While working as the ship’s carpenter, William Harden records daily life on the Red Gauntlet, a clipper bound for Hong Kong and back. While his entries focus heavily on weather and the hoisting of sails, layers of tension and drama begin to unfold, giving readers glimpses of cruelty, racism, and the many hardships of seafaring life in the mid-1800s.

This journal is a gem for the archives, found and painstakingly transcribed by Gene Barron, who brings a modern-day perspective and historic insights to Harden's entries through his commentary and research.