She Captains

With her pistols loaded she went aboard And by her side hung a glittering sword In her belt two daggers, well armed for war Was this female smuggler Was this female smuggler who never feared a scar. If a "hen frigate" was any ship carrying a captain's wife, then a "she captain" is a bold woman distinguished for courageous enterprise in the history of the sea. "She captains," who infamously possessed the "bodies of women and the souls of men," thrilled and terrorized their shipmates, doing "deeds beyond the valor of women." Some were "bold and crafty pirates with broadsword in hand." Others were sirens, too, like the Valkyria Princess Alfhild, whom the mariners made rover-captain for her beauty. Like their male counterparts, these astonishing women were drawn to the ocean's beauty -- and its danger. In her inimitable, yarn-spinning style, award-winning historian Joan Druett tells us what life was like for the women who dared to captain ships of their own, don pirates' garb, and perform heroic and hellacious deeds on the high seas. We meet Irish raider Grace "Grania" O'Malley -- sometimes called "the bald Grania" because she cut her hair short like a boy's -- who commanded three galleys and two hundred fighting men. Female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read were wanted by the law. Armed to the teeth with cutlasses and pistols, they inspired awe and admiration as they swaggered about in fancy hats and expensive finery, killing many a man who cowered cravenly before them. Lovelorn Susan "Put on a jolly sailor's dress/And daubed her hands with tar/To cross the raging sea/On board a man of war" to be near her William. Others disguised themselves for economic reasons. In 1835, Ann Jane Thornton signed on as a ship's steward to earn the fair wage of nine dollars per month. When it was discovered that she was a woman, the captain testified that Jane was a capital sailor, but the crew had been suspicious of her from the start, "because she would not drink her grog like a regular seaman." In 1838, twenty-two-year-old Grace Darling led the charge to rescue nine castaways from the wreck of the Forfarshire (the Titanic of its day). "I'll save the crew!" she cried, her courageous pledge immortalized in a torrent of books, songs, and poems. Though "she captains" had been sailing for hundreds of years by the turn of the twentieth century, Scotswoman Betsey Miller made headlines by weathering "storms of the deep when many commanders of the other sex have been driven to pieces on the rocks." From the warrior queens of the sixth century B.C. to the women shipowners influential in opening the Northwest Passage, Druett has assembled a real-life cast of characters whose boldness and bravado will capture popular imagination. Following the arc of maritime history from the female perspective, She Captains' intrepid crew sails forth into a sea of adventure.

An action-packed collection to thrill high seas adventurers and landlubbers alike—at a price that won’t sink the ship! A Treasure Worth Keeping: Caralyn McCreigh has one shot at getting out of an arranged marriage: find the famed Izzy’s Treasure and buy her way out of a future she doesn’t want. Tristan Youngblood, captain of the Adventurer and future Earl of Winterbourne, is more than willing to sell his services on the high seas for a chance to wiggle out of his own matrimony fate. Together they must ferret out the impossible—or does the real fortune lie in their ability to find love against all odds? The Pirate’s Lady: Cate Whitfield is stunned to learn that Captain Alexander Chase, the bloodthirsty pirate who murdered her betrothed, is someone her father holds in high regard. Feisty Cate mesmerizes Alex, but the former pirate isn’t about to let her public accusations deter his own agenda for vengeance. He’s returned to Promise, New Jersey, to retaliate against the man who murdered his father … the man who happens to be Cate’s father. Can these two wounded hearts find out the truth before it’s too late, or is their love doomed to walk the plank? Devil’s Cove: Captain Devlin Limmerick, the pirate feared as the Devil, eagerly takes ownership of the abandoned Devil Cove’s Manor in his quest for vengeance on his past. Only Grace, a beautiful, blind medium, can aid him with his nefarious plan. Yet even though she finds herself drawn to the Devil’s darkness, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set his revenge in motion. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out of the evil closing in on them is to summon the courage to believe in true love. Sensuality Level: Sensual

Meena is a young lady on the verge of adulthood, like her friends she dreams of living life to its fullest. But she is also the Princess, sole heir to her father's kingdom. Her best and oldest friend, Holasiyan, has grown up with her in the Saffron Palace. Under the eyes of all around them their friendship blossoms into something far greater. Yet he is destined to take his place amongst the king's fighting elite as generations of his family have done. Already an exceptional warrior, no one doubts that one day soon he will become their captain. When dark forces emerge and threaten Meena's life, Holasiyan sacrifices himself, standing in harm's way to protect his beloved. His selfless actions lead to a cascade of events unfolding. New friendships take shape, old alliances reform. Forgotten grievances re-emerge, with the revelation of a dark secret and an oath sworn under duress.

Two fleets, two perspectives, two lovers, and one battle--with the eastern Mediterranean and India at stake. This is the story of two "captains," Horatio Nelson and Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1798 Napoleon mounted a massive military invasion of Egypt. The objective? To roll up the middle east and push on to India--just as Alexander the Great did 2100 years earlier. In that same year, Horatio Nelson was assigned to intercept him or, failing that, destroy his fleet wherever it might be found. He finally located it anchored in Aboukir Bay, a few miles from Alexandria, and the stage was set for the Battle of the Nile. Overlaying the drama of these events is the story of two lovers--one a cocksure British-Irish naval captain, the other a dispossessed French countess whose family has hated the British for countless generations. Their romance is put to the ultimate test when he must decide between his love for her and his love for his country.

BEWARE THE SALTY SEA DOGS AND WRETCHED WRECKS ALONG THE SPIRIT-FILLED COAST OF CAPE COD Clipper ships, packet ships, whale boats, and steamers left home ports on Cape Cod to navigate the icy seas. Death demanded a toll from those aboard who dared to risk the waves--and those they left behind forever awaiting their return. Extracted from The Haunting of Cape Cod and the Islands, published by Pelican Publishing, plus four new chapters, each tale brims with a froth of fascinating facts related to the ghostly mariners and their exploits . . . or their watery graves. Addresses for these fraught sites can be found at the end of the book; contacting the ghosts is up to you.

The book begins with Jerry Rogerson becoming interested in the U.S. Navy, obtaining an appointment to the Naval Academy. He was a Midshipman at the Academy for four years, graduates and becomes a Commisioned officer. He serves at sea in two battleships: a U.S. Navy Oil Tanker and a Heavy Cruiser, by now as a Commander. Right after serving on the Navy Oil Tanker, he marries Phyllis Larkin. He's at sea again in a Heavy Cruiser, which is damaged in a kamikaze attack. The Cruiser is sent home for repairs and the War ends. For the next few years, Jerry's assignements include the Pentagon and the Philadelphia Shipyard, where is is promoted to Captain. He is sent to Pearl Harbor and while he's there, his wife is killed in an automoble accident, leaving him to raise two children alone. There, the family becomes fluent in Spanish and Jerry is involvedin Intelligence work. On a trip to Washinton, D.C., Jerry, by chance, meets Captain Mary Ann Graybill again after a number of years. He is single now and she has never married. Their romance begins. On a visit to Spain, she is persuaded to marry Jerry and theirs is a transatlantic marriage. At the age of 47, Mary Ann must learn to be a stepmother and wife, but they become a happy family. Jerry is transferred to Washington, D.C. to work in Intelligence. He and the children teach Mary Ann to speak Spanish and she becomes fluent also. Jerry is promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. His rank, together with their language skills cause Jerry and Mary Ann to be assigned to the Presidential party when the President of the U.S. pays a State Visit to Argentina. That was a trip of a lifetime for the Rogersons, to travel on Air Force One and to be lavishly entertained as members of the Presidential party. They decide they should both retired and begin traveling in a motor home throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Chatham Sea Captains in the Age of Sail chronicles the lives and adventures of twenty-five men who traveled the seas from the eighteenth through the twentieth century. These were extraordinary men—masters of navigation who charted paths from the Cape to the Far East with their regal clipper ships; deep-sea fishermen whose fearless spirit drove them to the Grand Banks and Newfoundland in the quest for their catch; and coastal captains who skirted America’s eastern seaboard in pursuit of trade. Spurred on by the Industrial Revolution’s demands, these mariners continued their pelagic exploration while pirates, privateers and Confederate raiders tested their mettle. The sea was both foe and ally. To meet the foe was the challenge; to sail her waters and return home as true masters was the force that drove these men to excellence.

The historical biographies of Joan's Great Great, and Great Grandfathers, Eli and Edward, both Sea Captains, plus master ship builders and voyagers brings to life romance, dramatic family life, Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes sailing adventures, whaling, voyage ship wreck, conflicting religious situations, local government corruption and murder. In addition Captain Elis government commission to charter the Great Lakes and Captain Edwards Civil War service record under Admiral Farragut.