Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pepys on sailing boating

Via Sailing Philosophy for Everyone, a quote from Samuel Pepys:

I know nothing that can give a better notion of infinity and eternity than the being upon the sea in a little vessel without anything in sight but yourself within the whole hemisphere.

4 comments:

Tillerman said...

I know Pepys was a naval administrator, but did he have any sailing experience? Had he ever been "upon the sea in a little vessel without anything in sight but yourself within the whole hemisphere."

JP said...

Apparently yes, in the Med according to the book (though to be honest it just said a little vessel so it could have been a rowing boat)

Chris Partridge said...

Pepys wasn't a sailor and sailing for fun had only just arrived - Charles I had one of those new-fangled 'yachts' from Holland and the aristocracy raced naval vessels. But he spent lots of time on the water, being rowed along the Thames by watermen.

JP said...

Having re-read that section of the book I'm pretty sure it was when he was alone on a little rowing boat in the Med.

I really ought to read his diaries some day, but might check the bio by Claire Tomalin to see where/when he went travelling