The Wind Commands (by Harry Morton)

Sailors and Sailing Ships of the Pacific

The Wind Commands is the second in the University of British Columbia Press series in Pacific maritime history. This publication will undoubtedly serve as a beginning point for many enquiries into the history and technology of sailing. Morton has gleaned from hundreds of works on Pacific voyages the broader picture of the age of sail on the Pacific Ocean.

This is a wide-ranging study both chronologically and topically. Morton has handled the subject with grace, wit and thoroughness both refreshing and informative. There is a blend of humanity and scholarship in his writing that is not often achieved in history books. 

We get a striking impression of the hardship and suffering endured by the sailors of the Pacific; the beautiful ships to which we attach so much romance and nostalgia offered little to their crews beyond hard, endless work, poor food and long months at sea. Starvation drove the crews to eating anything available.

Often there was scurvy and even after it was overcome the mortality rate for sailors was twice that of landsmen. The sea and the winds were tough masters, tough on both officers and men. Few ships' officers withstood the constant stress of command without their health breaking.

The book also covers the vessels themselves; from native craft to the clippers and schooners of the late 1800s and early 1900s. They are discussed in detail including methods of construction, rigging and the technological advances of each type. Other major sections of the text relate to ship maintenance and navigation trade routes, dangers of the elements and superstitions associated with sailing the Pacific. Morton also discussed the problems and approaches to command, mutinies and discipline, and devotes chapters to music, the influence of women on life at sea, and finally the clash of cultures in the Pacific.