Overview

Set in the summer of 1856 – in the midst of a ship race to deliver supplies to the California Gold Rush – captain’s wife Mary Ann Patten is forced to take the helm from her husband. Within days she has put down a mutiny and must attempt to steer a 216' clipper ship laden with the modern equivalent of $11 million dollars of cargo through Drake's Passage and around Cape Horn –  the most treacherous waters in the world.  Caught in an 18-day gale, Mary Ann makes the only choice she can to save the ship and her crew. She turns to run out of the storm and straight into the wilds of Antarctica. In doing so she becomes both the first woman to command a merchant vessel and among the first women to navigate through this dangerous and magical frozen landscape.   Drawing on the author's first-hand 2022 expedition to Antarctica in search  of Mary Ann's route, as well as new archival research into nineteenth-century women’s maritime writing, this thrilling adventure blows apart the well-worn image of the meek, retiring nineteenth-century wife.   This is a true story of astonishing courage and ambition. 

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9781783969173

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Reviews

‘What a breathtaking journey! The perilous ship race, the treacherous weather, a mutinous uprising, the life-threatening illness of the captain, and most of all, the heroic efforts of his wife, Mary Ann Patten, as she steps into his shoes to become the first female captain to traverse the Southern Ocean, all while pregnant... A spellbinding triumph of storytelling and rewriting a valiant woman back into the historical narrative where she belongs. Everyone should read this book!’ Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of Queens of Crime ‘An epic tale of courage, fortitude, and grit, brilliantly narrated in this deeply researched and compelling account.’ Siddharth Kara, Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red and The Zorg ‘Mary Ann, the captain's wife, nineteen and pregnant, is forced to take over her husband’s ship mid-voyage. With no training, equipped only with nautical almanacs and how-to guides for sea navigation, and facing off a mutiny, she decides to put her cards on the table. The crew responds by anointing her their captain. It is the mid-1800s, and they are sailing straight into a monumental storm. Tilar J. Mazzeo has written a riveting story about a woman we might otherwise never know, and brilliantly sets it within a larger history about the upward mobility and wealth that the seas offered--and just as quickly took away. A fantastic read!’ Paulina Bren, author of She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street and The Barbizon: The Hotel that Set Women Free   ‘Once an international sensation, then slipping into the mist of history, the story of nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten’s remarkable feat of seamanship has been rescued and brought to vivid life [...] and powerfully informed by Mazzeo’s own consummate knowledge of the sea.’ Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance and The Bounty   ‘Expertly weaves together a touching love story and a gripping tale of survival. Mazzeo explores how passion, endurance, and a devoted partnership can overcome the odds, even in the most isolated and desperate circumstances. Through meticulous research and vivid descriptions, Mazzeo reveals how Mary Ann Patton's unwavering perseverance and brilliant navigation prevailed against the most formidable obstacles.’ Lydia Reeder, author of The Cure for Women

Author Information

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle bestselling author of books that include The Widow Clicquot, The Secret of Chanel No. 5, and Hotel on the Place Vendôme. She also writes on food and wine for the mainstream press, and her work has appeared in venues such as Food & Wine and in her Back-Lane Wineries guidebook series (Ten Speed Press). Her course on creative nonfiction (Great Courses), featured as in-flight viewing content on Virgin America airlines, is widely distributed and has made her a nationally prominent teacher of writing in nonfiction genres. The Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College, she divides her time among coastal Maine, New York City, and Saanichton, British Columbia, where she lives with her husband and stepchildren.

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