Publisher's Synopsis
Join Henry Hudson and his crew on board their tiny ship, the Half Moon, as they endure the ice fields in the Barent Sea and great storms of the mighty Atlantic Ocean; admire Hudson's ingenious responses to mutineers; wonder why as they do strange things like attacking and being attacked by Natives; feel their disappointments as time and again they must turn back from their goal, the elusive northern passage to wealth and fame. Sail up the mighty Hudson River with them almost to its headwaters. Experience their frustrations from running aground as they enter the Delaware Bay then anchor near the tip of Cape May, NJ. In the summer of 1609, Hudson and his ship the Half Moon, sailing under the Dutch flag, explored the east coast of North America from present day Maine all the way south to Roanoke Island, NC, searching for a passage to the Orient. Robert Juet, Hudson's clerk or ship's mate kept a detailed log of the journey. His entries include the weather, sea state, descriptions of the lands around them and the natives of those lands. He produced the finest first person account of an exciting early historical voyage. Unfortunately for us, he wrote his journal using the archaic English of his time, and he used antiquated navigational tools. Consequently, only serious researchers can read his journal. You can read the original at http: //www.halfmoonreplica.org/Juets-journal.pdf In 2009, Cape May, NJ commemorated the 400th anniversary of Hudson's visit to the area with a year long celebration including a parade, a King and Queen, lectures, a grand ball, and dignitaries from Horn, Holland. As part of the celebration, the 400th Anniversary Committee asked me to use my knowledge of the sea (8 1/2 years at sea with the US Navy destroyer service), my interest in history, and my writing skills to translate and explain Juet's Journal for the average reader. My translation of the Journal is in script preceded by my explanations and notes for each installment. The local newspaper, the weekly Star and Wave, ran it as a column throughout most of the year. It became an immediate hit! People stopped me on the street asking what is going to happen next? Will the Natives massacre them? Will the next storm swamp their little ship? Each chapter in this book is an installment from the paper. Enjoy this exciting leisurely adventure back into time with Henry Hudson, Robert Juet, and John Bailey. The year is 1609. Ready your sea legs. Haul in that bow line and cast off! John Bailey lives in Cape May, NJ. He began his writing career as a computer technical writer, writing user manuals for National Cash Register Co. and Digital Equipment Corporation. His writing credits include, Sentinel of the Jersey Cape, The Story of the Cape May Lighthouse and Cape Island, The Jewel of the Jersey Shore (a history of the City of Cape May, NJ). He is a past president of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities, the organization that saved and restored the Physick Estate, now an important Cape May house museum designed by the architect Frank Furness. During his tenure the group restored and opened the Cape May Lighthouse to visitors. The citizens of Cape May twice elected him to their City Council. He and his wife Nancy are master leather craftsmen and operated the Baileywicke Leather Shop on Washington Street in Cape May for 30 years. They are now semi-retired while John explores his water color talents and writes the books he's dreamed of for those thirty years.
