The Last Grain Race

The memoir centers on Eric Newby's experiences aboard the four-masted steel barque known as the Moshulu. This massive windjammer was one of the very last commercial sailing ships transporting grain from Australia to Europe.

Newby was just 18 years old when he signed on as an apprentice seaman for the 1938 voyage. He possessed almost no prior sailing experience, which made the grueling manual labor of the rigging incredibly difficult for him.

Although the maritime voyage took place in 1938, Newby did not publish the memoir until 1956. The book quickly became a classic of maritime literature due to its vivid descriptions of square-rig sailing.

The ship was heavily loaded with thousands of tons of grain bound for European ports. Because of the cargo's immense weight and the ship's lack of modern engines, the journey around Cape Horn was notoriously dangerous.