Women at Sea

We think of the Age of Sail in terms of men – tough sailors climbing rigging; hard-nosed first mates; or keen-eyed captains directing it all from the quarterdeck.

Yet there were women at sea, wives who went to sea with their captain husbands. Some loved the life and sailed year after year. Many bore children and raised their families at sea. All faced the perils of shipwreck, mutiny, starvation. And all were marked by the sun-bronzed skin and far-seeing eyes of those who knew the true size of the world.

Here are some of their voices and stories.