Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities

Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities: A Book of the Sea – Terry Breverton

I was given my copy of Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities as a gift from an old boyfriend.  The boyfriend has long gone now but my Breverton’s remains by my side as a much-treasured item. A little tea-stained now and worn around the edges (like me), it has a permanent place on my desk so as to be close to hand.  I can pick it up for a little light relief from work or to gain some inspiration for the next blog.

Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities is a smorgasbord of unusual nautical facts, maritime trivia and fantastical seafaring stories.  Whilst a must-have for any sailor’s locker, it won’t be out of place on a suburban bookshelf.  It’s not a book you will read from cover to cover but rather dip into as and when the mood takes you.  It would make a wonderful gift for that nautical friend and is available to buy from all the usual suspects.

There are nine chapters: A-Z of sea slang; Sea Conditions and Weather; Life at Sea; Death at Sea; Heroes, Heroines, Sea People and Navigation; Villains of the Seas; Islands, Ports, Harbours and Capes; Animals of the Sea and lastly The Ocean Environment.  The book also has wonderful sketches throughout to conjure up ye olde nautical atmosphere.

Not all the entries are from the age of sail there are also more contemporary ones. Here is a snippet from Something About Treasure entitled Odyssey Marine Exploration – The Treasure Hunter.

“Run by an American entrepreneur Greg Stemm…In 2008 Odyssey Explorer found HMS Victory in a secret location off Alderney in the Channel Islands.  The precursor to Nelson’s Victory, she was lost in a storm in 1764.  It comprises the largest collection of bronze Royal Naval guns ever found; 41 of her 110 guns have been discovered, worth £35,000 each.  There may also be four tons of Portuguese gold and silver worth £700 million also to be recovered”

Four tons?!!  Hmm now, where did I put my diving gear…

Related Articles:  HMS Victory (the Nelson one!)

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