The Last Grain Race
An engaging and informative first-hand account of the last 'grain race' of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby. In 1938, a young Eric Newby - later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent - set sail aboard Moshulu, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Every year from 1921 to 1939, the vessels involved in the grain trade would strive to find the shortest, fastest passage home - 'the grain race' - in the face of turbulent seas, atrocious weather conditions and hard graft. First published in 1956, 'The Last Grain Race', featuring many photographs from the author's personal collection, celebrates both the spirit of adventure and the thrill of sailing on the high seas. Newby's first-hand account - engaging and informative, with frequent bursts of humour and witty observations from both above and below deck - chronicles this classic sailing voyage of the Twenties and Thirties, and records the last grain race of maritime history.
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What Hacker News says
- Related book recommendation: The Last Grain Race, by Eric Newby.
- Up until WWII, Finnish shippers were competitive using sailing ships for long range bulk transport of grain, Eric Newby details one such voyage as a sailor in The Last Grain Race (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Grain_Race). I see no particular reason why sailing ships with a little optimization couldn't be competitive these days if they were back then, especially since the fuel prices comparatively is higher now.
- If you haven't read it, "the last grain race" by Eric Newby is a great read, of his time on the pre-ww2 era sailing vessel "moshulu" doing the Australia-Europe run with bagged wheat. He had a very interesting and varied life, this is only one lacuna in it.
It made me get Henry Dana, Melville off the shelf too. And then dive into Aubrey/Maturin novels and N.A.M. Roger's history of the Georgian Navy.
- Book recommendation if you found this article interesting (and haven't already read the book, a classic) :
Eric Newby, The Last Grain Race
- If you like this stuff:’one of my all time favorite books is “The Last Grain Race” by Eric Newby. He signed on as a sailor on the Last sail shipment of grain from Rotterdam to Sydney in 1939 (just as WWII was breaking out in Europe). As is typical for him he knew nothing about sailing when he signed on. He’s a great writer and it’s an exciting story.
- Sailing ships continued to be economic into the 1930s, for certain cargoes and routes. See Eric Newby, "The Last Grain Race".
