Book Review: Schooner To The Southern Oceans

Schooner to the Southern Oceans is a factual literary work, detailing the journey and passion of Gordon Cook and his family to mark the bicentenary of Captain James Cook's (no relation) third and final voyage in 1776. From the opening chapter, where Gordon Cook recalls a particularly violent storm between Cape Town and Perth that had him almost accepting death, the book moves from aspirational passion to insurmountable odds.

Formerly a physics and mathematics teacher, Gordon Cook began his plan to mark the bicentenary voyage in 1973. Just three short years later in July 1976 Gordon Cook departed from Plymouth Sound with his family aboard a self-fitted seventy-foot schooner: Wavewalker. What follows is the story of a great family coming together to achieve a goal with striking tales of heroism and a desire to achieve a specific goal in the face of opposition that should have condemned the voyage to failure.

About The Author

As mentioned, Gordon Cook was originally a physics and mathematics teacher, but went on to spend many years running tourism and leisure businesses before taking on the bicentenary voyage. A father of two (Sue and Jon), and married to Mary, Cook was a family man with a passion that developed through his readings and research. This was passed on to his family, which fed the unit's desire to complete the voyage. Sue and Jon were unable to attend normal schools and were taught by their mother throughout the voyage; despite both parents' worries that the children would suffer educationally they went on to gain doctorates from Cambridge and Cranfield Universities respectively.

The Bicentenary Voyage

1776: Cook was charged with attempting to discover the famed Northwest Passage and continued on this voyage until his violent death in 1779. His 12 years of sailing around the Pacific Ocean contributed much to European knowledge of the area. Several islands, such as the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), were encountered for the first time by Europeans, and his accurate navigational charting of large areas of the Pacific continued to be used for over 200 years.

200 Years Later

The Cook family set sail from Plymouth Sound, in an effort to repeat and commemorate the final voyage of Captain James Cook. Travelling on Madeira, the Canary Islands, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and finally to Perth, Australia, their voyage grew to encompass tales of bravery, heroism and also simple family life and issues. The beauty is in the details here - it's the little family dramas that allows the reader to relate to the bigger picture - even landlubbers who wouldn't be seen anywhere near a schooner in the middle of the ocean.

That's not to say the book doesn't have its fair share of action. For one of Cook's bravest acts on board, during the journey, he was awarded the prestigious "Lady Swathling Trophy" by the Shipwrecked Mariner's Society for 1977's 'most outstanding act of seamanship and navigation that saved the lives of all the people on board'. You'll have to read the book to find out how this went down...

Finally arriving in Australia in a battered Wavewalker, the Cook family settled down to Australian life and set about repairing the ship to continue their voyage and follow the rest of Captain James Cook's voyage.

Conclusion

When reading the history behind Captain James Cook and his three voyages that shaped centuries of knowledge around the Pacific Ocean it is evident where Gordon Cook's passion for commemorating these journeys came from.

The combination of a complex family tale aboard a schooner navigating various trials and tribulations make this book a fantastic read. It's both aspirational and heart warming and serves as a lasting memory to both Captain James Cook and the modern day Cook family. An inspiring read that leaves you wanting to achieve something really spectacular.