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Life at sea in the 16th century

6/26/2016

 
Picture
Sailor standing at left has clothing typical of 16th century.
Picture
By the 18th century clothing had changed and a mess cabinet with fold-down table was provided.

Roger M McCoy                                        

Part 1              To see Part 2 click here.
    We may read accounts of early explorers sailing to unknown lands in the New World, but we seldom learn details about their ships or about the life of a sailor on those small caravels and carracks. 
    To become a sailor a boy started as an apprentice no later than age fourteen. The boy’s parents, if they had the means, paid a ship’s master or first mate a hefty sum to train the boy for up to nine years as an unpaid apprentice. In return the ship’s master would see that the boy learned everything about sailing. Boys with such training could expect rapid advancement after the apprenticeship ended, and could anticipate becoming a first mate or a ship’s master by their mid-twenties.
    Boys from poor families could be accepted without a payment to the ship’s master, but there would be little hope of advancing above the level of able seaman after the apprenticeship. Without a payment the boy often became little more than the master’s servant. Whether wealthy or poor, apprentices were bound to years of unpaid service to the ship’s master. After the apprenticeship, they began to receive some wages, which were paid in a lump at the end of a voyage.
    A sailor’s work included many different tasks. Before starting a voyage any ship needed some repair from her previous voyage. Masts, sails, and hull may have been damaged and required refurbishing— replacing masts or yards, sewing up sails. Also the constant strain from wind against the masts and waves battering the hull weakened joints between boards on the decks and hull, requiring extensive scraping, re-caulking, and tarring. Even the best of ships had leaky hulls and required frequent pumping of the bilge. These tasks filled a sailor’s time in preparation for a voyage and continued throughout the time at sea. 
    As the time neared for departure sailors loaded and stowed the food, water, and other ship’s stores. Besides food, provisions included all the necessary supplies: candles, firewood, brooms, buckets, rope, pots and pans, tools, beer, wine, and dozens of items needed for self-sufficiency during the voyage. Sometimes the ship’s carpenter had to build stalls and coops for pigs, chickens, sheep, or cattle.
    The food provided for the English explorer Martin Frobisher’s second voyage to North America in 1577 was considered sufficient for 120 men for up to four months. Included in the food list on Frobisher’s ship were: one pound of biscuit (known as hardtack) per man per day; one gallon of beer per man per day; one pound of salt beef or pork per man on meat days, plus one dried codfish for every four men on fast days; oatmeal and rice were loaded as back-up in case the fish supply ran out; one quarter-pound of butter and one half-pound of cheese per man per day; honey (sugar was still a rare luxury then); a hogshead (64 gallon barrel) of cooking oil; a pipe (equal to two hogsheads) of vinegar. These sailors ate and drank well, as they must with the amount of energy expended in their daily work. Upon reaching land they planned to hunt game animals and birds to supplement the meat supply. Also they carried fishing gear for periods of sailing in good fishing areas. 
    During a voyage there were always food losses from spoilage of both food and beer, and leakage from barrels. If fresh meat was supplied for the voyage it had to be eaten in the first few days. Livestock on board could make fresh meat later in the voyage as well, but explorer’s ships seldom made room for animals.
    The main food staple was hardtack biscuit and its main advantage was that it had a very long shelf life. The hard, dry biscuit had to be moistened with water or beer to make it easier to chew. Typically the hardtack already had weevils even before it was loaded onto the ship because it was made months in advance. A typical menu for seamen might be: salted meat with pease porridge consisting of dried fish in a thick mixture of pea soup accompanied, of course, by a hardtack biscuit. Although this sounds like a wholesome meal, as the weeks went by the meat might spoil, the butter turn rancid, the beer go sour, and the many biscuits reduced to dust by the weevils. For drink the officers were usually provided with wine or spirits. Sailors in the English navy had a daily ration of beer, but French seamen often preferred fermented cider to beer. A cook-box was set up on a bed of sand or rocks below the forecastle, where sailors would go to get their bowls filled and eat wherever they could find a spot to sit. Some larger ships eventually began to provide a mess area where the crew could sit and eat.
    While underway a sailor’s work held some real hazards, especially climbing the shroud lines up to the yards and standing on foot-ropes working thirty to fifty feet above the deck. Sails could be furled (rolling the sail up and securing it to the yard), reefed (shortening the sail to a length appropriate to the strength of the wind). A fall from the yard was almost always fatal whether the sailor fell into the sea or onto the deck. If he fell into the sea he usually drowned before the ship could rescue him. Normally there was little if any effort made to rescue, especially if the water was very cold as he would live only minutes. Often hazardous work needed to be done at night in the midst of a howling storm when the sails needed to be reefed or furled to compensate for the strong wind. This meant that sailors had to know the rigging well enough to work in total darkness with fingers numb from the cold. Work on the deck during a storm was almost as dangerous due to the chance of being washed overboard as the sea spilled onto the deck.
    A sailor brought his sea chest aboard with clothing and a few personal items. His clothing usually consisted of a woolen pullover shirt with hood, woolen knee-length trousers with long woolen stockings, and a knitted cap. They had shoes, but often went barefoot to avoid slipping on decks and ropes. No clothing provision was made for bad weather unless the sailor brought it himself. Some sailors had up to six changes of clothing to allow for drying soaked clothes and to avoid sleeping in wet clothes. A few sailors might include a fiddle, fife, or tin whistle in their sea chest and provide some music for song and dance in idle times. By the early nineteenth century harmonicas and concertinas were common aboard ships.
    During the sixteenth century sailors slept wherever they could find a vacant place on decks or cargo. Columbus saw natives in the Caribbean area sleeping in hammocks and some of his sailors adopted the idea, but hammocks were not widely used on ships until almost 100 years later. Cabins and bunks were provided for officers, but sailors often slept on the deck in the bow, or below in bad weather.    
    Reports of ships lost at sea without trace were real and frightening to men traveling the oceans. Such misfortunes were often believed to be the result some misbehavior of a crew member and a sailor might be ostracized for his deed. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Coleridge, 1778) tells of a ship becalmed because a sailor committed the unforgivable blunder of killing an albatross and was forced to wear its carcass hung from his neck. This is the source of the expression “an albatross around my neck” to mean a great burden. Protection from dangers and misfortune was provided by the diligent practice of religion while at sea. Sailors keenly felt they were in the hands of the Almighty and made frequent prayers to God, the Virgin Mary, and patron saints for protection. In order to avoid any chance of offending God, many ship’s captains forbade swearing, blaspheming God, filthy stories, or any ungodly talk. Also gambling with dice or cards or fighting was forbidden on some ships. Morning and evening prayer services with readings from the Bible were often part of the required daily routine. Injunctions against foul language on board ships lasted through the nineteenth century. 
    Superstitions, sometimes mixed with the religion, also played a role.  A ship should not begin a voyage on Friday because it was the day Christ was crucified. When building a ship a silver coin must be placed under the base of the main mast. One must never destroy a printed page as it might belong to the Bible. Many sailors were illiterate and could not be sure if a page might be from the Bible so they took the safe position that all printed pages were scripture.  Some ship builders carried a burning fire brand through every part of a new vessel to drive out evil spirits.
    The greatest danger aboard ships on long voyages in the sixteenth century was scurvy (see Explorer’s Tales, 3/15/2014). Any fresh fruits, vegetables, or fresh meat on board were soon consumed, and the rest of the voyage was dangerously deficient of vitamin C. After about six weeks of salted meat and hardtack the first symptoms could begin to appear—swelling of the gums and loosening of teeth, then blotches on the skin followed by a deep lethargy often leading to death. Consumption of food containing vitamin C could quickly correct all these symptoms—except for death.
    Despite the dangers and risks sailors usually felt bonded to life at sea. Eric Newby told of both the dangers and the thrill of sailing when he wrote of his experience  as a young crewman aboard a big square-rigged ship in 1938. Sometimes fearing for his life he wrote, “At this height, 130 feet up, in a wind blowing 70 miles an hour, the noise was an unearthly scream. ... the high whistle of the wind through the halyards, and above all the pale blue illimitable sky, cold and serene, made me deeply afraid and conscious of my insignificance.” However standing on deck on a fair day Newby described the joy of sailing. “As time passed, the ship possessed us completely. Our lives were given over to it. A hundred times a day each one of us looked aloft at the towering pyramids of canvas, the beautiful deep curves of the leeches of the sails and the straining sheets of the great courses, listened to the deep hum of the wind up the height of the rigging, the thud and judder of the steering gear as the ship surged along, heard the helmsman striking the bells, signaling a change of watch or a mealtime, establishing a routine so strong that the outside world seemed unreal.”
    The sailor’s life was hard and once a man entered that life there was seldom a way out. Months at sea could be followed by periods of inactivity waiting for another voyage to begin. Even when countries had standing navies officers might be reduced to half pay during idle periods and ordinary seamen at no pay.

To read Part 2 of "Life at Sea in the 16th Century" click here. 
  
  
Sources
Earle, Peter. Sailors: English Merchant Seaman 1650-1775. London: Methuen, 1998.

McCoy, Roger M. On the Edge, New York: Oxford. 2012.

Newby, Eric. The Last Grain Race. Hawthorn, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 1999.

Watson, Harold Francis. The Sailor in English Fiction and Drama 1550-1800. New York: Columbia University Press, 1931.

Ranvir Singh
2/3/2018 08:17:13 am

True story . But there is much more to say about calamities at sea faced by sailors.

Roger McCoy link
4/8/2018 06:02:26 pm

You're right. This is merely a synopsis of the life of a sailor.

salty fred
4/30/2020 09:28:58 pm

Far from 'merely' you captured the life and experience of a sailor on a great ship. And the journey a boy took to 'become a sailor'...a great honor in those days. Thankyou.
"For men must work, and women must weep.
And the sea goes on forever"

Roger
5/1/2020 12:10:21 pm

Salty Fred, thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. You sound as though you have some tall ship experience.

Nigga
5/19/2020 12:31:33 pm

Im doing this for school..

Roger
5/19/2020 03:19:26 pm

Thanks for letting me know. I hope it helps you.

Nigga 2
9/25/2020 10:17:21 am

Im doing this for school to..

nigggga
5/23/2022 12:51:24 pm

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1/27/2023 09:25:44 am

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balls
1/27/2023 09:27:32 am

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emily
2/4/2021 09:13:01 am

😀 so true

NOOB
10/24/2022 12:11:24 pm

same

:) link
10/25/2023 03:42:24 am

he was happy

Noah link
2/23/2018 01:45:14 pm

It is so awesome

Roger McCoy
4/24/2018 06:50:34 am

Thanks for commenting. Glad you liked it.

nunya link
5/19/2021 10:51:22 am

it was way too long

amelia link
5/18/2020 03:22:35 pm

i had to read this for history class, it aint bad mate

Roger
5/19/2020 09:00:36 am

Thanks, Amelia (aka mate). I hope you're enjoying your history class

Flavio link
4/5/2018 10:14:46 am

Hello this page is cool

Roger McCoy link
4/8/2018 05:54:03 pm

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

e
8/13/2019 10:47:07 am

no it is not

Helen Manternach
2/4/2023 11:45:33 am

My ancestors, the Joslins came to America on ship Increase in 1636. Wealthy people but suffered greatly by attacks from Indians

bob link
4/23/2018 06:47:10 am

this is boring

yourMom
5/18/2020 03:23:03 pm

Same

urdad
5/26/2020 02:59:29 am

shut up

saanvi link
6/9/2020 08:12:07 pm

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3/31/2023 08:12:11 am

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huh link
4/24/2018 05:41:10 am

huh

james
5/14/2018 08:27:47 am

hi

Roger
5/16/2018 11:24:47 am

Hi back atcha.

Alex
10/20/2018 08:39:53 am

Thank you for sharing this information. Definitely some insight into what a voyage was like back then.

Roger McCoy
10/20/2018 01:28:56 pm

I appreciate your comment. Thanks.

Annelien
10/25/2018 12:18:01 am

Hello!

Thank you for this. I'm building a model ship and I was wondering what life was like for sailors. Very nicely written.

Roger McCoy
10/26/2018 06:47:38 am

Thanks for your comment. It's interesting how one activity, like building a model ship, will often lead to other new interests. A trait of the curious mind, I think.

Jai
11/20/2018 09:17:35 am

Thanks Roger for writing this. Haven't quite found anything like this elsewhere. Its just so absorbing and fascinating

Roger McCoy
11/20/2018 03:49:07 pm

I appreciate your taking time to comment, and very pleased that you found the blog interesting.

Vincent
2/14/2019 01:20:32 pm

I like it

Roger McCoy
2/14/2019 03:56:26 pm

Thanks for letting me know. Vincent.

Ric
12/5/2018 04:23:54 pm

Thank you for taking the time to write this. I used to race Js out of Annapolis and Catalinas on the West Coast. I fell in love with the history of the rigged ships that used to sail into the Chesapeake. If you haven't read it; I recommend Pirates of the Chesapeake. Visiting some of the locations mentioned in the book was like touching history...knowing what people di there 300 years earlier

Roger McCoy
12/6/2018 01:52:24 am

Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll have a look.

johhny
2/14/2019 01:15:19 pm

wasup?

Roger McCoy
2/14/2019 04:06:15 pm

Thatawaysup. ↑

tsering youdon
2/17/2019 12:03:27 pm

Could you provide a work citation for the above article? Would really help for my english class .

Roger McCoy
2/17/2019 02:14:15 pm

All the information came from the four books listed in "Sources" at the end of the blog. If you need citations for specific statements in the blog, I might be able to reconstruct that information from notes, but perhaps not within the time you have available. If you want, you can write me via the email or Facebook contact in the website menu.

maksim
2/19/2019 03:12:13 pm

i love it how long did it take you?

Roger McCoy
2/20/2019 03:50:23 am

I don't remember for this particular one, but most of them take about 12-15 hours for research and writing. That time is usually spread over a week or ten days.

maksim
2/20/2019 12:43:24 pm

oh wow!
have you made more than one website?

Bailey
2/20/2019 12:49:35 pm

Thanks for the good info

Katelyn
2/20/2019 02:43:10 pm

how long does it take you to build a website

Roger McCoy
2/21/2019 11:46:41 am

There are several sites that help you build a website of your own for free. I have used Weebly..com for this website. Another to consider is wordpress.com. Using these free sites you could have a website up and running in half an hour or less. Then you can keep building it and adding more information later. It's very easy to do.

Joey long jay
2/20/2019 02:49:07 pm

thank you for spending all this time for us. im shore not only me appriecats it

Roger McCoy
2/21/2019 11:58:38 am

Thank you. I'm glad you found it useful.

maksim
2/22/2019 03:20:56 pm

tell me when you make another one :D

Phil Granchi
2/22/2019 05:32:45 pm

Stumbled on your site and will read a lot more. I've recently become fascinated with the colonization of North America for a lot of reasons. The books I've been reading talk about the relative frequency of British, French and Spanish officials and even Indians making voyages back and forth across the Atlantic, with little information on the nature of those voyages. Can you recommended any specific books that document the sea voyages? I'll cruise through your biblio but wonder if you can point to best references. Thanks in advance!

Roger McCoy
2/23/2019 01:54:40 am

In the sources listed above, Peter Earle's book was very useful. Eric Newby's book is an interesting first person account of being a sailor on a big sailing ship, but it was in the early 20th century. I strongly recommend Samuel E. Morison's "The European Discovery of America: The Northern Voyages." Chapter 5 is on English ships and seamen 1490-1600. He was a highly respected historian and an excellent writer.

hols
5/3/2019 02:44:31 pm

hola

Roger McCoy
5/3/2019 03:06:01 pm

Hola, bienvenidos.

Nathan
12/2/2019 03:51:46 pm

me too!

NoobEgg44 link
11/1/2023 07:14:22 am

hope you have a good day

Roger
11/3/2023 07:53:11 am

Thanks NooEgg44. I've had several good days and hope you also have some good days.

ella
5/17/2019 07:17:01 am

hi im reading this for school!

Roger McCoy
5/17/2019 11:19:02 am

Ella, Thanks for letting me know you are using this blog for class.

riley
10/30/2019 07:23:45 am

for school for me too

Roger McCoy
10/30/2019 01:41:25 pm

Glad to hear it, Riley.

Patrick
5/31/2019 07:57:15 am

Yah, I am using this for a school project in 6th grade. It has given me a great insight about this topic!

Roger McCoy
5/31/2019 11:03:38 am

Thank you, Patrick. I'm pleased that you are interested in the blog.

A human
3/31/2020 01:16:15 pm

Me too!

Roger
3/31/2020 01:30:48 pm

Thanks for letting me know.

Katie
9/20/2020 09:58:14 am

Lol im using this for 8th

Roger McCoy
9/20/2020 01:41:49 pm

Thanks for commenting, Katie. I'm glad to know this information is being used.

Do not want to share this info
6/17/2019 07:19:57 am

Thanks alot this was really useful for my history class

kyle
8/12/2019 10:38:52 am

same

Roger McCoy
8/12/2019 07:50:40 pm

I think you mean you found it useful too. Thanks.

Roger McCoy link
6/17/2019 11:52:28 am

I'm very pleased to know this article was useful for you. Thanks for writing.

no info
8/12/2019 10:36:18 am

this was useful

Roger McCoy
8/12/2019 07:47:01 pm

Glad to hear your feedback.

kyle
8/12/2019 10:34:39 am

hi

Roger McCoy
8/12/2019 08:03:31 pm

Hi back atcha.

uriah
8/28/2019 11:05:16 am

very nice

Roger McCoy
8/28/2019 02:47:24 pm

Thanks for commenting, Uriah. I'm glad you liked it.

Paulboh
9/1/2019 07:44:01 am

I found your story a very enlightening starting point. Thank you.

Roger McCoy
9/1/2019 08:57:00 am

Thank you for commenting. I'm always glad to hear from readers. I think it's good that you see the blog as a starting point, and I hope you are motivated to pick it up and expand on it. Many people have shown interest in this blog on Life at Sea.

Lilly
10/30/2019 08:29:52 am

awsome

Roger McCoy
10/30/2019 01:37:01 pm

Thanks for your comment.

Leighton Kwok
11/29/2019 12:49:24 pm

thanks for the information this will help me with my big early exploration report

Roger McCoy
11/29/2019 09:06:45 pm

Thanks for commenting, Leighton. I'm glad the blog is helpful to you.

Leighton Kwok
11/29/2019 12:51:21 pm

Thanks for spending your time writing this blog!

hi
12/2/2019 02:07:39 pm

hello

hello link
12/10/2019 07:27:13 am

i don't know what i'm doing this project is hard

Roger McCoy
12/10/2019 08:28:43 am

Don't be afraid to ask the teacher for some help. Every teacher I know wants everybody to understand and learn. Tell the teacher you've tried, but you're still not sure what to do.

andy link
1/8/2020 01:20:17 pm

ok thats nice

Roger McCoy
1/9/2020 06:14:05 am

Andy, I'm glad you liked this blog.

Daniel P. Allers link
1/31/2020 03:55:53 pm

Thanks for the obvious effort put into these! I’m a teacher up in Alberta, and I love being able to add fun anecdotes about the time periods I cover. Your insights are always beneficial. All the best in your future pursuits!

Roger McCoy
2/1/2020 02:08:30 am

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. As a former teacher myself, I especially appreciate knowing that my blogs are used as resource material by other teachers.

Gabriel Helmuth link
2/10/2020 10:05:22 pm

I love this. I am actually prepping an RPG session for some of my younger siblings, and we decided on a historical, semi-realistic setting of 17th-century Europe. The first sibling will play "Captain César Blanc" of the French Navy sailing aboard his proud galleon the "Inflexible"—so named to denote my brother's stubborn nature. The second sibling is a powder monkey aboard this ship who goes simply by "Cass." I've been researching ships, sailing, european history, french nobility, and geography—all of this to make the gameplay immersive, informative, and (most importantly) fun.

I watch Critical Role ya'll; I'm confident.
PS One more interesting nugget: I had a lot of fun learning all of this history and trivia because I am applying it for my own interests. What a way to learn! Somebody at the DoE get on this! ;)

Roger McCoy
2/13/2020 01:03:47 am

Thanks for telling about your creative role-playing games. I can remember something similar when I was a boy, but we just called it playing. Much of our play time was spent making the necessary props such as capes, swords, and forts.

jeff link
3/24/2020 09:57:25 am

it is trash

Roger
3/24/2020 12:49:32 pm

Thanks for your comment. I suggest you ask your teacher why trash is a part of your assigned reading.

katie
9/20/2020 10:00:47 am

ouch haha

comment
5/5/2020 08:28:39 am

good,thank you for the information

emma
5/5/2020 01:06:00 pm

lol

Shayne
5/19/2020 12:36:07 pm

Thank you for the info! This is a great source for what we are learning about in distance learning

Roger
5/19/2020 03:17:44 pm

Thanks for commenting, Shayne. I appreciate knowing it is useful.

Boi
5/24/2020 12:28:14 am

Roasted

Long John Silver
5/24/2020 12:41:11 am

Hi! Loved the post. I was wondering if you could help me with my school work.
“Why would children want to join these crews knowing the hardships of the tasks.”
Please help.
Regards

Roger
5/24/2020 11:02:37 am

Thanks for asking the question. I can think of several possible answers that apply mainly for poor people who no education or money. People with money might also send a boy to sea, but on a path to be an officer.

There were not as many types of employment in the 16th century. Two-thirds of the working people were in agriculture. Two other important types of work were the military, and going to sea. For poor and uneducated families these were the main choices for their son’s employment. A family with a little money might arrange with a ship’s officer to train their son with the hope that he would become an officer. Another possibility is that his parent would arrange for him to be an apprentice to a tradesman, e.g. carpenter, shoemaker, etc., but there were not as many people in these trades, so the demand was not as great.

2. A young boy didn’t really make his own decision. His parents decided and the boy obeyed. This practice gradually changed, but was still somewhat present in the early 20th century.


3. Sailors generally liked their lives and were proud of their work even though it was very hard. They probably told the people at home mostly about the good parts that made themselves look good.


4. An orphaned boy would sometimes be given to someone for care. That person may have had little interest in the boy, so arranged for him to go to sea.

Jasmine (S2 student)
5/25/2020 05:37:28 am

This is a incredible post which has really helped me with my life on board project.
this a very impressive post and very informative perfect for schools to use well done this is amazing
-Jasmine Xx :)

Roger
5/25/2020 11:09:57 am

Thank you for your comment. I'm always pleased to hear that my blogs are being used as resource material by schools in many parts of the world.

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10/19/2020 11:50:07 am

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10/19/2020 11:50:16 am

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senior citizen
4/8/2021 09:24:29 am

U spelt offender wrong ;'(

Teresa
11/1/2020 11:33:17 am

This really helped me with a history project!!!

Roger McCoy
11/2/2020 03:34:04 pm

I'm glad this blog helped you, Teresa. Thanks for letting me know.

Al
11/17/2020 04:36:52 pm

Interesting and informative. Thanks

Roger McCoy
11/18/2020 06:30:32 am

Thanks for commenting. I'm glad to know my blogs are read.

Cooper link
12/2/2020 06:25:45 am

This website sucks hope to hear bcak from you sooon

Daniel link
12/2/2020 08:48:37 am

No, it doesn’t. Actually, this is one of the best online resources of it's type. Thank you so much for your work! It’s an excellent window into the past. :)

Roger McCoy
12/2/2020 12:26:57 pm

Thanks for your supportive comment, Daniel. Best wishes in your studies.

Roger McCoy
12/3/2020 03:19:43 pm

Thanks for commenting Cooper, but I think you should tell your teacher
how you feel about the reading assignment.

rawr
12/18/2020 09:06:35 am

HEYY

Roger
1/17/2021 12:30:57 pm

HEYY again.

Andrew link
1/17/2021 02:20:24 am

Awesome bblog you have here

Roger
1/17/2021 12:33:15 pm

Thanks, I'm glad to hear comments from readers.

David Tizzard
1/26/2021 07:28:23 pm

Very much enjoyed this. Provided great insight into some research I'm carrying out on early sea explorations to Korea.

Roger McCoy
1/27/2021 04:12:47 pm

Thanks for your comment. I'm always glad to hear these blogs are useful to readers.

Anonomos link
2/9/2021 02:27:18 pm

good work

Roger
2/10/2021 01:30:41 pm

Thank you.

Rather not say link
2/16/2021 02:23:50 pm

Good job has a good sorce of info and really helped me do my s.s report

Roger
2/17/2021 07:42:45 am

Thanks r.n.s. for letting me know. It's good to know this blog is used as a resource in school.

sucker link
2/17/2021 10:36:22 am

This website suckes you should not contineue

Roger
2/17/2021 03:39:21 pm

Thanks for letting me know your thoughts. The next time I'm in the Denver area I'll stop by and ask your teacher to check with you before making reading assignments.

Liam link
2/18/2021 01:04:24 pm

his website is really good (don't stop

I agree link
2/17/2021 02:20:16 pm

I agree

Liam link
2/18/2021 01:03:04 pm

Good job!

James link
2/18/2021 01:07:35 pm

Asome!

Roger
2/18/2021 03:39:09 pm

James and Liam, thanks for your supportive comments. I get great pleasure researching and writing these blogs, and I am not about to quit...especially when I keep getting feedback like yours.

Liam link
2/19/2021 09:25:56 am

ok good

?? link
2/19/2021 12:43:56 pm

Good job but there is I think there is still more to add but good job.

P.S. I am going to keep my personal information to my self.

?? link
2/19/2021 12:48:31 pm

me again I mean there is still things to add your post

Roger
2/19/2021 02:57:37 pm

You're right about more material. If you are interested I suggest you have a look at items listed in the references at the end of the blog. Eric Newby's book is especially interesting and a very good read about his experience on a real square rigger sailing ship.

Artimal100
4/11/2021 08:59:25 am

Awesome! Really liked this, lots of information.

Roger
5/25/2021 02:04:47 pm

I'm pleased that you found this blog useful.

ITZY ICY
5/24/2021 04:41:30 pm

Thank you so much

Roger
5/25/2021 02:06:30 pm

Thanks for commenting ITZY

Angelina
1/19/2022 03:00:44 pm

Im doing this fot school...

Roger
1/20/2022 08:55:19 am

Thanks for letting me know, Angelina. I'm always glad to hear that students are using this information.

Julie
5/6/2022 03:34:23 pm

Do you know the name and artist of the woodcut? I can't for the life of me find it anywhere.

Roger
5/8/2022 01:00:00 pm

My information shows it is a wood engraving;
Titled: "Sailors Working on a Pier before a Boat"
Artist: M. Schaep, Dutch. After Cornelius de Wael, Flemish, 1592-1667.
It is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
I found it on the website "Google Images" Thanks for your interest.

Jayla Moore She/her Bisexual
5/16/2022 02:32:05 pm

This website helped me out with my history test. I love this website because it helps me study with my history lesson.

Jayla Moore She/her Bisexual
5/16/2022 02:35:57 pm

Btw, you should update your website. Not to sound rude. it's just that it was last updated in 2016, we are in 2022.🧐

Roger
5/17/2022 07:50:18 am

Thank you, Jayla. I'm always glad to hear from students who have used these blogs. I think the "last update" note you saw referred to that one essay on Life at Sea in the 16th Century. It was written in June 2016. I continued writing other blogs on that site (newworldexploration.com) up to May 2020. Note the list of topics on the side of the blog pages. Then I started a new blog site (historicroutes.weebly.com). That site has 29 essays about famous trails of the world that were used for trade and migration. The most recent entry is March 2021. Also I'm writing another series of blogs about scientists from ancient to recent times, (scientistsfrom500bce.weebly.com). That one currently has 14 blog essays up to May 2022. So far it's 96 essays and counting. I appreciate that your comment gave me a chance to mention my other blog sites. Thanks for your interest.

Jayla Moore She/Her Bisexual/7th Grader
5/17/2022 02:52:39 pm

I love this website, and all you rother ones too. Never stop doing this!
Keep up the great work! I believe in you! No matter what those haters say about this I love it!

Day
5/24/2022 03:54:12 pm

I was just trying to check out what a sailor in the 15th-16th century might have worn while at sea, but I ended up reading the entire article. Very informative and interesting! I like your writing style, it's attention grabbing while still sounding factual. I've looked at your sources and I see Sailors: English Merchant Seaman is in my university library. Just wondering, does it have more info around clothing? Or perhaps you could recommend a work that has that kind of information? I know it's kinda specific, so no worries if not. Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this, it was great!

Roger McCoy
5/25/2022 07:59:44 am

Sorry I don't recall those details of material I researched 6 years ago. I do remember the book you cite above by Peter Earle was very helpful at the time, and well worth reading. I suggest you check it out. You're fortunate to have a copy nearby.

Eef
8/17/2022 01:56:28 pm

What a wonderful article! My days of attending history class are sadly long behind me, but today this is helping me get a great sense of my D&D character's past and the environment he spent some of his formative years in. Thank you for writing it and allowing me to tell a much more immersive story with my friends!

Roger
8/18/2022 07:22:20 am

Thanks, Eef, Thanks for your supportive comment. Enjoy your D&D.

Nigga Nigga Niggaaaaaa
11/11/2022 08:50:31 am

I remember this like it was yesterday

BigGripper
11/11/2022 08:53:04 am

I absolutely loved this article because I can relate to it, and it gives me flashbacks😱

monkey nut
11/22/2023 04:15:18 pm

hello i like this


Comments are closed.


    "Explorers' Tales"
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