Maritime Marin

Marin County's spectacular Pacific coast has been noted as both one of the most beautiful locations on earth and--for some early mariners--a place of absolute terror. The rocky coast here has claimed hundreds of ships and the lives of thousands of sailors. Though long known for its beautiful natural settings of woodlands, beaches, and hills, Marin's maritime history is surprisingly varied, with tales of English pirates, Spanish explorers, Yankee whalers, and an immense wartime shipbuilding effort. The rocky seascapes and sandy beaches of Point Reyes, Bolinas, and Stinson Beach--along with the bay-side villages of Sausalito, Tiburon, and San Rafael--have long been important ports for commercial and pleasure mariners.

Sager argues that sailors were not misfits or outcasts but were divorced from society only by virtue of their occupation. The wooden ships were small communities at sea, fragments of normal society where workers lived, struggled, and often died. With the coming of the age of steam, the sailor became part of a new division of labour and a new social hierarchy at sea. Sager shows that the sailor was as integral to the transition to industrial capitalism as any land worker.

This comprehensive dictionary of maritime terminology was first published in 1813 and designed as a reference work for shipbuilders and navigators. It was compiled by the naval historian William Burney and presented a revised and expanded version of the classic Universal Marine Dictionary originally published in 1769 by the poet and lexicographer William Falconer (1732–89). The dictionary with over 800 pages presents technical data on shipbuilding, navigation, the operation of ships, weaponry, and provisions, as well as historical, legal, and medical information.

Marin County's spectacular Pacific coast has been noted as both one of the most beautiful locations on earth and--for some early mariners--a place of absolute terror. The rocky coast here has claimed hundreds of ships and the lives of thousands of sailors. Though long known for its beautiful natural settings of woodlands, beaches, and hills, Marin's maritime history is surprisingly varied, with tales of English pirates, Spanish explorers, Yankee whalers, and an immense wartime shipbuilding effort. The rocky seascapes and sandy beaches of Point Reyes, Bolinas, and Stinson Beach--along with the bay-side villages of Sausalito, Tiburon, and San Rafael--have long been important ports for commercial and pleasure mariners.