Agreed on how much guts and skill these old time sailors had.
I am reading a contrasting way of cruising. 19th Century Yachting with is capital Y. A cruise from UK to Iceland, Jan Mayen etc, in luxury
The author mention "it was so warm that we played chess till late, and did not have to call for jackets" Seems he had no idea how to, or need to, get his own jacket
It is a good read, with lots of laughs on how the Victorian aristocracy saw the world ( as also justifies America getting away from them)
It is called "Letters from High Latitudes" by Lord Dufferin. It is free on Kindle