ANNIE RICKETSONS JOURNAL

The incredible adventure of Annie Ricketsons years at sea as told so simply in her journal is impressive even by todays standards Very few women in the 1870s would have chosen to do what Annie did The idea of leaving family and friends for nearly three and one half years to sail to areas of the world which were not even listed on a map must have been daunting but to do this as the only woman on a ship where some of the crew may have resented a woman onboard and others may not have had the highest character references was absolutely courageous Annie sailed on the A R Tucker with her husband Captain Daniel Ricketson to many of the worlds whaling grounds Her journey took her from her home port of New Bedford Massachusetts down the Atlantic around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and across the Indian Ocean to the Pacific off the coast of Australia Her journal entries not only tell of tragedy and death of dangers and bad weather but also of friendly natives and sightseeing shopping and fashion concerns They are an invaluable record of life onboard a whaling shipthe excitement of the hunt a powerful storm even an earthquakeand the boredom of day after day when nothing happened Annies love for her husband and adventure her sense of humor and her amazing ability to adapt is obvious from the very beginning of her fantastic story