails ended up belonging to the 'Star of India', the world's oldest active sailing ship. She began her life in the stocks at Ramsey Shipyard in the Isle of Man in 1863. She belongs to the Maritime Museum which features a handful of historic vessels including a couple of submarines and a steamboat.We entered the little shop in the steamboat and had a nice look around. We didn't have time that day to actually enter the museum but vowed that some day we will.































I picked up a few postcards and a book at the shop, Pirates (Usborne True Stories) by Lucy Lethbridge. It's filled with short stories showcasing true pirates. The one I can't wait to read is The Pirate who drank tea which is about Black Bart Roberts who was one of the most ruthless pirates ever.  It will join my starting little collection of pirate books that includes Under the Black Flag which was available in the shop (and I still have to read) and Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists & An Adventure with Ahab. It's actually two books in one and quite an enjoyable and hilarious read. It reminds me that I have to find the rest of the Pirates! An Adventure books as well.

I've been getting into the habit of snapping photos of books I would like to eventually get and read. Here are a couple that I thought might be interesting...






First written in 1858, this thrilling narrative recounts the true story of Fanny Loviot, a wealthy, young French girl who was kidnapped at sea. After setting sail for California in 1855, Fanny's boat was overtaken and she was captured by Chinese pirates who held her hostage and demanded a ransom. This personal account follows her trying time in captivity, as well as her dramatic rescue by British authorities.

Sounds interesting, right? The next two I thought Natalie and I might both like (me right now, her probably when she is a bit older).



Clara Rounds Cape Horn: 
What would it be like to be nine years old and sailing to California in the year 1845? This highly readable fictionalized account, based on primary source material from an actual sea journey, lets readers experience the 15,000-mile, four-month voyage by following inquisitive Clara on her often arduous trip, discovering the people she meets, the ocean animals she encounters, and the yarns she hears.

and...

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle:
On a long, grueling journey from England to Rhode Island in 1802, a 12 year old changes from a prim and proper girl to a swashbuckling mate of a mutinous crew and is accused of murder by the captain. Awash with shipboard activity, intense feelings, and a keen sense of time and place, the story is a throwback to good old-fashioned adventure yarns on the high seas.

Yes, I must put these on my get list :)