Ever wondered what it might be like to spend three months at sea in a sailing ship, cooped up with 400 other souls in an area about the size of an average building allotment? The only way forward being at the mercy of the fickle temperament of the prevailing winds?
Read here what if felt like in this fascinating and detailed diary written by Thomas Frost who passaged with his wife and family from Plymouth, England to the NSW colony aboard the sailing ship Orontes in 1882.
Read the mundane details of the meals; the distance covered in a day and the sights seen; and some of the heart break of life aboard ship.
“Friday, July 21, 1882 ….. There is a burial service on sea just like there is on land. The Captain read it. They put the Union Jack flag and lower them over the side into the water done up in canvas. Miles 225”
This voyage is the same one that Thomas Hannah took to arrive in Sydney as a sponsored immigrant.
Read the Diary here.
