Bound Down for Newfoundland: The Log of a Young Seaman on Board the «Matthew»

Olaf Uwe Janzen is an associate professor of history at Memorial
University, reviews editor of The Northern Mariner, and editor of
Northern Seas.

In 1997, a replica of John Cabot’s little ship, the Matthew, sailed
across the Atlantic in order to retrace and re-enact the explorer’s
historical voyage of exploration 500 years before. The author of this
book was one of the crew, and Bound Down for Newfoundland is a record of
his experience.

LeGrow was not inexperienced at deep-ocean sailing, having
circumnavigated the globe in 1994-95 as a member of a “Class Afloat”
on the tall ship Concordia. Moreover, and notwithstanding the success of
its builders in capturing the design and character of a 16th-century
ship, the Matthew was provided with engines, satellite uplinks, and
sophisticated modern electronic navigation equipment (for instance, at
certain points in the voyage, the crew transmitted video footage of
their progress to Nimbus aircraft flying overhead). Nevertheless, even
20th-century transatlantic sailing can challenge a ship’s crew at any
time in the most unexpected of ways, and while accidents on board were
never more than minor, it is quite apparent from LeGrow’s account that
the voyage was no pleasure cruise. One of the more interesting
revelations in his journal concerned the way in which the 19-man crew
was transformed during the course of the voyage from a motley assemblage
of individuals (including journalists, doctors, a clergyman, and
professional seamen) with varying degrees of seafaring skills into an
effective and close-knit team. The book has unquestionable value in
driving home the danger and difficulty of a voyage of exploration half a
millennium ago, yet Bound Down for Newfoundland says more about our
desire (our need?) to seek out adventure in the 20th century than about
any truth it might reveal about 16th-century voyages of exploration.