Logbook kept aboard the schooner Arabia

This logbook chronicles the voyage of the fishing schooner Arabia from Gloucester, Massachusetts, to the Western Banks of Newfoundland in September 1908.

The creator of this volume is unknown, but he noted that he traveled from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Gloucester, Massachusetts, aboard the Uinta at the end of August 1908 before embarking aboard the Arabia. The Arabia set out for Newfoundland on September 1 and returned to Gloucester on September 28.

The creator provided detailed descriptions of the ship’s measurements and layout before turning his attention to life on board the ship. He recorded when meals were taken, what work was done aboard, and how profits were shared among the captain, crew, and ship owners. The writer was particularly interested in the work done aboard the dories, the small, shallow draft boats used to catch fish along the banks of Newfoundland. He described catching cod, haddock, and halibut, and how the fish were cleaned and processed aboard the ship. He also detailed several encounters with giant squid, which he found frightening.

In addition to the work of fishing, the creator described the crew’s daily habits and activities. He noted that they did not bathe regularly, only washing and shaving when they were nearing Gloucester at the end of their journey. He frequently recorded snippets of conversation between crew members while at work. He also described the food on board and the table manners of the crew. He observed that the ship cook had a limited knowledge of cooking and that there was no clear system for provisioning the ship, a matter that frustrated him greatly. At the end of the journey, the writer estimated that they had traveled over 3000 miles.

This manuscript logbook consists of 44 loose leaves of wove paper with a back board that has broken into several pieces. The paper features a watermark that reads “Eaton Highland Linen.” One leaf bears the two yacht flags of the Uinta and the watermark “Hurd’s Suede Finish.” The volume contains handwritten text in pencil throughout. On a piece of grey wove paper at the back of the volume, there are several pencil sketches of human figures and fishing gear. The creator first used the rectos to record his entries, numbering them 1-44. When he reached the end of the volume, he used the versos, starting from the back of the volume, and numbering them I-XLIV.