Grace Harwar 1929 - AJ Villiers Movie

Amongst all the crap on Youtube you will ocasionally run across a gem like this. Thank you for posting.

Stunning piece of film. I've read most of Villiers books and have a terrific library of square rigger books (some quite rare), with a good sprinkling of the grain race era and Gustaf Erickson's period. The Grace Harwar was a good looking ship, unlike the later barques etc with their bald-headed rigs etc. Erickson ran his ships on a shoe string which know doubt made safety issues sometimes a problem with failing gear, something which wouldn't be tolerated these days! I read that Walkers death was a constant reminder due to his blood staining a sail until it was replaced. I've done a bit of sailing in my time but nothing like on a square rigger. I recall years back seeing a terrific photo of the Grace Harwar in an old National Geographic magazine from the 1930s taken from an ocean liner at sea when the Grace Harwar signalled to her requesting food – as shown in the film. Back in the 1980s I did a tour of all the old Grain Ship ports in South Australia, Port Victoria being most interesting. Down on the tip of Yorke Peninsula in SA was the wreck of the barque Ethel, which ran ashore on Reef Head, near Cape Spencer in 1904. Back in the 80s over half of the ships length to her stern was still standing proud on the beach like an upturned whale – she is now virtually gone, wind and salt spray having done its deed to her fine form.

I just read the book of this, so thanks for uploading the video! The thing that this really confirms for me is that text is actually a much better medium for capturing sailing than film. Watching this video it seems like a pretty nice trip! but that's not how it is in the book! with text, it's possible to describe in detail what was happening when things were really going bad! at those times, all hands were working the ship, so they couldn't do filming! and also probably the conditions were too bad for filming. but they can describe what happened from memory. Villiers writes early in the book that a summer trip would be better, because that will mean long daylight hours that far south, which is essential to filming (with the technology of the time!), but they signed on to a winter trip because basically they decided "now or never" and had only 4 hours of daylight in the most interesting part of the journey!

My Dad was on this voyage. A horrendous trip.

Incredible footage. I was born 45 years after this voyage but this makes me feel as if I were there.

I remember my crossing the line ceremony, with fondness, now, but then it was a different feeling! hahaha

The Flying P line, Gustavo Ericsson’s last reprieve for the square rigged cargo ship. What a time!

Struggled to hear this fine video, with the background music. So glad it didn't last, excellent video.

Alan Villers was the technical consultant for the film Moby Dick. Thanks for sharing this.

Many thanks for sharing this. I read the Alan Villiers book of this voyage , By Way of Cape Horn earlier this year, It amazing to see the people he wrote about come to life, thank you for sharing

Such a nice show, one doesn't see things like this very often, please keep up the good work !!

thank you so much for sharing such a classic Drew

Excellent video

Thanks for posting this!

thanks for the great video

great documentary could have used less of the music

Awesome👏🏻👍🏻

For those of you interested in the bygone years of merchant sailing, look up the autobiography Forty Years Master by Captain Daniel Killman. There's a FB page of the same name - Forty Years Master - and it's got some videos as well as interesting informational posts.

Thanks for posting this - a rare insight into a long passage on a square-rigged sailing ship. Hard exhausting work and significant danger, experienced by young men and boys.

Thank you. Gary in Japan.