To the South Seas: A Wild 1929 Family Adventure to the Galapagos Islands
Written by Gifford Pinchot
Narrated by Andre Stojka
5/5
()
About this audiobook
Soon we could see the outline of the great fish through the dark water, as it swam slowly along. It was like a barn door just under the surface, a big barn door, with cavernous mouth and two arm-like feeders.
Giant Sea Bats, Land Crabs, Lap Dragons, untouched islands and native villages are visited by Gifford Pinchot the father of modern environmentalism, and Chief of the United States Forest Service under Theodore Roosevelt.
Gifford Pinchot, with his family, explores the Galapagos Islands, the Marquesas, the Tuamotu Archipelago and Tahiti in 1929, before the South Seas was changed forever by modern civilization and war.
The To the South Seas adventure really began when Gifford Pinchot bought a three mast, topsail schooner, 148 feet in length, of steel construction and spent several busy months refitting the ship. As Pinchot wrote: This was to be no mere yachting trip. It was to be a scientific expedition, for adventure seasoned with science is the very best kind.
On March 31, 1929, Gifford Pinchot, his wife, Cornelia Bryce Pinchot, their young 13-year-old son Giff, and his friend Stiff Stahlnecker boarded their ship, the Mary Pinchot, in New York City, along with a crew and experts from the National Museum in Washington and various scientific organizations. Their goal was to collect specimens from the islands they planned to visit. Also on board were a physician and a photographer.
The Galapagos Islands held special interest for Pinchot. These were the islands explored by Charles Darwin in the Beagle, in 1831. Darwin's observations of the animal life on these isolated islands led to his book in 1859, On the Origin of Species, proposing a theory of evolution. As an important and respected environmentalist, Pinchot wanted to examine the varied animal life himself.
The Pinchot Family's adventure was not without accidents. On board a private ship, sailing their own course, they were on their own, totally alone, far from emergency assistance. Leaks kept them in Key West for repairs, longer than planned. A ruined rudder and jammed stuffing box required a dangerous trip of 920 miles out of their way for repairs.
Related to To the South Seas
Related audiobooks
The Galápagos: The History of the Famous Pacific Islands and Their Unique Ecosystem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paradise of the Pacific: Approaching Hawaii Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rowing the Northwest Passage: Adventure, Fear, and Awe in a Rising Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (The Landmark Library Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tramp Across the Continent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curve of Time: The Classic Memoir Of A Woman And Her Children Who Explored The Coastal Waters Of The Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jungle Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Escalante's Dream: On the Trail of the Spanish Discovery of the Southwest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yosemite National Park in Spring: A Tram Ride through the park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmong the Tibetans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stranger in the Forest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Giants: The Rise and Fall of the African Elephant Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raven's Witness: The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ice Diaries: An Antarctic Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The (Big) Year That Flew By: Twelve Months, Six Continents, and the Ultimate Birding Record Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Seabird's Cry: The Lives and Loves of the Planet's Great Ocean Voyagers Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vaquita: Science, Politics, and Crime in the Sea of Cortez Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Edge of Nowhere Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Exile and Other Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biography & Memoir For You
Twisted Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If He Had Been with Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House in the Cerulean Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Divine Rivals: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Blood and Ash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When No One Is Watching: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dead Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Local Woman Missing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #1 Multi-Voice, A: The Bad Beginning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Later Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing to See Here Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Five Years: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elon Musk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dutch House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for To the South Seas
2 ratings0 reviews