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Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.
In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave—rather than succumb to this dismal fate—inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Under Musgrave's leadership, they band together and remain civilized through even the darkest and most terrifying days.
Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island—twenty miles of impassable cliffs and chasms away—the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.
Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.
In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave—rather than succumb to this dismal fate—inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Under Musgrave's leadership, they band together and remain civilized through even the darkest and most terrifying days.
Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island—twenty miles of impassable cliffs and chasms away—the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.
Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2007
About the author
Joan Druett
40 books170 followersBack in the year 1984, on the picture-poster tropical island of Rarotonga, I literally fell into whaling history when I tumbled into a grave. A great tree had been felled by a recent hurricane, exposing a gravestone that had been hidden for more than one and a half centuries. It was the memorial to a young whaling wife, who had sailed with her husband on the New Bedford ship Harrison in the year 1845. And so my fascination with maritime history was triggered ... resulting in 18 books (so far). The latest—number nineteen—is a biography of a truly extraordinary man, Tupaia, star navigator and creator of amazing art.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,120 reviews
February 10, 2017
The whole book revolved around two shipwrecks on different parts of Auckland Island, a deserted, barren and really nasty place to find yourself alone and without help. Neither of the shipwrecked crews knew about the other. One set, inspired by their captain, built a community and eventually a ship to sail out on. The other set became murderous and turned to cannibalism.
Sounds thrilling right? And it should have been. It should have been such an amazing story it would snapped up to be filmed as soon as it was published. Unfortunately, it was flat and boring. Too much detail that might have been interesting presented better and submerged the exciting and amazing story beneath.
Three and a half stars, rounded down because I only finished it because I kept hoping it would improve.
__________
Notes on reading the book. It is conventional wisdom that the huge male sea lions called beachmasters dominate their harems of much-smaller cows with aggression and fear. But the documentaries we see and the ethologists we read are generally men, occasionally a female scientist, like Elizabeth Marshall Thomas will come up with a totally different view. And so it is with Joan Druett.
When the heavily pregnant seals make landfall, the beachmasters who have already (violently) carved out their territories and welcome them beginning to pester them for sex. But the females gallop at speed towards their friends and family known from previous years and rebuff the males until they've had their pups.
When the females are ready for mating, if the male isn't showing any interest having perhaps given up, the females rub up against them and display themselves. Mating is a long affair, about 40 minutes, and is usually ended when the female has had enough and turns to bite the male on his neck.
After this she will move away from the harem, often miles away with her pup to avoid further attentions of the males.
One interesting thing is that male adolescent seals are kept away from the rest of the herd! Very sensible.
__________
The truth about cows, bulls and chickens when they are allowed to live as they please. Where I live the farmers consider the whole island and everyone's garden their farm and leave their livestock to wander as they will. If you don't have a cattle grid (I don't) then the cows will get in the garden for sure. Some things that are against the 'conventional wisdom' of animal behaviour quickly become apparent. Take cows.
A herd of cows is always led by the largest female. Any bulls (and most are removed for beef whilst very young) are not dominant. The cows will challenge people and if either you have a dog or they have calves, they can be fairly dangerous. They do not like dogs at all. The bulls are never dangerous, they always run away, even the big ones, before you can get close.
(If the cows have been up on the mountain it is quite likely that in a month their cow pats will have magic mushrooms growing from them. The rastas will come and steal them and sell them to tourists!)
Chickens - if they are around a bakery they are likely to be in a flock. But if they are in the country, mostly you see 'married' pairs. A rooster and a hen will always be together. The hen will lay eggs, the chicks get raised and go off on their own, if they survive the hawks, cats and rats, and the rooster and hen will again be stalking around. The pair around where I live have been together for years. The females are always braver than the males who never come forward to pick up scraps except at a run, grab and retreat.
It's not really like an Attenborough documentary at all.
Sounds thrilling right? And it should have been. It should have been such an amazing story it would snapped up to be filmed as soon as it was published. Unfortunately, it was flat and boring. Too much detail that might have been interesting presented better and submerged the exciting and amazing story beneath.
Three and a half stars, rounded down because I only finished it because I kept hoping it would improve.
__________
Notes on reading the book. It is conventional wisdom that the huge male sea lions called beachmasters dominate their harems of much-smaller cows with aggression and fear. But the documentaries we see and the ethologists we read are generally men, occasionally a female scientist, like Elizabeth Marshall Thomas will come up with a totally different view. And so it is with Joan Druett.
When the heavily pregnant seals make landfall, the beachmasters who have already (violently) carved out their territories and welcome them beginning to pester them for sex. But the females gallop at speed towards their friends and family known from previous years and rebuff the males until they've had their pups.
When the females are ready for mating, if the male isn't showing any interest having perhaps given up, the females rub up against them and display themselves. Mating is a long affair, about 40 minutes, and is usually ended when the female has had enough and turns to bite the male on his neck.
After this she will move away from the harem, often miles away with her pup to avoid further attentions of the males.
One interesting thing is that male adolescent seals are kept away from the rest of the herd! Very sensible.
__________
The truth about cows, bulls and chickens when they are allowed to live as they please. Where I live the farmers consider the whole island and everyone's garden their farm and leave their livestock to wander as they will. If you don't have a cattle grid (I don't) then the cows will get in the garden for sure. Some things that are against the 'conventional wisdom' of animal behaviour quickly become apparent. Take cows.
A herd of cows is always led by the largest female. Any bulls (and most are removed for beef whilst very young) are not dominant. The cows will challenge people and if either you have a dog or they have calves, they can be fairly dangerous. They do not like dogs at all. The bulls are never dangerous, they always run away, even the big ones, before you can get close.
(If the cows have been up on the mountain it is quite likely that in a month their cow pats will have magic mushrooms growing from them. The rastas will come and steal them and sell them to tourists!)
Chickens - if they are around a bakery they are likely to be in a flock. But if they are in the country, mostly you see 'married' pairs. A rooster and a hen will always be together. The hen will lay eggs, the chicks get raised and go off on their own, if they survive the hawks, cats and rats, and the rooster and hen will again be stalking around. The pair around where I live have been together for years. The females are always braver than the males who never come forward to pick up scraps except at a run, grab and retreat.
It's not really like an Attenborough documentary at all.
September 23, 2023
(View from Auckland Island, photo by Rosehn, on Wikimedia Commons)
There are two types of people in this world: The person who can keep her wits when faced with a frightening or disastrous event, taking charge of the situation and figuring out a way to survive. Then there's the other person, the one who freezes and can't think of one useful thing to help themself.
I am the latter sort, as readers of my review of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach might recall.
If I ended up shipwrecked or on the cast of Survivor, you can safely bet I won't be the one to figure out how to save everyone's sorry ass or be the one not voted off.
In 1864, two ships wrecked off the coast of the Auckland Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The two captains were vastly different. Captain Musgrave was able to keep his wits and, despite terrible suffering, kept himself and the other four with him alive.
Captain Dalgarno on the other hand, lost all but three of the nineteen survivors from his ship.
They were both marooned at the same time, on differing parts of the island, unbeknownst to themselves. It was fascinating to see how one captain took charge of the situation and how the other immediately became despondent and unable to lead his crew.
The Auckland Islands are subantarctic and the weather is brutal. Strong, cold winds bring freezing rain almost year-round and there is little to eat. It is a harsh environment and the men suffered immensely, stranded on this forsaken island for over a year and a half.
One group worked together to survive and eventually built a boat in which three of the members sailed 285 miles (458 km) of rough seas to the coast of New Zealand. The other group floundered, most of them dying, before a ship rescued them eighteen months later.
The author extensively researched these two events, as is apparent by the meticulous details she provides. It is well-written and engaging, and kept me riveted throughout.
(CW) My only complaint.... the hunting. For sea lions in particular. I felt that one or two detailed instances would have been more than enough, but we are treated to many more than that.
I think at least once in every chapter the author described how they killed them, even the babies. Ok, yeh, they had to hunt as there was little else to eat but it was difficult to read. Sometimes it would go on for pages and I had to skip these parts.
For those who might also be bothered and/or offended by the descriptions of hunting, please see the author's reasoning in the comments section, comment #41. I am relieved to know she doesn't hate sea lions, as I had suspected prior to her comment. She wished to tell the story as the men would have wanted it told, and she reflected their accounts and memoirs.
Otherwise, this was a riveting read. Fans of adventure and survival stories will find much to appreciate in this book.
March 26, 2019
I love non fiction survival stories and Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the Worldreally floated my boat(pardon the pun).
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. It's climate is extreme and harsh with year round freezing rain and howling winds so when in 1864 Captian Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the Island they are faced with uncertain death if they don't put theirs leadership skills and suvivor knowledge into practice their fates may be short lived.
This is a really interesting and well written story. Using the survivors journals and historical records the author brings this amazing story to life and shows with leadership and order what can be accomplished.
The story follows two different shipwrecks at different ends of Auckland Island at the same time and while neighter knew about the other party their stories differ in many ways and make for terrific reading. This is a very detailed and descriptive story and the author clealy has done amazing research.
I loved learning about the seals and seal life on the island but not so much about the killing of the seals even thought I know it was about survival it did make for quite difficult reading and some readers may find this very difficult to read and it crops up quite often throughout the story.
I listened to this one on audible and the narrator was excellent. I did spent quite a bit of time researching and look up maps and photos on line. I am not sure if the hard copy included maps or photos of the Island.
A great detailed and informative adventure story that was entertaining and educational.
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. It's climate is extreme and harsh with year round freezing rain and howling winds so when in 1864 Captian Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the Island they are faced with uncertain death if they don't put theirs leadership skills and suvivor knowledge into practice their fates may be short lived.
This is a really interesting and well written story. Using the survivors journals and historical records the author brings this amazing story to life and shows with leadership and order what can be accomplished.
The story follows two different shipwrecks at different ends of Auckland Island at the same time and while neighter knew about the other party their stories differ in many ways and make for terrific reading. This is a very detailed and descriptive story and the author clealy has done amazing research.
I loved learning about the seals and seal life on the island but not so much about the killing of the seals even thought I know it was about survival it did make for quite difficult reading and some readers may find this very difficult to read and it crops up quite often throughout the story.
I listened to this one on audible and the narrator was excellent. I did spent quite a bit of time researching and look up maps and photos on line. I am not sure if the hard copy included maps or photos of the Island.
A great detailed and informative adventure story that was entertaining and educational.
July 28, 2020
When I was a child, I read the book Robinson Crusoe. That book hooked me on survival stories. This is a non-fiction story about two shipwrecks on Auckland Island in 1864. One ship was the Grafton with a crew of five; the other was the Invercauld with a crew of twenty-five. These two crews were wrecked on the island at the same time; the Grafton on the southern part of the island and the Invercauld on the North. They never knew each other were on the island.
The book is well written and researched. What I found most interesting was the descriptions of the flora and fauna of the island. The second most interesting was about leadership particularly with what is going on in our world today. The Grafton crew had leadership and worked together to survive and the Invercauld lacked leadership and the crew disintegrated. If you enjoy survival stories ,this is a must read. I highly recommend this book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and thirty-five minutes. David Colacci does an excellent job narrating the book. Colacci is one of my favorite narrators. Colacci has won numerous EarPhone Awards and been nominated for an Audie Award.
The book is well written and researched. What I found most interesting was the descriptions of the flora and fauna of the island. The second most interesting was about leadership particularly with what is going on in our world today. The Grafton crew had leadership and worked together to survive and the Invercauld lacked leadership and the crew disintegrated. If you enjoy survival stories ,this is a must read. I highly recommend this book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and thirty-five minutes. David Colacci does an excellent job narrating the book. Colacci is one of my favorite narrators. Colacci has won numerous EarPhone Awards and been nominated for an Audie Award.
July 11, 2014
I checked this book out from the library today, started reading it after dinner, and could not put it down or go to bed until I finished it! I read a fair number of sailing non-fiction books and am no stranger to accounts of shipwrecks, but Druett's talented writing and immediate ability to turn the journals of the shipwrecked sailors into an ongoing account of real human beings enthralled me. I felt like I was reading a novel, all the more exciting because everything that happened was true.
I've read a few of Druett's other non-fiction books, but the writing in the others didn't speak to me like this one did. She really shines here in pulling the most important nuggets from each man's account and shaping their emotions and struggles into a edge-of-your-seat account.
I'm not usually this effusive in reviewing books, so I'm as surprised as anyone that I loved this one this much to gush about it here. Perhaps it's because I've just come off a cruise on the Charles W. Morgan and am eager to get my hands on more sea stories. But if you're looking for a tale of survival, camaraderie, and man vs. nature, this book is for you.
I've read a few of Druett's other non-fiction books, but the writing in the others didn't speak to me like this one did. She really shines here in pulling the most important nuggets from each man's account and shaping their emotions and struggles into a edge-of-your-seat account.
I'm not usually this effusive in reviewing books, so I'm as surprised as anyone that I loved this one this much to gush about it here. Perhaps it's because I've just come off a cruise on the Charles W. Morgan and am eager to get my hands on more sea stories. But if you're looking for a tale of survival, camaraderie, and man vs. nature, this book is for you.
September 21, 2020
It was obvious for me to obtain a copy of this book, having been lucky enough to visit the Auckland Islands at the end of last year. For those unaware, they are remote sub-Antarctic islands around 480km south of New Zealand, in the Southern Ocean. Now they are a nature reserve, and designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Access is tightly restricted, and strict quarantine procedures apply. They are a haven of diversification for subantarctic wildlife.
I have previously read The Castaways of Disappointment Island, which is the story of the wreck of the Dundonald on Disappointment Island - a small island offshore of the main island (it was an excellent read, 5 stars from me).
In this book, author Joan Druett tells the story of two almost simultaneous wrecks on the main Auckland Island. The short version, is that on 3 January 1864, the Grafton wrecked in Carnley Harbour. Then, at he other end of the island on 11 May 1864, the Invercauld wrecked on a reef. The two parties never knew the other was there.
One of the ships was crewed by only 5 men, who made their way to shore and then salvaged what they could from the wreck. These five men worked together, achieved some miraculous things - such a constructing a forge to make tools and nails etc to build a ship. These men after 18 months, had found ways to live, constructed adequate accommodation, found food to eat, and constructed a boat which carried two of them to New Zealand, and thus to rescue.
On the other ship, a crew of 25 were wrecked. They were a disparate group, who divided and did not for the main part work together. They had an excellent skilled man in their midst, but many would not follow his lead. Others became ill and gave up. Some of the men even resorted to cannibalism. In May 1865 the Portuguese ship Julian sailed into the harbour to make minor repairs, and rescued the only three survivors.
Druett's book weaves these two stories, running a common timeline, and concurrent events. It contrasts the two groups, their leadership, their relationships and their achievements. In this it does a good job. It is a fairly slow paced narrative - sharing the highs and lows for these men over an 18 month period. At the end is a chapter on subsequent wrecks (there have been a lot of ships wrecked on the Auckland Islands), the attempts and farming and settlement and the provisions put in place after these two wrecks to provide a means of survival for future castaways.
There is also a chapter at the end which explains some of the narrative decisions taken by the author, as there were a number of conflicting reports (from the castaways), many of which were written later in life, or totally from memory.
I enjoyed this book, but perhaps more due to having visited the scene. For those without a vested interest, the writing is perhaps a bit flat, and may be only 3 stars. I have a couple more of this authors books, and I am not discouraged from reading those in due course, but I will hope for a more spirited narrative.
4 stars.
I have previously read The Castaways of Disappointment Island, which is the story of the wreck of the Dundonald on Disappointment Island - a small island offshore of the main island (it was an excellent read, 5 stars from me).
In this book, author Joan Druett tells the story of two almost simultaneous wrecks on the main Auckland Island. The short version, is that on 3 January 1864, the Grafton wrecked in Carnley Harbour. Then, at he other end of the island on 11 May 1864, the Invercauld wrecked on a reef. The two parties never knew the other was there.
One of the ships was crewed by only 5 men, who made their way to shore and then salvaged what they could from the wreck. These five men worked together, achieved some miraculous things - such a constructing a forge to make tools and nails etc to build a ship. These men after 18 months, had found ways to live, constructed adequate accommodation, found food to eat, and constructed a boat which carried two of them to New Zealand, and thus to rescue.
On the other ship, a crew of 25 were wrecked. They were a disparate group, who divided and did not for the main part work together. They had an excellent skilled man in their midst, but many would not follow his lead. Others became ill and gave up. Some of the men even resorted to cannibalism. In May 1865 the Portuguese ship Julian sailed into the harbour to make minor repairs, and rescued the only three survivors.
Druett's book weaves these two stories, running a common timeline, and concurrent events. It contrasts the two groups, their leadership, their relationships and their achievements. In this it does a good job. It is a fairly slow paced narrative - sharing the highs and lows for these men over an 18 month period. At the end is a chapter on subsequent wrecks (there have been a lot of ships wrecked on the Auckland Islands), the attempts and farming and settlement and the provisions put in place after these two wrecks to provide a means of survival for future castaways.
There is also a chapter at the end which explains some of the narrative decisions taken by the author, as there were a number of conflicting reports (from the castaways), many of which were written later in life, or totally from memory.
I enjoyed this book, but perhaps more due to having visited the scene. For those without a vested interest, the writing is perhaps a bit flat, and may be only 3 stars. I have a couple more of this authors books, and I am not discouraged from reading those in due course, but I will hope for a more spirited narrative.
4 stars.
May 30, 2021
This is one of those stories of survival against the odds that makes one look inward and think: How would I have dealt with the situation? It's the story of a shipwreck on a remote and uninhabited island south of New Zealand. The year is 1863. The ship is a sailing vessel. The weather is foul, the ocean is unforgiving, and navigation--not to mention communication-- is primitive compared to what we have today. When a storm drives the ship onto the reefs just beyond Auckland Island, the result is captain and crew marooned with limited food, limited water, no shelter, and only the resources of the wreck and their brains to depend upon. Little do they know that at the far north part of the island, another ship has foundered. And at author takes us skillfully on a comparison between the two crews who must deal with the exact same situation. The first crew is led by a determined but deeply depressed captain accompanied by the most talented Frenchman who decides that none of them are going to die in this remote place. The second crew is leaderless, its captain good for anything but being a leader in a dire situation. What the first crew does while on the island is nothing short of miraculous and mindboggling. What the second crew does....is very different. I loved this book. It's deeply researched by an author who is a maritime historian and a superb writer. .
September 22, 2021
Books about exploration often turn into stories of loss and privation. I enjoy learning, from a very safe distance, about the settings of these books, whether the polar regions or the jungle or some other remote location. Coupled with this is curiosity about how the explorers cope with the circumstances in which they find themselves.
In this case, author Druett has a definite theme: shipwrecked crews that have a strong leader, and are willing to work cooperatively, will fare better than those who do not.
Between Antarctica and New Zealand lie the Auckland Islands, barren except for visits from sea lions and birds, and with little edible native plan life. Subject to violent storms and consistently cold, wet weather, it's not a fun place to be shipwrecked.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to two ships simultaneously in 1863-1864. On opposite ends of the main island, they were unaware of each other's presence. One group, much larger to begin with, did little to help themselves, and even the last three survivors would surely have perished had they not been spotted by a passing ship.
The group of five at the other end of the island worked together, pooling their skills and supporting each other despite differences in class, temperament and language. One of them proved to have mad survival skills. Among other things he figured out how to tan the hides of the sea lions that were providing a key food source and made shoes from the leather. And he built a forge to make tools and the nails to hold together the large boat they built, which three of them sailed hundreds of miles to New Zealand to effect the rescue of them all.
The narrative style was no better or worse than most books of this genre, and, perhaps because of my fascination with the ways in which the one group managed to overcome all the challenges that came their way, I stayed engaged all the way through.
In this case, author Druett has a definite theme: shipwrecked crews that have a strong leader, and are willing to work cooperatively, will fare better than those who do not.
Between Antarctica and New Zealand lie the Auckland Islands, barren except for visits from sea lions and birds, and with little edible native plan life. Subject to violent storms and consistently cold, wet weather, it's not a fun place to be shipwrecked.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to two ships simultaneously in 1863-1864. On opposite ends of the main island, they were unaware of each other's presence. One group, much larger to begin with, did little to help themselves, and even the last three survivors would surely have perished had they not been spotted by a passing ship.
The group of five at the other end of the island worked together, pooling their skills and supporting each other despite differences in class, temperament and language. One of them proved to have mad survival skills. Among other things he figured out how to tan the hides of the sea lions that were providing a key food source and made shoes from the leather. And he built a forge to make tools and the nails to hold together the large boat they built, which three of them sailed hundreds of miles to New Zealand to effect the rescue of them all.
The narrative style was no better or worse than most books of this genre, and, perhaps because of my fascination with the ways in which the one group managed to overcome all the challenges that came their way, I stayed engaged all the way through.
May 29, 2019
Apart from drowning being Shipwrecked is a sailor's worst fear.
The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.
—Ovid
The storm
The Grafton wallowed there for perhaps an hour, and then, with an awful lurch, the anchor wrenched free.
Precisely at midnight on January 3, 1864, she struck on the rocks. “A shock more terrible than any of its predecessors made the vessel shiver from stem to stern,” wrote Raynal; “a frightful crash fell upon our ears—the disaster so much dreaded had come about!”
The raging sea swept the helpless schooner’s decks, and the wind and rain howled through her rigging as her hull smashed onto the reefs.
The captain and crew gathered all materials that might help them survive on the Auckland Islands.
With frantic haste the five men retrieved what provisions, tools, and personal possessions they could from the hold and cabin, handing them up to the highest part of the steeply pitched deck, and then covering them with the mainsail. Then they huddled there themselves and waited for whatever dreadful scene the dawn might reveal, while the rain lashed down and the wind raged with undiminished fury.
The rescued provisions
There was a cask containing about one hundred pounds of hard ship’s bread. A staple at sea, it was usually rationed out at the rate of one pound and a half per man per day, so, with care, they had a good three weeks’ worth of that. A smaller barrel held about fifty pounds of ordinary flour. There were two tin boxes, one holding two pounds of tea, and the other three pounds of coffee. A damp hempen bag held a dozen pounds of sugar. In addition, they had a few pieces of salt meat, with mustard and pepper for seasoning. A box holding six pounds of tobacco belonged to Musgrave and Raynal, but they immediately shared it out with the men.
Things that go "bump" in the night
Then, just as he realized that the tent was surrounded by a commotion of sea lions, all hell broke loose—“an extraordinary turmoil” of bellowing, smashing branches, and great thuds that shook the earth.
Musgrave and the three sailors sprang dazedly to their feet. Arming themselves with a pickax and cudgels of firewood, they dashed out of the tent. Then, just as precipitously, they stopped short, because just yards away two sea lion bulls were ferociously battling.
Both were formidable beasts, about eight feet long and more than six feet broad at the shoulders, their massive bodies covered with short dark hair. Their jaws gaped to reveal huge tusks, and their great moustaches and shaggy iron-gray manes bristled with rage. The sight of the men didn’t distract them in the slightest. “Every moment they flung themselves upon one another, and bit and gnawed, tearing away great shreds of flesh, or inflicting gashes where the blood flowed in abundant streams,” Raynal wrote with awe. Finally George and Harry, afraid that the beasts would blunder over the tent and demolish it, threw flaming torches at them, and the two bulls roared off, to recommence their battle a few hundred yards away.
A recipe for roast seal. First, catch your seal...
THE SECOND DAY after the wreck, Tuesday, January 5, 1864, was a memorable one. Not only was it fine but the sailors held the first of the many hunting parties to come. While Raynal was again left at the camp to make sure the fire did not burn out, Musgrave and the others took up six-foot cudgels and set off into the forest.
Raynal watched them disappear; after about a half hour he heard shouts and exclamations, and realized that the chase had been successful. Later still, the men reappeared, each loaded down with a quarter of a sea lion carcass, the animal being far too big for one man to carry alone. They were scratched, insect-bitten, weary, and bloodstained, but no one had been hurt, and they had enough meat to get them through the next few days. Considering that none of them had been sealing before, and they had only followed the instructions that some old sealer had given them in Sydney—that the efficient way to kill a seal was to club it over the root of the nose, between the eyes, where the bones of the skull were thinnest—they had done very well. It was a triumph.
The menu for today, and tomorrow and tomorrow. . .
“Breakfast—seal stewed down to soup, fried roots, boiled seal or roast ditto, with water. Dinner—ditto ditto. Supper—ditto ditto. This repeated twenty-one times per week. Mussels or fish have become quite a rarity, and we have been unable to get any for some time.”
Have faith
Captain Musgrave found a Bible in his chest. “We begged him to read us some fine passage from the Gospels,” Raynal wrote; “and ranged in a circle round him before the tent, we listened with the deepest attention.”
Musgrave chose the Gospel according to Matthew. Raynal related that when the captain read out Christ’s exhortation to His Disciples to love one another, all the listeners “burst into tears.” Musgrave himself did not mention the episode, but, as it turned out, for the five castaways this moment was a deeply significant one.
After more than a year on Auckland Island two men sailed in their home made boat over two hundred miles to New Zealand after promising to return for the others.
This true story was carefully detailed from all the records of the surviving sailors.
Enjoy!
The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.
—Ovid
The storm
The Grafton wallowed there for perhaps an hour, and then, with an awful lurch, the anchor wrenched free.
Precisely at midnight on January 3, 1864, she struck on the rocks. “A shock more terrible than any of its predecessors made the vessel shiver from stem to stern,” wrote Raynal; “a frightful crash fell upon our ears—the disaster so much dreaded had come about!”
The raging sea swept the helpless schooner’s decks, and the wind and rain howled through her rigging as her hull smashed onto the reefs.
The captain and crew gathered all materials that might help them survive on the Auckland Islands.
With frantic haste the five men retrieved what provisions, tools, and personal possessions they could from the hold and cabin, handing them up to the highest part of the steeply pitched deck, and then covering them with the mainsail. Then they huddled there themselves and waited for whatever dreadful scene the dawn might reveal, while the rain lashed down and the wind raged with undiminished fury.
The rescued provisions
There was a cask containing about one hundred pounds of hard ship’s bread. A staple at sea, it was usually rationed out at the rate of one pound and a half per man per day, so, with care, they had a good three weeks’ worth of that. A smaller barrel held about fifty pounds of ordinary flour. There were two tin boxes, one holding two pounds of tea, and the other three pounds of coffee. A damp hempen bag held a dozen pounds of sugar. In addition, they had a few pieces of salt meat, with mustard and pepper for seasoning. A box holding six pounds of tobacco belonged to Musgrave and Raynal, but they immediately shared it out with the men.
Things that go "bump" in the night
Then, just as he realized that the tent was surrounded by a commotion of sea lions, all hell broke loose—“an extraordinary turmoil” of bellowing, smashing branches, and great thuds that shook the earth.
Musgrave and the three sailors sprang dazedly to their feet. Arming themselves with a pickax and cudgels of firewood, they dashed out of the tent. Then, just as precipitously, they stopped short, because just yards away two sea lion bulls were ferociously battling.
Both were formidable beasts, about eight feet long and more than six feet broad at the shoulders, their massive bodies covered with short dark hair. Their jaws gaped to reveal huge tusks, and their great moustaches and shaggy iron-gray manes bristled with rage. The sight of the men didn’t distract them in the slightest. “Every moment they flung themselves upon one another, and bit and gnawed, tearing away great shreds of flesh, or inflicting gashes where the blood flowed in abundant streams,” Raynal wrote with awe. Finally George and Harry, afraid that the beasts would blunder over the tent and demolish it, threw flaming torches at them, and the two bulls roared off, to recommence their battle a few hundred yards away.
A recipe for roast seal. First, catch your seal...
THE SECOND DAY after the wreck, Tuesday, January 5, 1864, was a memorable one. Not only was it fine but the sailors held the first of the many hunting parties to come. While Raynal was again left at the camp to make sure the fire did not burn out, Musgrave and the others took up six-foot cudgels and set off into the forest.
Raynal watched them disappear; after about a half hour he heard shouts and exclamations, and realized that the chase had been successful. Later still, the men reappeared, each loaded down with a quarter of a sea lion carcass, the animal being far too big for one man to carry alone. They were scratched, insect-bitten, weary, and bloodstained, but no one had been hurt, and they had enough meat to get them through the next few days. Considering that none of them had been sealing before, and they had only followed the instructions that some old sealer had given them in Sydney—that the efficient way to kill a seal was to club it over the root of the nose, between the eyes, where the bones of the skull were thinnest—they had done very well. It was a triumph.
The menu for today, and tomorrow and tomorrow. . .
“Breakfast—seal stewed down to soup, fried roots, boiled seal or roast ditto, with water. Dinner—ditto ditto. Supper—ditto ditto. This repeated twenty-one times per week. Mussels or fish have become quite a rarity, and we have been unable to get any for some time.”
Have faith
Captain Musgrave found a Bible in his chest. “We begged him to read us some fine passage from the Gospels,” Raynal wrote; “and ranged in a circle round him before the tent, we listened with the deepest attention.”
Musgrave chose the Gospel according to Matthew. Raynal related that when the captain read out Christ’s exhortation to His Disciples to love one another, all the listeners “burst into tears.” Musgrave himself did not mention the episode, but, as it turned out, for the five castaways this moment was a deeply significant one.
After more than a year on Auckland Island two men sailed in their home made boat over two hundred miles to New Zealand after promising to return for the others.
This true story was carefully detailed from all the records of the surviving sailors.
Enjoy!
November 1, 2018
A well researched and well written account of what men who "Because of conscientious leadership, resourceful technology, unstinting hard work, and an outstanding spirit of camaraderie, had survived unimaginable privations." They found something in themselves that allowed them to work together, for the better good, to stay together and support each other, regardless of their own individual suffering.
The author's notes and the follow up accounts of the people that had parts in the story was very enlightening. I really enjoyed the way the account was written. I spent hours, while reading, looking at maps, looking up locations, and researching the animals and plants mentioned in the story.
The author's notes and the follow up accounts of the people that had parts in the story was very enlightening. I really enjoyed the way the account was written. I spent hours, while reading, looking at maps, looking up locations, and researching the animals and plants mentioned in the story.
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July 20, 2022
In 1864, two entirely different ships wreck on opposite ends of the same uninhabited South Pacific island, Auckland Island. The crew of one - the Grafton - pulls itself together, works hard, and ekes out survival for over a year, eventually succeeding in building their own boat and rescuing themselves. All five survive.
The crew of the other - the Invercauld - doesn't fare quite so well. Of 19 who survive the initial shipwreck and make it to shore, only three live to be rescued months later by a passing ship. In the interval we see violence, starvation, and a brush with cannibalism to boot.
The crew of the Grafton are truly awe-inspiring. They're INCREDIBLE. Their team spirit, ethos of cooperation, determination to avoid conflict... it's just amazing. They gave each other lessons in the evening to pass the time, read from the Bible, played dominoes, you name it. Their cabin, constructed entirely from scratch, even had GLASS WINDOWS and they named it. How impressive is that? Their story is human nature at its best.
The Invercauld shows human nature at its worst. Admittedly they weren't as lucky as the other crew, since they wrecked on the side of the island with less food, but their own personalities also provoked lots of issues. The contrast between the two crews could not have been starker.
An unforgettable read.
The crew of the other - the Invercauld - doesn't fare quite so well. Of 19 who survive the initial shipwreck and make it to shore, only three live to be rescued months later by a passing ship. In the interval we see violence, starvation, and a brush with cannibalism to boot.
The crew of the Grafton are truly awe-inspiring. They're INCREDIBLE. Their team spirit, ethos of cooperation, determination to avoid conflict... it's just amazing. They gave each other lessons in the evening to pass the time, read from the Bible, played dominoes, you name it. Their cabin, constructed entirely from scratch, even had GLASS WINDOWS and they named it. How impressive is that? Their story is human nature at its best.
The Invercauld shows human nature at its worst. Admittedly they weren't as lucky as the other crew, since they wrecked on the side of the island with less food, but their own personalities also provoked lots of issues. The contrast between the two crews could not have been starker.
An unforgettable read.
April 8, 2020
4.5 stars- most excellent! This is non-fiction history from witness and records AND presentation as you rarely get. Especially for this period in the early, middle 19th century, are such documented daily record shown! During the crux of these related experiences of dire travail- particularly within the specific 1863-70 dual shipwrecks on the Auckland Island and close proximity islet chain of the Antarctic Ocean south of New Zealand.
It was a bit more difficult to get embedded than most such well told tales. The beginning is within much ship and captain survey to find a heavy bodied vessel capable. Sort of more engineering and language of the trade than easily taken in to embed. But that was not lengthy either.
Both ships had such dire physical combinations of time, place, skill realities to understand their disastrous breakups. But what, apart from that essential natural world placement, what enthralled in this book was the "team" or not cohesiveness and initiation into activity/movement that the two different ships' crews survived with/through after the first few days post-shipwreck.
That and the strength of the Captain, First Mate. Or when the leadership was in some way undermining or creating a void of either plan or optimism- what the subsequent history became.
Also to me, I was fascinated by the number of connections that was optimal. 19 too many. 10 too many? Or what class and status mattered to eventual survival by invention and alternative ideas to movement, action, trying something "different".
But what floored me over all else was that when all was said and done, years later? Well, who got the payments, funds, support, and acclaim and who was "just a seaman" unnamed even within most publication and report for the "authority" and celeb.
This is a book that has survivors' and dying "eyes". Both in all degrees. It's not particularly one in which animal lovers are going to rejoice- as in a Galapagos scientific investigation. Sealers, current to this period Sydney trades and commodities being central to most of the original purposes of investigation to be in such trade lanes of utmost danger, in the first place.
Loved this author's prose and organization too. Especially within Musgrave's depression and pessimism aspects. But always in both ships crew interchange of survivors with each other. The Grafton's being one of the very best "situ" of 5 males that I've ever read.
Strongly recommend this read. This was a time when life and limb were not so rarely ventured for "rise".
It was a bit more difficult to get embedded than most such well told tales. The beginning is within much ship and captain survey to find a heavy bodied vessel capable. Sort of more engineering and language of the trade than easily taken in to embed. But that was not lengthy either.
Both ships had such dire physical combinations of time, place, skill realities to understand their disastrous breakups. But what, apart from that essential natural world placement, what enthralled in this book was the "team" or not cohesiveness and initiation into activity/movement that the two different ships' crews survived with/through after the first few days post-shipwreck.
That and the strength of the Captain, First Mate. Or when the leadership was in some way undermining or creating a void of either plan or optimism- what the subsequent history became.
Also to me, I was fascinated by the number of connections that was optimal. 19 too many. 10 too many? Or what class and status mattered to eventual survival by invention and alternative ideas to movement, action, trying something "different".
But what floored me over all else was that when all was said and done, years later? Well, who got the payments, funds, support, and acclaim and who was "just a seaman" unnamed even within most publication and report for the "authority" and celeb.
This is a book that has survivors' and dying "eyes". Both in all degrees. It's not particularly one in which animal lovers are going to rejoice- as in a Galapagos scientific investigation. Sealers, current to this period Sydney trades and commodities being central to most of the original purposes of investigation to be in such trade lanes of utmost danger, in the first place.
Loved this author's prose and organization too. Especially within Musgrave's depression and pessimism aspects. But always in both ships crew interchange of survivors with each other. The Grafton's being one of the very best "situ" of 5 males that I've ever read.
Strongly recommend this read. This was a time when life and limb were not so rarely ventured for "rise".
June 19, 2022
These are two impressive stories of survival that took place in stark contrast.
Plot. Rating 4
I think the plot of the book is well done. It will be very unexpected for those readers who have not read the abstract.
I liked that in the beginning a significant part of the book is devoted to the history of the sailors of the ship Grafton. I followed with great interest how they overcame various difficulties together and survived in the harsh conditions of a desert island.
After their situation improved in the book, another storyline started. It perfectly shows how lack of will and laziness lead people to death.
Characters. Rating 4
The book has persistent purposeful characters. The Frenchman Raynal from this book was the real prototype of the famous engineer Cyrus Smith from Jules Verne's book The Mysterious Island. His resourcefulness, knowledge and optimism greatly helped the sailors to survive.
The ship's captain and the Norwegian sailor are also shown well. These people helped each other and managed to get out of a hopeless situation.
Characters in the north of the island are shown more faded. It is very strange and tragic that they did not show their best qualities, except for one ordinary sailor.
Dialogues. Rating 3
The usual dialogues in the book are not enough. But if we take diary entries as dialogues, then the situation with this item improves. There are many thoughts in the diaries that sound good and have dark humor.
Writing style. Rating 4
The book has a lot of details of survival, which is why some places are rather monotonous. However, the text is easy to read because it is a fascinating story and the style of writing does not slow down the reading process.
Worldbuilding. Rating 5
The travelers were wrecked in a very inhospitable place. But the book does an excellent job of explaining how, with the help of meager resources, they were able to establish a completely normal life. The basis of this was seal hunting. There are brutal hunting scenes in the book, as well as descriptions of the size of the horrendous seal hunt by various expeditions, which could have led to the complete extermination of pinnipeds.
The book gives a lot of information about problems with nutrition and the fight against scurvy, about soap making on a deserted island, about processing skins and sewing clothes and shoes from them, about building a strong house with a working stove, and much more. I was also struck by the absolutely incredible history of the forge and the construction of a solid boat.
One of the young characters in the book was in an even tougher position than the main group of characters, and his efforts to save himself and others are admirable.
Conclusion. Overall rating 4
In fact, we have two stories of survival, and this greatly distinguishes the book from most books of the genre.
Plot. Rating 4
I think the plot of the book is well done. It will be very unexpected for those readers who have not read the abstract.
I liked that in the beginning a significant part of the book is devoted to the history of the sailors of the ship Grafton. I followed with great interest how they overcame various difficulties together and survived in the harsh conditions of a desert island.
After their situation improved in the book, another storyline started. It perfectly shows how lack of will and laziness lead people to death.
Characters. Rating 4
The book has persistent purposeful characters. The Frenchman Raynal from this book was the real prototype of the famous engineer Cyrus Smith from Jules Verne's book The Mysterious Island. His resourcefulness, knowledge and optimism greatly helped the sailors to survive.
The ship's captain and the Norwegian sailor are also shown well. These people helped each other and managed to get out of a hopeless situation.
Characters in the north of the island are shown more faded. It is very strange and tragic that they did not show their best qualities, except for one ordinary sailor.
Dialogues. Rating 3
The usual dialogues in the book are not enough. But if we take diary entries as dialogues, then the situation with this item improves. There are many thoughts in the diaries that sound good and have dark humor.
Writing style. Rating 4
The book has a lot of details of survival, which is why some places are rather monotonous. However, the text is easy to read because it is a fascinating story and the style of writing does not slow down the reading process.
Worldbuilding. Rating 5
The travelers were wrecked in a very inhospitable place. But the book does an excellent job of explaining how, with the help of meager resources, they were able to establish a completely normal life. The basis of this was seal hunting. There are brutal hunting scenes in the book, as well as descriptions of the size of the horrendous seal hunt by various expeditions, which could have led to the complete extermination of pinnipeds.
The book gives a lot of information about problems with nutrition and the fight against scurvy, about soap making on a deserted island, about processing skins and sewing clothes and shoes from them, about building a strong house with a working stove, and much more. I was also struck by the absolutely incredible history of the forge and the construction of a solid boat.
One of the young characters in the book was in an even tougher position than the main group of characters, and his efforts to save himself and others are admirable.
Conclusion. Overall rating 4
In fact, we have two stories of survival, and this greatly distinguishes the book from most books of the genre.
April 28, 2020
I struggled to complete Island of the Lost. The story of two simultaneously shipwrecked crews, unknown to each other, on the same remote island south of New Zealand in 1864, makes for interesting fodder as one group endures and the other group resorts to cannibalism. But alas the prose is not particularly well written.
The book extensively relies on the journals kept by Captain Musgrave and quite frankly he was not much of a writer either.
I think the story has enough compelling material for a five star read. Quite simply I would have liked to see someone like Erik Larson write it instead. The author, Joan Druett, is a maritime historian in New Zealand who has published many books. This one just didn’t resonate with me.
The book extensively relies on the journals kept by Captain Musgrave and quite frankly he was not much of a writer either.
I think the story has enough compelling material for a five star read. Quite simply I would have liked to see someone like Erik Larson write it instead. The author, Joan Druett, is a maritime historian in New Zealand who has published many books. This one just didn’t resonate with me.
January 28, 2019
If you like history or survival stories, this book will float your boat.
Island of the Lost is a true account of two ill fainted voyages into the Antarctic ocean. With a particular focus on one, it follows 5 men as they seek their fortune in the Aukland Islands, south of New Zealand. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say things don't go as planned. Soon their boat is smashed to pieces and they are left marooned with slim of chance of rescue.
The ingenious methods these guys use to survive, along with their often harrowing circumstances make for utterly gripping reading. I often found myself wondering "how did they know to do that?" and "if that were me I'd be finished in hours."
Wonderful stuff, especially if you love books like Endurance. Definite recommend.
Island of the Lost is a true account of two ill fainted voyages into the Antarctic ocean. With a particular focus on one, it follows 5 men as they seek their fortune in the Aukland Islands, south of New Zealand. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say things don't go as planned. Soon their boat is smashed to pieces and they are left marooned with slim of chance of rescue.
The ingenious methods these guys use to survive, along with their often harrowing circumstances make for utterly gripping reading. I often found myself wondering "how did they know to do that?" and "if that were me I'd be finished in hours."
Wonderful stuff, especially if you love books like Endurance. Definite recommend.
May 27, 2021
An interestingly written maritime disaster story in the area of the Auckland Island and islands around it. They are a most unforgiving place. There are 2 shipwrecks described.
This story was recreated from journals maintained by its few survivors as well as ship logs And newspaper accounts. You can feel the deep, depressive desperation and angst coming across the pages as they attempt to live, thrive, survive and hope to be rescued. The weather was mostly horrible, as well.
The government later enacted efforts to ensure any people from shipwrecks in this most hazardous of channels would be given a chance to survive by creating huts for them, releasing domestic animals onto the islands, planting gardens, etc. Unfortunately those efforts were not 100% successful.
At the end of the book we are given information on the current status of Auckland island, which is now a protected wildlife preserve.
4 maritime stars.
This story was recreated from journals maintained by its few survivors as well as ship logs And newspaper accounts. You can feel the deep, depressive desperation and angst coming across the pages as they attempt to live, thrive, survive and hope to be rescued. The weather was mostly horrible, as well.
The government later enacted efforts to ensure any people from shipwrecks in this most hazardous of channels would be given a chance to survive by creating huts for them, releasing domestic animals onto the islands, planting gardens, etc. Unfortunately those efforts were not 100% successful.
At the end of the book we are given information on the current status of Auckland island, which is now a protected wildlife preserve.
4 maritime stars.
September 13, 2018
Description: Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.
Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings the extraordinary untold story of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.
October 11, 2010
"Below the 40th latitude there is no law; below the 50th no God; below the 60th no common sense and below the 70th no intelligence whatsoever."
Traveling in the subantarctic is fraught with danger. The ocean is almost uninterrupted by land, which allows storms form quickly, circle the globe, and grow (with little land to slow them down). This climate, along with an unreliable food supply and harsh geography, makes survival difficult, and survival from shipwreck hopeless. Islands of the Lost describes the shipwreck, survival, and return of the crew of the Grafton, a 19th century collier re-purposed for exploring an island for potential mining opportunities. It shows how a crew who acts as a team and has strong leadership can survive even in the harshest of places.
Contrasting the Grafton is the Invercauld, a ship that wrecks at the same time less than twenty miles from the Grafton. Only three of their original 19 survivors made it off the island, in many ways because of a lack of leadership and camaraderie. The rest were only rescued when a passing ship made a chance stop near their camp. The Grafton's survivors, on the other hand, reinforced their boat and rescued themselves by sailing several hundred miles to an inhabited island south of New Zealand. After nearly two years on the Auckland Islands they made it home.
Island of the Lost is an excellent book. It does a great job of describing not only the survivors ordeal, but also the wildlife, vegetation, and history of the remote Auckland Islands. I was also truly amazed at the ingenuity of the Grafton's crew at using pieces of their wooden boat to create tools, housing, and eventually the reinforcing members of their life boat. I also found the tale of survival to not overly dramatize any of the events, there was no glamourizing of the two years these men spent on the brink of death. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in real-life adventure stories and stories that show the power of the human spirit to survive against all odds.
Traveling in the subantarctic is fraught with danger. The ocean is almost uninterrupted by land, which allows storms form quickly, circle the globe, and grow (with little land to slow them down). This climate, along with an unreliable food supply and harsh geography, makes survival difficult, and survival from shipwreck hopeless. Islands of the Lost describes the shipwreck, survival, and return of the crew of the Grafton, a 19th century collier re-purposed for exploring an island for potential mining opportunities. It shows how a crew who acts as a team and has strong leadership can survive even in the harshest of places.
Contrasting the Grafton is the Invercauld, a ship that wrecks at the same time less than twenty miles from the Grafton. Only three of their original 19 survivors made it off the island, in many ways because of a lack of leadership and camaraderie. The rest were only rescued when a passing ship made a chance stop near their camp. The Grafton's survivors, on the other hand, reinforced their boat and rescued themselves by sailing several hundred miles to an inhabited island south of New Zealand. After nearly two years on the Auckland Islands they made it home.
Island of the Lost is an excellent book. It does a great job of describing not only the survivors ordeal, but also the wildlife, vegetation, and history of the remote Auckland Islands. I was also truly amazed at the ingenuity of the Grafton's crew at using pieces of their wooden boat to create tools, housing, and eventually the reinforcing members of their life boat. I also found the tale of survival to not overly dramatize any of the events, there was no glamourizing of the two years these men spent on the brink of death. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in real-life adventure stories and stories that show the power of the human spirit to survive against all odds.
December 13, 2019
In 1864, Captain Musgrave and his crew of four wreck on the southern end of Auckland island. Then, just a few months later, the Invercauld wrecks on the same island, twenty miles to the north. The two groups of castaways never become aware of each other and have vastly different experiences.
This book was thorough and well-researched. The author pieced together the published accounts of multiple survivors, as well as letters and newspaper articles, to create a compelling narrative. Some of the maritime jargon did have my head spinning, but for the most part this book was easy to follow.
I was fascinated by the ingenuity of the Grafton survivors, and I constantly pestered my poor fiance by reading him excerpts that I found interesting (which was most of the book, to be honest). Francois Raynal and Captain Musgrave are my new heroes.
If you're like me and you're a sucker for survival stories, then you should really pick up this book.
This book was thorough and well-researched. The author pieced together the published accounts of multiple survivors, as well as letters and newspaper articles, to create a compelling narrative. Some of the maritime jargon did have my head spinning, but for the most part this book was easy to follow.
I was fascinated by the ingenuity of the Grafton survivors, and I constantly pestered my poor fiance by reading him excerpts that I found interesting (which was most of the book, to be honest). Francois Raynal and Captain Musgrave are my new heroes.
If you're like me and you're a sucker for survival stories, then you should really pick up this book.
March 8, 2020
Thanks to Rachel for leading me to this captivating tale of survival.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
***
A well told story of survival in a forbidding place.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
***
A well told story of survival in a forbidding place.
May 19, 2023
I love books about real-life sagas, and this one thankfully didn't disappoint.
Author Joan Druett is a New Zealand historian and novelist, specializing in maritime history and crime fiction.
Joan Druett:
Island of the Lost is the incredible story of two ill-fated ships destined to wreck on Auckland Island. The first, and primary focus of the book is Grafton; a 56-ton schooner that left Sydney for the Campbell Islands on 12 November 1863, with a crew of five aboard.
The second was The Invercauld, a 1100-ton sailing vessel with a crew of 25. For reasons that the book expands upon, the two groups of men met with vastly different outcomes.
For my future reference, and for anyone interested in a TL;DR version, the summary of these disparate outcomes can be found here:
The Grafton would ultimately become shipwrecked on 3 January 1864, in the north arm of Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island, one of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands; nearly 480 kilometres south of the South Island.
(That's a lot of wrecks!)
The source material for this book was the men's extensive journal entries over the duration of the time they were shipwrecked. Author Joan Druett did a fantastic job of telling the stories of these men; how they lived day-to-day, and the challenges they faced and overcame. The writing here was excellent -Druett writes in an engaging manner that never struggles to hold the reader's attention.
The men of Grifton faced a grim outlook, but they managed to learn how to hunt, made a shelter, and did relatively well for themselves, their situation considered.
The author drops this interesting quote about hunting sea lions:
Their camp:
***********************
I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested. This book makes a great example of how to write history in an engaging, effective manner.
A short summary of the experiences of the men of the Grafton can be found here, for those interested.
5 stars.
Author Joan Druett is a New Zealand historian and novelist, specializing in maritime history and crime fiction.
Joan Druett:
Island of the Lost is the incredible story of two ill-fated ships destined to wreck on Auckland Island. The first, and primary focus of the book is Grafton; a 56-ton schooner that left Sydney for the Campbell Islands on 12 November 1863, with a crew of five aboard.
The second was The Invercauld, a 1100-ton sailing vessel with a crew of 25. For reasons that the book expands upon, the two groups of men met with vastly different outcomes.
For my future reference, and for anyone interested in a TL;DR version, the summary of these disparate outcomes can be found here:
The Grafton would ultimately become shipwrecked on 3 January 1864, in the north arm of Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island, one of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands; nearly 480 kilometres south of the South Island.
(That's a lot of wrecks!)
The source material for this book was the men's extensive journal entries over the duration of the time they were shipwrecked. Author Joan Druett did a fantastic job of telling the stories of these men; how they lived day-to-day, and the challenges they faced and overcame. The writing here was excellent -Druett writes in an engaging manner that never struggles to hold the reader's attention.
The men of Grifton faced a grim outlook, but they managed to learn how to hunt, made a shelter, and did relatively well for themselves, their situation considered.
The author drops this interesting quote about hunting sea lions:
"Over the twelve days since they had been wrecked, the castaways had learned a great deal about their prey, including the best method of tackling them. As Raynal described, the prescription for approaching a mature sea lion was to fix the animal’s gaze, “and, without hesitating, advance straight upon him, until you are near enough to deal a blow on his head with your cudgel exactly between the two eyes.” It was crucial to hit the target exactly. If the animal did not fall at once with the thin bones of the frontal part of his skull crushed and his brain destroyed, the next move was to whirl about, run like hell, “and leave the field open for him to regain the sea.”
Not only could a hurt and angry sea lion maul a man with his tusks and crush him to death with his weight but he was unnervingly agile on land, being perfectly prepared to pursue a fleeing castaway up a cliff if he was not given the chance to plunge back into the surf instead."
Their camp:
***********************
I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested. This book makes a great example of how to write history in an engaging, effective manner.
A short summary of the experiences of the men of the Grafton can be found here, for those interested.
5 stars.
February 3, 2021
Yes, Goodreads — "I'm finished!" "Finished!" with all the emphasis and excitement (or, in this case, exasperation) that the exclamation point bears. Finished, like Jesus on the cross, exhausted, full of pain and despair, uttering one final breath before giving up the ghost.
A book so dry, so lifeless, concerning a subject that is anything but! Oh, by the fates, how!
Maritime historian Joan Druett relied heavily on the journals of survivors to compose this, copying and pasting far too much for my liking, so that what we have here is some dead thing, long since decomposed. An exercise in the most tedious sort of boredom, which is a pity as a finer nonfiction writer — Erik Larson or John Berendt, say — would have turned this into a truly riveting account.
I find it necessary to pick up and read anything with "island" in the title — view my "read" list if you don't believe me — and Druett has other words I fetishize in there too, like "edge of the world," "shipwrecked," and "lost," but the only wreck here is this account, which lacks the excitement of the ingredient list on the Nutella jar sitting beside me now (seriously, "Soy lechthin as emulsifier" — do I even want to know, Ferraro??)
Did you know that the Nutella sold in the United States is different than the one you can find in Europe? It's true! According to Eat This, Not That! American Nutella is "far oilier and more mildly flavored."
As if that wasn't enough, did you know that "A quarter of the world's hazelnuts end up in Nutella"? 25%!! Insane!
And you may have heard of the 2017 Nutella heist in Germany, which saw thieves make off with 20 TONS of Nutella and other chocolate. All told, $80,000 worth!
Funny enough, that wasn't even the first time thieves in Germany (where they must really love their Nutella) made off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of the stuff. In 2013, five TONS of Nutella disappeared in the central German town of Bad Hersfeld, leading to rumors of a Nutella black market.
A Nutella black market!!
All of which leads me to believe that the stuff Ferraro sells in the EU has to be better than the Nutella you can get here, as I've never heard of anyone trying to steal Nutella stateside — and that's certainly not because Americans are more law abiding, because we're clearly less so.
For best results, do not refrigerate or microwave, and don't even bother picking up this book.
A book so dry, so lifeless, concerning a subject that is anything but! Oh, by the fates, how!
Maritime historian Joan Druett relied heavily on the journals of survivors to compose this, copying and pasting far too much for my liking, so that what we have here is some dead thing, long since decomposed. An exercise in the most tedious sort of boredom, which is a pity as a finer nonfiction writer — Erik Larson or John Berendt, say — would have turned this into a truly riveting account.
I find it necessary to pick up and read anything with "island" in the title — view my "read" list if you don't believe me — and Druett has other words I fetishize in there too, like "edge of the world," "shipwrecked," and "lost," but the only wreck here is this account, which lacks the excitement of the ingredient list on the Nutella jar sitting beside me now (seriously, "Soy lechthin as emulsifier" — do I even want to know, Ferraro??)
Did you know that the Nutella sold in the United States is different than the one you can find in Europe? It's true! According to Eat This, Not That! American Nutella is "far oilier and more mildly flavored."
As if that wasn't enough, did you know that "A quarter of the world's hazelnuts end up in Nutella"? 25%!! Insane!
And you may have heard of the 2017 Nutella heist in Germany, which saw thieves make off with 20 TONS of Nutella and other chocolate. All told, $80,000 worth!
Funny enough, that wasn't even the first time thieves in Germany (where they must really love their Nutella) made off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of the stuff. In 2013, five TONS of Nutella disappeared in the central German town of Bad Hersfeld, leading to rumors of a Nutella black market.
A Nutella black market!!
All of which leads me to believe that the stuff Ferraro sells in the EU has to be better than the Nutella you can get here, as I've never heard of anyone trying to steal Nutella stateside — and that's certainly not because Americans are more law abiding, because we're clearly less so.
For best results, do not refrigerate or microwave, and don't even bother picking up this book.
May 5, 2015
“Hundreds of miles from civilization, two ships wreck on opposite ends of the same deserted island in this true story of human nature at its best – and its worst.
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.”
So begins Joan Druett’s book, Island of the Lost – Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World. It is a tale that would seem implausible, if not for the fact that it is all absolutely true. In 1864, near the end of the age of sail, two separate ships did indeed wreck along the coast of Auckland Island – a tiny sliver of land sticking out of the forbidding Southern Ocean – a place that remains uninhabited to this day. By piecing together logbooks, memoirs, newspaper accounts and Druett’s own personal trips to the desolate island, she is able to create a vivid account of two divergent stories of survival.
The schooner Grafton and its crew of five wrecks at the southern end of the island. Through inspired leadership and the camaraderie of the whole crew, they are able to eke out an existence in spite of the vast hardships. At almost the same time, the Invercauld wrecks at the north end of the island. In contrast to the Grafton, most of the 19 surviving crew of the Invercauld quickly succumb to the elements, infighting and a leadership vacuum.
Druett does an excellent job of weaving the two stories together, contrasting a crew working together with a crew in shambles. Her credentials as a historian insure an exhaustive level of research, while her award-winning skills as a novelist ensure that the text is entirely readable. Island of the Lost moves along nicely and never fails to give the reader a sense of just how precarious the castaways’ plight is. While the book spends perhaps a little too much time describing the multitude of ways to kill a seal and not quite enough time discussing the lives of the castaways after their ordeal, as a whole it is a wonderful effort at delivering a look into a place and time not widely understood.
There is also a thorough collection of notes at the end that provide many more factual details. However, its greatest attribute is the way it shines a spotlight on a teachable moment of history – how survival is often determinant on who you are with and how well you work together. If you have any interest in sailing history or stories of survival in the remote reaches of the world, this is a great book to have.
March 17, 2014
This book was recommended to me, and I can honestly say, it was utterly gripping. Based on the true story of 5 sailors who were shipwrecked on the Auckland Islands in 1864. Approximately 235 miles south of New Zealand - a place truly desolate, cold and cruel. I am not sure what amazed me the most - their own incredible ability to break down traditional 'class' structures and retain total care and loyalty to each other, alongside their incredible ingenuity that allowed them to survive for well over a year - AND make their own way out (Bear Grylls, you just have NOTHING on these guys, I tell you!!) - or the contrast of the coinciding story of the 19 crew members who shipwrecked at the other end of the islands and quickly degraded into segregation and cannibalism.
I don't think I have read another story where true heroism is so perfectly shown to exist in the form of kindness, self-sacrifice and loyalty. I cannot imagine a harder fate than these men endured. And perhaps reading it at a time we have a plane missing with 239 passengers on it - and there remains a skerrick of hope that they too are alive somewhere, it makes me wonder - what are the chances of those individuals having the absolute collective good CHARACTER (that triumphed over physical and emotional strengths, time and time again), to survive as well as these men did?
I don't think I have read another story where true heroism is so perfectly shown to exist in the form of kindness, self-sacrifice and loyalty. I cannot imagine a harder fate than these men endured. And perhaps reading it at a time we have a plane missing with 239 passengers on it - and there remains a skerrick of hope that they too are alive somewhere, it makes me wonder - what are the chances of those individuals having the absolute collective good CHARACTER (that triumphed over physical and emotional strengths, time and time again), to survive as well as these men did?
May 3, 2017
This book could be subtitled “A Tale of Two Shipwrecks.” It is the true story of two shipwrecks, the Grafton and the Invercauld, on the Auckland Islands near New Zealand in the mid-1860’s. In addition to providing the details of what happened to these crews, it a lesson on the importance of ingenuity, teamwork, and leadership. The author has done extensive research involving the journals of the participants, plant and animal life of the islands, and history of the area, and weaves this information into the narrative. As a warning, it contains graphic descriptions of killing sea lions and other wildlife, which may be disturbing. Recommended to readers of non-fiction, maritime history, and survival stories.
July 26, 2017
It's not just one amazing story, it's two. Two shipwrecks at the same time in the middle of 19th century-freaking-nowhere. A lot of stuff about the positive and negative power of personal character and a whole bunch of luck thrown in to muddy the ocean. I read mostly fiction. This did not feel like a novel to me. There was too much historical, nautical and scientific information for it to feel like a novel. All that research was great though. It never felt like it dragged on the pace or got in the way of the "characters". I liked the narrative style of this book very much. I think it would appeal to a wide variety of readers. It's an easy book to recommend. You should pick it up today.
September 5, 2016
The gripping story of a company of men shipwrecked on a cold and isolated place in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This tale of adventure and resourcefulness is remarkable, as it is a true story and the book is based on the extracts from the survivals’ journals and the papers of the time (late 1800s).
July 3, 2021
The year is 1863. Two shipwrecks on either side of Auckland Island, not far from Antarctica. Neither knows about the other. One group works together and (barely) survives. For the other group, the losses are heavy and it is each man for himself. Another fascinating story of survival in a most inhospitable environment.
May 19, 2022
I love survival stories. The sheer tenacity and grit that people find within themselves to survive is inspiring to me. These stories become part of me when I need to draw on stories of people who overcame impossible odds. I appreciated that Joan Druett included many firsthand accounts, but also followed up with ways the local countries resolved problems for future shipwrecked sailors since this happened again and again.
July 17, 2018
Right up there with Endurance. This book is unique in that there are two drastically different shipwreck stories being told. It's amazing how leadership played a major role in the devastation of one and the success of the other. Great life and leadership lessons throughout.
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