JACK LONDON, THE SAILOR The water around him beckoned Jack London at - - PDF document

1

JACK LONDON, THE SAILOR The water around him beckoned Jack London at an early age. Growing up, mostly in Oakland, California, Jack London always had San Francisco Bay close by. This provided him the opportunity to experience adventures on the bay that inevitably led to adventures in far off waters. The main source for Jack London’s early experiences in sailing is found in his writing. The book John Barleycorn is the main source. Here he mentions sailing a skiff on the bay at age fourteen. The skiff was a large rowboat with a centerboard and a small sail. In San Francisco Bay the young London

• bserved ships from foreign countries which triggered a yearning to

experience the adventures he envisioned were to be found in other parts of the world. THE RAZZLE DAZZLE Jack London’s next sailing adventures were on the Razzle Dazzle, a sloop for which he paid oyster pirate, French Frank, three hundred dollars that he had borrowed from his wet nurse, Virginia Prentiss. With his own vessel, London now felt tremendously free and wasted no time in raiding the oyster beds with his one man crew, Spider Healy. The oyster beds were on government land that had been taken over by the Southern Pacific Railroad and leased to oyster growers. London sailed the Razzle Dazzle until the mainsail burned, then he teamed up with young Scratch Nelson on his boat and continued as an oyster pirate. Eventually, London realized it was only a matter of time before he would be either caught or killed, so he agreed to become a deputy for the Fish Patrol operating out of Benicia. His pay was half of the fines collected from the fishermen he arrested for breaking the

• law. It was during this period of his life he had a near-death adventure.

In John Barleycorn, Jack London describes this experience. After a night of drinking he stumbles off a sloop and falls into Carquinez Straits waters and is borne away by the heavy current. In his drunken condition he imagines drifting off to die in the water. With time and the cold of the water he starts to sober up and feels a strong desire to live. He tries to swim to shore, but finds himself too weak to fight the current. As he feels the end is near a Greek fisherman rescues him thus allowing him the rest of his life.

2

Many Fish Patrol adventures, true or not, can be found in Jack London’s book, The Tales of the Fish Patrol as well as in John Barleycorn. THE SOPHIA SUTHERLAND At the age of seventeen Jack London had his first ocean sailing adventure. He signed on to the Sophia Sutherland, a three masted sealing schooner on a voyage to the coast of Japan. Here he had to hold his own with older experienced sailors. Initially he was tested by some of the men, but eventually won their respect. The Sophia Sutherland took fifty-one days to reach Japan’s Bonin Islands where the ship was prepared for its work in the Bering Sea. During the voyage a violent typhoon was encountered off the coast of Japan. Jack London successfully took his turn at the wheel in the middle of the typhoon. Later, on returning home, he wrote an essay of his experiences as an entry in a writing contest for the San Francisco Morning Call. He was awarded twenty-five dollars for winning first place. Second and third places were won by students from Stanford and U.C. Berkeley. This represented quite an accomplishment for a high school student in competition with college students. THE SPRAY In 1903 Jack London bought an old but fast sloop, the Spray. This boat was used for cruises on San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento Delta, and the Petaluma River.1 Records show cruises from Oakland that include trips to Stockton, Black Point, and through the Delta. After his first sail he wrote to his editor George Brett saying “Went from the mouth of the Sacramento River through Suisun Bay into the Carquinez Straits in the teeth of a sou’wester.” Jack London spent much time on the Spray before and after his approximately half year trip to Korea as war correspondent in early 1904, covering the war between Japan and Russia. Sometimes there was duck hunting, sometimes there were party cruises with his circle of bohemian friends that would load the boat with up to eleven people. One cruise lasted

• ver a month. In March of 1905 Jack returned from the Spray to enter the

hospital for the removal of a non-malignant tumor. The Spray was a source

• f enjoyment, but mostly, the Spray allowed him quiet time, not only to

write, but to contemplate leaving his first marriage. That summer he rented a tent cabin for his family at Wake Robin, a resort in Glen Ellen which Charmian Kittredge’s aunt, Ninetta had just purchased. Ninetta and Charmian were part of his literary circle as Ninetta was an editor for the

3

Overland Monthly magazine, which was the first to publish a Jack London short story. He sent Bessie, his wife, ahead to Wake Robin with their two daughters while he planned to first sail on the Spray. Before he could do that, a wagon in which he was riding threw a wheel and Jack was thrown

• ut, spraining his knee and scraping skin off his arms and legs. Bessie had

asked Charmian to do some shopping for her, so Charmian took the items to give to Jack at his house. Jack’s childhood friend, Frank Atherton, was there helping Jack pack. Jack managed to get out of bed to talk to Charmian for about half an hour on the front porch. He then impulsively pulled her close and kissed her. This moment changed everything. Jack was filled with an exciting, unexpected passion for Charmian. He started to miss her as soon as she had left. Jack went on to Wake Robin as did Charmian. It was there that Jack announced to Bessie that he was leaving her.2 There were many events in Jack London’s life that prevented him from doing much sailing on the Spray. These included the breakup of his first marriage, the Russian-Japanese War, a lecture tour across the country, and the building and sailing of the Snark, a boat that was designed to have Jack and his second wife, Charmian, sail around the world. There is no record as to when the Spray was sold. It is possible the Spray was sold well before the voyage of the Snark, since the voyage was to be a seven year adventure. THE SNARK The Snark voyage from April 23, 1907 to December 8, 1908 proved to be a great sea adventure for both Jack and Charmian. Jack London’s desire of making a voyage around the world started with the knowledge that a Captain Joshua Slocum had accomplished this feat in 1898 in his small boat, the

• Spray. Jack’s thinking was, “We can do this, too.” Projects of building a

house and developing a ranch were put on hold when Jack found that Charmian was equally enthusiastic in undertaking such a great adventure. Jack decided on building a ketch-rigged sailboat that would be forty-five feet at the water line. A seventy horsepower engine was chosen to be used when

• necessary. Jack was to spare no money in achieving this enormous feat of

sailing around the world.3 Initial construction of the Snark took place at Anderson Shipyard in San

• Francisco. Finishing was later done in Oakland . Construction delays started

with the 1906 earthquake, and then continued all the way to sailing day, a date that was postponed endless times. The cost, initially estimated at $7,000, finally reached $30,000. Jack finally decided to sail even though

4

some finishing work was undone. This was later completed in Hawaii along with some much-needed repair. On April 23, 1907, the Snark finally left

• port. The crew of the Snark consisted of Jack and Charmian London, Roscoe

Eames, Bert Stolz, Martin Johnson, and Paul Tochigi. Shortly after starting the voyage, a series of problems developed on the

• Snark. The cook and cabin boy got seasick, fresh fruits and vegetables were

spoiled, the Snark leaked, water-tight compartments were not water-tight, and the iron works broke and fell apart. In short, the Snark had been made with many sub-standard materials. Also, in the face of a strong wind, it was impossible to have the Snark heave to no matter what was tried. The series

• f mishaps seemed to have no end. Roscoe, who Jack had chosen to be

navigator, proved to be sorely deficient in navigation skills, forcing Jack to quickly learn navigation. After about a week of study, Jack felt quite proficient and was proud of his new skill. Twenty–seven days after starting the voyage, the Snark arrived at Oahu. Five months were spent in the Hawaiian Islands awaiting the completion of work which needed to be done on the Snark. This period was not spent being idle on the beach. The Londons visited the lepers on Molokai, explored the large cattle ranches on the Big Island and Maui, rode around the slopes of Haleakela, and Jack learned to ride a surfboard. Much time was spent exploring the islands. The crew changed with the leaving of Roscoe Eames, Bert Stolz, and Paul Tochigi and the addition of Captain James Langhorne Warren and Yoshimatsu Nakata. On leaving Hawaii, Jack London attempted what had been called “the impossible traverse” to the Marquesa Islands to begin the South Pacific

• adventure. The successful, difficult voyage took them to Melville’s chosen

temporary home, Typee. From the Marquesas the Snark continued on a leisurely voyage through the many island chains, including stops in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Suva, and Savaii, until it reached the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands became the beginning of the end for the voyage of the

• Snark. Aside from malaria, and other common tropical diseases, the crew of

the Snark now encountered the deadly yaws disease, which was spread by bacteria in contact with open sores or wounds and possibly by mosquitoes. There was no sanitation in the islands. Jack London was afflicted far more than the others. The yaws bacteria, a direct relative of syphilis, carries with it severe consequences if not treated. The common name for the disease was

5

“Solomon Sores.” Jack London described it as “excessively active ulcers.” “Immediately the ulcer commences to eat. It eats in every direction, consuming skin and muscle with astounding rapidity. The pin-point ulcer of the first day is the size of a dime by the second day, and by the end of the week a silver dollar will not cover it.” Without antibiotics, which were not yet discovered, metallic poisons were widely used at this time to treat bacterial infections. Jack London’s choice for treatment was mercury chloride applied to all his open sores for the nearly four month period he was in the Solomon Islands. The mercury would have proceeded directly through the open sores into the bloodstream to settle mostly in the kidneys where it would slowly do its damage for the next eight years. It became primary in causing Jack London’s kidney failure and death on November 22, 1916. It was in December of 1908 that Jack London made the decision to end the dream voyage around the world. Aside from yaws, he also had developed a double fistula in his rectum, psoriasis, accelerated growth of his toenails, and severe inflammation of his hands that included several layers of dry, scaling skin that made it impossible to grip anything. It was after an operation and treatment in Sydney, Australia that he realized it would be impossible to continue the voyage. Charmian cried when she realized the voyage must

• end. On April 8, 1909, Jack, Charmian, and their man servant, Nakata, left

Sydney for Ecuador to make their way home. The Snark, put up for sale had not sold, so was left for sale in Sydney. The voyage of the Snark included visits to many exotic islands that are listed in the following log: The Island Log of the Snark May 20, 1907 Pearl Harbor, Oahu July 1, 1907 Molokai July 12, 1907 Maui August 15, 1907 Snark, with new captain, James Langhorne Warren, sail to the Big Island. Jack and Charmian visit Parker Ranch. September 28, 1907 Nakata arrives to join the crew. October 7, 1907 The Snark sails for the Marquesas. The crew along with Jack and Charmian consists of Captain Warren, Nakata, Wada, Martin Johnson, and Hermann de Visser.

6

November 20, 1907 A faucet on one of the water tanks is left on. Crew is left with enough water for 20 days. Rationing begins. November 23, 1907 Heavy rain. Tarps are rigged and 210 gallons of water is captured. Jack discovers in a book of sailing directions that his chosen direct course is considered impossible because of equatorial currents and the position of the southwest trade winds. December 6, 1907 Snark anchors in Nuka Hiva. December 10,1907 Jack and Charmian go by horse to Typee December 15, 1907 Sail toTahiti on December 27th December 27, 1907 Arrival of Snark at Papeete Bay December 28, 1907 Jack discovers that financial affairs at home are in disarray January 13, 1908 Jack and Charmian sail to San Francisco on the Mariposa with the intention of getting financial affairs in order. January 25, 1908 Arrival in San Francisco February 2, 1908 Depart on Mariposa for Tahiti February 14, 1908 Arrive at Tahiti, Papeete April 9, 1908 Arrive in Bora Bora April 15, 1908 Leave for Samoa April 28, 1908 Arrive in Samoa May 2, 1908 Sail from Manua, American Samoa, to Pago Pago May 3, 1908 Arrive at Tutuila, Pago Pago May 8, 1908 At Apia, Upolu, German Samoa May 9, 1908 Trek to Vailima to visit Robert Louis Stevenson’s

home and grave site. They saw the words Stevenson

had written for his grave: Under the dark and starry sky Dig the grave and let me lie Glad did I live and gladly die And I lay me down with a will This be the verse you grave for me Here he lies where he longed to be Home is the sailor home from the sea And the hunter home from the hill. May 26, 1908 In Fiji May 29, 1908 Captain Warren is discharged. Jack becomes captain

• f Snark.

June 11, 1908 In New Hebrides

7

June 28, 1908 Arrive Santa Anna, Solomon Islands July 4, 1908 Charmian has small yaw on her shin. July 18, 1908 Hashish episode July 31, 1908 Jack has bowel trouble and malaria. August 13, 1908 Charmian has bad yaw on her leg. August 20, 1908 Charmian is given the dog, Peggy, by Captain Jansen of the Minota. September 12, 1908 Charmian has two yaws on her feet. September 19, 1908 Jack has fever and hands are swelling. He now has several health issues. November 3, 1908 Jack and Charmian board the Mokambo for Sydney. This marks the end of the Snark cruise of a little over

• ne and one half years.

November 14 Doctor examines Jack and diagnoses severe psoriasis and two fistulas. November 30, 1908 Jack has surgery for fistulas. December 8, 1908 Jack makes the decision to terminate the Snark cruise. Charmian is heartbroken. December 17, 1908 Editor of Sydney Star asks Jack to report the Johnson- Burns heavy weight championship fight. December 23, 1908 Jack hires Captain Reed bring the Snark to Sydney. December 26, 1908 Johnson-Burns fight. Charmian is only woman in crowd of 20,000. January 13, 1909 Jack and Charmian sail to Tasmania for about one

• month. Both have bad fever.

March 31, 1909 Martin Johnson sails for Italy with money borrowed from Jack. April 8, 1909 Jack and Charmian board the Tymeric bound for Ecuador. June 25, 1909 Arrive in Panama July 7, 1909 Arrive by steamer in New Orleans July 13, 1909 Jack pays $500 bond for Nakata pending appeal to allow him into the U.S. July 21, 1909 Jack and Charmian arrive in Oakland July 23, 1909 Word is received that Nakata can stay in the U.S.4

8

THE ROAMER In 1910, Jack London found his perfect boat, The Roamer. For one hundred and seventy-five dollars he bought a thirty foot yawl that was forty years

• ld. It had a wide beam, an extra large cabin, and huge sails that helped

make the boat very responsive. Upon acquiring the Roamer Jack London became a member of the Vallejo Yacht Club, which became the starting point for many cruises.5 The typical trip was first to Benicia, and then on to the Delta and up the Sacramento River. Two Japanese servants accompanied Jack and Charmian with one acting as cook. Yoshimatsu Nakata, who had sailed with the Londons on the Snark from Hawaii in 1907 was always

• aboard. The daily schedule would include writing for Jack and typing for

Charmian every morning. Afternoons were for fishing, swimming, lounging, and playing cards. In Jack London’s article, “Small Boat Sailing,” published in the Yachting Monthly, he expressed his love of sailing: “And once a sailor, always a sailor. The savour of the salt never stales. The sailor never grows so old that he does not care to go back for one more wrestling bout with wind and wave. I know it of myself. I have turned rancher, and live beyond sight of the sea. Yet I can stay away from it only so

• long. After several months have passed, I begin to grow restless. I find

myself day-dreaming over incidents of the last cruise, or wondering if the striped bass are running on Wingo Slough, or eagerly reading the newspaper reports of the first northern flights of ducks. And then, suddenly, there is a hurried packing of suitcases and overhauling of gear, and we are off to Vallejo where the Roamer lies, waiting, always waiting, for the skiff to come alongside, for the lighting of the fire in the galley-stove, for the pulling off

• f gaskets, the swinging up of the mainsail, and the rat-tat-tat of the reef-

points, for the heaving short and the breaking out, and for the twirling of the wheel as she fills away and heads up Bay or down.”6 In what may have been the last time, Jack, Charmian, and Nakata took the Roamer on a cruise during the first weeks of 1915 as a temporary relief from

• stress. The Roamer was the last sailboat Jack London would own. There

would be no more relaxing cruises up the Delta and Sacramento River. This floating sanctuary had been his salvation from the problems and stresses he endured while on land. On the water he was a free man enjoying the life of a sailor which he had begun in boyhood. It was this love of the life of a sailor that made him choose the title, Sailor on Horseback for a future autobiography which he was never to write.7

9

On November 22, 1916, Jack London died of kidney failure in the cottage on his beloved Beauty Ranch, where he had become a true Sailor on Horseback. Lou Leal, Park Historian Jack London State Historic Park, September 1, 2017

10

Bibliography

• 1. Russ Kingman, Jack London, A Definitive Chronology, p.44.
• 2. Earle Labor, Jack London An American Life, pp.178-179
• 3. Jack London, The Cruise of the Snark and Charmian London, The Log of

the Snark.

• 4. Russ Kingman, Jack London, A Definitive Chronology pp. 77-105
• 5. Russ Kingman, A Pictorial Biography of Jack London, pp. 221-223.
• 6. Yachting Monthly, “Small Boat Sailing,” August, 1912.
• 7. Andrew Sinclair, Jack A Biography of Jack London, p.222.