The Shantyman - Paperback

by Rick Spilman (Author)

He can save the ship and the crew, but can he save himself? In 1870, on the clipper ship Alhambra in Sydney, the new crew comes aboard more or less sober, except for the last man, who is hoisted aboard in a cargo sling, paralytic drunk. The drunken sailor, Jack Barlow, will prove to be an able shantyman. On a ship with a dying captain and a murderous mate, Barlow will literally keep the crew pulling together. As he struggles with a tragic past, a troubled present and an uncertain future, Barlow will guide the Alhambra through Southern Ocean ice and the horror of an Atlantic hurricane. His one goal is to bring the ship and crew safely back to New York, where he hopes to start his life anew. Based on a true story, The Shantyman is a gripping tale of survival against all odds at sea and ashore, and the challenge of facing a past that can never be wholly left behind.

Author Biography

Rick Spilman has spent most of his life around the ships and the sea. Professionally, he has worked as a naval architect (ship designer) for several major shipping lines. An avid sailor, Rick has sailed as volunteer crew on the replica square-riggers "HMS ROSE" and "HMS BOUNTY," as well as sailing on modern and period vessels along the New England coast, the west coast of Florida, the Caribbean, the Great Lakes and the southwest coast of Ireland. He is also an avid kayaker. Rick's first novel, Hell Around the Horn, is a nautical thriller set on a British windjammer in the brutal Cape Horn winter of 1905. Based on an actual voyage, it is a story of survival and the human spirit against overwhelming odds. Rick is the founder and host of the Old Salt Blog, (oldsaltblog.com) a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea. He is a also a partner in Old Salt Press (oldsaltpress.com). He has been published in the Huffington Post, gCaptain, Forbes online, and several canoeing and kayaking print magazines. He was also a nautical columnist on the Clarion science fiction blog and a Cooley Award Winner in short fiction at the University of Michigan. His video has appeared in the Wall Street Journal on-line and in National Geographic Traveler. Rick lives with his wife and two sons on the west bank of the Hudson River.