I just finished reading "Two Years Before the Mast" by Richard Henry Dana. It is more than just a glorious adventure story.

Dana, who had just completed his second year as a Harvard student, had been suffering from a weakness of the eyes, and decided to take some time off from his studies. He signed on as a crew member on the merchant brig Pilgrim, "before the mast" (the term "before the mast" refers to the quarters of the common sailors, in the forecastle, in the front of the ship). His memoirs of this trip, based on his daily journal during the voyage, are not just a fascinating description of life on board a sailing vessel, but a passionate call for better working conditions of the crews on such vessels. The Pilgrim set sail from Boston in 1834, sailed around Cape Horn, and did extensive trading in various towns on the California coast. The material on early California history, pre-statehood, is especially revealing.
It's a great read. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down, whether you opt for a physical book or one of the many electronic options. Read this book!!!
I just noticed that the first samples on my new lampas warp look very like little sails. Is it a coincidence or my subconscious at work? Regardless, the primary cloth is a satin-based weave and the secondary is 3-end (jeans) twill.


Credit for the painting of the brig Pilgrim: painter Joe Duncan Gleason 1881-1959.