THERE WAS A SHIP - PATSY ADAM-SMITH - HER YEARS AT SEA

From the moment Patsy Adam-Smith saw the little coastal trader easing her way out of Bass Strait, masts and rigging festooned with mutton birds, and heard its crew talk of reefs and wrecks , sand shoals, birdin' and the folk lore of the Furneaux Islands, she was bewitched.

Determined to go to sea herself, she persuaded the owner to let her sail on the Sheerwater, cooking, taking a trick on the wheel and working her passage round the lovely, scattered islands of Bass Strait and the coast of Tasmania.  Patsy then spend six years on the Naracoopa and was the first woman to be granted signed Articles in Australian waters.  As radio officer, she shared the hard life of a small ship's crew and was rescued from the sea three times in some of the most hazardous waters in the world.

This book tells us of her love affair with the sea and ships, with the small ketches that no longer trade around our Australian coastline, and with the remote lifestyle of the Cape Barren Islanders, the light house families and the mutton birders.  Much of what she describes so vividly is gone forever, but her fascination with a unique way of life endures.

This 284 page softcover is illustrated with black and white photographs.  There is a little light edgewear and a spine crease to cover.  Internally there is light browning to page edges due to age, but it is otherwise in a good, tight, clean condition.

Postage quoted is for within Australia. Overseas customers are more than welcome to email me for a postage quote. Local Pick up is not available.

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