The were terrific sailers. In the 1950s and 60s they used to take young
people on chartered cruises on a series of sailing ships named Yankee. In
1929 irving sailed around the Horn on the 377 foot barque, The Peking, one
of the last such voyages by a square rigger ever made. A film of the voyage
made by Johnson shows the ship caught in one of the fierce storms for which
that part of the ocean is known. At some points the decks are completely
awash. It is a miracle they survived. Today the Peking resides at the South
Street Seaport Museum in NYC and the film can be viewed on one of the lower
decks. I was fortunate to meet Captain Johnson back int the late 1970s. It
was an honor.
John