The voyage of the Caesar wasn’t all misery. Ernst Middendorf does capture some of the wonder and romance of a long sea voyage in his descriptions. His favourite pastime was to climb into the crows nest and observe the world from high up. I think … Continue reading Sailing south
Tag: sailing
Dover to Tenerife
Towards morning I had fallen into a peaceful slumber, when the Captain called into the cabin, "Come up, Doctor - Calais and Dover." I rubbed my eyes; the dawn light shone through the little window. As I was half dressed, I threw a … Continue reading Dover to Tenerife
Seasick… the English Channel
The Fischer family and Johann Holtorf were landlubbers; they had never been to sea. After leaving the sheltered waters of the Elbe on their respective migrant ships they traversed a corner of the North Sea and then entered the English Channel. The Fischers sailed on … Continue reading Seasick… the English Channel
Leaving Hamburg
Gottfried and Viktoria Fischer with their four children departed Hamburg on the Caesar in November 1854. Johann departed from the same dock on the Steinwärder in November two years later. It is cold in November in Northern Germany, and the morning that the Fischers departed … Continue reading Leaving Hamburg
Hamburg to Sydney in the 1850s
Johann Holtorf, a 28 year old farmer from Bramstedt, Holstein, sailed in November 1856 from Hamburg to Sydney on the sailing ship, Steinwärder, as I have mentioned in a previous blog. Two years earlier another German family, the Fischers of Harheim in Hessen, near Frankfurt, had … Continue reading Hamburg to Sydney in the 1850s
Forgotten tales 